The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-11-25
UNCLE sADI,s CASH.
low th1 Netlsn's Currency and Blonde Are
Protected.


Protected.
To outside appearances the Treasury is no
more of strong box than is the general
Post Office, the Interior Department of the
Capitol Building, and the attention of the
visitor going through the buildings is not
attracted by any extraordinary precautions.
They are allowed to roam about the halls
Nobody watches them or asks any questions
In one room they may see o man signing
bonds that are stacked up in front of him,
representing probably thousands of dollars.
In another they may see some one putting
his name to little slips of paper, hundreds
of which lay upon the desk. These may be
warrants or drafts for large sums of money,
but the visitor doesn't know unless he ex-
amines them, and even then ten chances to
one he wouldn't understand them. As q
matter of fact none of these would be of
value to anybody getting possession of them
| by chance or dishonesty. AT most they
could only furnish basis for forgery, MS
they are in an incomplete form or are drawn
upon some particular place, to be paid to
specified person.
One of the greatest safeguards of the De-
partment, though, of course, not the one
most relied upon, is the fact that thief
wouldn't know what to steal, where to find
it, or what to do with it il he should hap
pen to get it. To a stranger oil the work
ings OF the department are mysterious, and
they lose sight of the strong box in contem-
plating the business establishment-the
CLERKS at work on correspondence and q
thousand and one of other routine matters.
At the north end of the building is the only
place where there are any indications of the
presence of great sums of money There
are located the Treasurer's office, the cash
rooms, the counting rooms and the great
vaults. There is collected nearly 5000, 000,-
600 in silver, gold or paper currency, such
as would be good for use at once in the
commercial world, besides indefinite thou
sands of old notes that have been cancelled
and are on their way to destruction, and in
the neighborhood of $500, 100000 in regis
tered bonds, which ore left as security for
the national bank circulation, and are of no
value except to the banks in whose names
they are registered or to the United States
But visitor passing to that part of the
building is not stopped by any grim-visag-
ed guard, but is allowed the same privilege
to walk through the corridors MS he had
where there was nothing more valuable
than appointments or decisions. He is even
allowed to walk out on the balcony above
the cashroom and look at the men handling
the money that is taken ont of the vaults
for use during the day. While walking around
this balcony admiring tho marble paneled
walls they are at one time very near vault
that is loaded down with wealth. They may
even lean with their backs against It, but
they don't know it. More than this, il is
not difficult for the visitor 10 get pass that
will admit him into the very vaults them
selves, and he cnn stand in the immense
iron and steel rooms, surrounded by piles
of money, which, if it fall on him, would
crush him to death. Or the visitor may be
allowed to go into beautiful little vault
and be permitted to hold package of two
OF thren millions ira hia hassa fur ~ .1aument.
Besides all this there is huge vault in the
south end of the building, known as the
registers vault, which at times has many
miinons in unsigned bonds Il Il.
1t must not be presumed from the fact
that bolts and bars and guards nre not yisi-
BILE that no precautions are taken against
robbery. II is the consciousness of perfect
safety that makes them so easy. The vaults
are about the strongest and best that the
ingenuity of man could contrive, and they
are very carefully guarded. They are made
of chilled iron and steel, and are as near
being impenetrable as safes can be made.
Their double steel doors are lock with time
locks in the night In the day time these
are opened and the entrance closed with
steel grating, near which the custodian
stands with his key. II might seem very
easy to knock this man down, take his key
from him and bag the wealth, but il wouldn't
be at oil easy. You, would hive to pass
through great many iron gratings, where
o large number of responsible employees ore
assembled, TO get at him. You would 60
in company with some official, and there
to go in at q time, where there would be
half dozen good men to deal with you if
you didn't act right. If you succeeded in
getting away with all Of these, you wouldn't
have time to get out before the whole Treas
ury watch would be on hand to receive you.
If you had "pals " in the corridors ready
to join you in fight with these, and you
killed them all of, the District police force
would have time to get there before you
could got away; and If you were very hard
| to whip, file of soldiers and Cutting gun
might be brought to bear on you by way of
recruits.
In this way the money and bonds are safe
during the day. In the night the vaults are
locked up with time locks that can't be
opened again till morning, and oil the
clerks and officials are away, the building
being left to force of watchmen, who pa
troll the corridors as policemen do the
streets of the city. There is constantly
some one at each door, and tho rest walk
about the corridors, one being left, how.
ever, in constant guard over the vaults.
Their strength is supposed to be enough to
resist any assault that might be made upon
them long enough to allow plenty of time
for the whole force Of watchmen, and, II
need be, such aid as they might call in to
reach the scene of the attack and drive
away the assailants. OF course the vaults
would not be impenetrable il burglar
were given enough time, but whole night
long of undisturbed work would scarcely
suffice for the most expert to get in.
Lime Prescrvntive From Rust.
All steel articles can be perfectly preserv-
al from, r,1ot hv puffino a Iunn,, ~ frasl,1xy