Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-01-12
ttIlsleilaneUus.
Uncle Sans MOney-BOX.

This is the only country in the world
that keeps the Treasury balance in its own
custody. All others deposit the amount in
sound banks, by which part of the sum
is lent, only so much being kept on hand
as may be needed to meet current liabili-
ties. The vast boards of gold and silver
in the United States Treasury are so much
money Withdrawn from business. Never
theless, a visit to the places where it is
stored is very interesting. Come this
way and I'll show you how much cold
cash Uncle Sam has got stored here, said
Cashier Floyd, as he led New York
Herald reporter through the labyrinth of
desks on the first floor of the ub-Treasu-
nv building to a heavily barred and stud
ded iron door that opened into passage
leading to the gold vaults. At the other
end of the passage an attendant unfas-
tened second door.
AS the reporter followed his guide into
a dimly lighted room about Is feet square,
the door was closed behind them and they
were made prisoners with over $4,000
600 of gold coin. The four sides of the
vault, from floor to ceiling, were covered
with iron doors. opening into compart-
ments containing the coin.
These boxes that are sealed" said the
cashier, pointing to door where slip of
paper was stuck to the lock with red wax
''are full. They contain Sl.000,0 900 each.
"Here'-throwing wide open a door
that was standing ajar, and revealing
compartment partially filled with plump
white canvas bags carefully packed-''is
a box we are using from. There are
S250,000 in there" he continued, after
glancing at the tags.
"How much gold do the bags contain?"
asked the reporter, as his eyes rested
wistfully on the outlines of the coins
shown through the canvas.
Five thousand dollars each always.
Silver is put up in thousanddollar bags,
This lower tier is the double eagle row.
In the second are stored eagles, and so on
to quarter eagles, the smallest gold coin
we have on hand"
"How heavy is this?" asked the report
err, as he took up bag.
"Oh, that is easily handled; it weighs
only eighteen pounds. 1t would be a
different matter to carry bag of silver,
though they weigh sixty pounds EACH
But come. and will take you down to the
silver vaults"
1HOlC 10 QUIZ oiotiiCl gnu VII lDO
second floor of the building. opposite the
one the reporter had already visited, and
exactly like it in the interior arrange
ments. The two vaults together contain
seventy-one million -four thousand dollars
After descending to the floor below in
slow moving elevator, and passing by
doors with complicated time-locks cling
ing to their backs, long passage was
reached with white painted iron gratings
on each side. Behind the gratings were
bags of silver, filling every available inch
| from floor to ceiling.
"YOu see we have more silver here
than there is accommodation for, so we
are obliged to fill up this end of the pas
sage with it. There are thirty-one mil
lion dollars before you. twenty-five mil
lions are in standard dollars. The de-
nominations are separated by those cross
gratings."
"What does it all weigh? ''
"Over one thousand tons. That would
be eighty railroad carloads. There are
one hundred and forty tons of gold up
stairs. Allowing a ton to be a CARLOAD,
it would take one thousand, one hundred
and forty carts to carry away the coin in
this building"