The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-12-12
INSIDE OF A BANK.
Interesting Talk With Handler
of Cash.
Transferring Thousands of Dollars In Coin
in Single Handful-Bank Robber-
les, East and West = Bret
Harte's TaIe-Silver In
Hulk.

ing bank day or two since. 1t was
near the close of busy day, and the
tired teller was skimming through
few hundred pounds of double eagles
with lightning-like rapidly. When he
at length came to the reporter the lat
ter remarked on his experiences, and re-
ceived a modest disclaimer of any
unusal merit. anybody ought to
handle double eagles easily" he said
''for they are the most convenient sized
coin that is made. When the Govern
ment stops coming them and ten-dolar
pieces take their places, as has been
ordered to certain extent, the average
bank teller's heart will be broke
"WhyP Because there will be more
pieces to handle"
mo, not for that reason, but on ac-
count of their being SO much nicer to
handle in every way. Sea- roll of
twenties just fits the hand and the
space between the first and fourth
fingers. Another thing, twenties are
the only coins thatyou can risk count
on by sizing one stack up with an
here. Then all the balance are sized
up, with the exception of the last stack,
which is counted, as a check on the
first count
"Why can't that be done with other
coinsp"
They get too badly worn to make
them come out evenly. In stack of
fives you will often find the difference
of an entire piece, and even tens are so
uneven as to make stacking them unre-
LIABLE
The nimble-fngered young man then
proceeded to illustrate his meaning
with two trays of coins. One tray CON
tanned $50, 900 in twenties, S400 to the
stack, had the tops of the stacks as
level as billiard-table, and no one
stack was higher or lower than its fell
lows to more than the thickness of a
piece of cardboard. The other tray,
filled with tens and tives, was so uneven
rs to bear the resemblance in places of
coin having been removed. This was
not due to the minting, he explained.
but to the wear of the coin in
circulation. Twenties wear, too, of
course, but the average man does
not have his pocket full of twenties.
and they get less wear than their kim
dred of smaller denomination. Eyes.
twenties are the boss coin if YOU have
much of it to handle,n he concluded;
and the reporter thought so, too, as a
depositor dumped 80, 400 on the coun-
ter and the teller picked up 81 900 in
one hand and $500 in the other, to con-
vey it to the trays four feet behind him.
That's pretty good load, isn't itP"
80, no." replied the teller, cheer
fully; "S4 900 is what we consider a
fair handful"
Seeing the reporters look of doubt
he gave another illustration in proof
of his assertion. Four stacks of S400
each were aid on the palm of his left
hand, three others went on top of them,
and the remaining three necessary to
complete the $4,000 We're lifted with
one clasp of his right. Il cou d take
another $1,000 by laying a couple of
rolls on my wrist" he went on, ''but it
is seldom necessary If a deposit
amounts to more than $4,000, set an
empty tray over on the counter and
load it there
Il should think it would be easier to
u
step from your counter to the trays. 1t
certainly would take no more time than
1t would to stack it up the way you do
on your hand
my friend. don't want to make
you feel bad, but never turn my back
to the counter for single second when
there is coin on it. No matter if YOU
were the only person in sight, and you
were my father, it would be just the
same. Eternal vigilance is the price of
$20-pieces in this business"
just at this time miner came in
from the mint with the result of his
summers labor in brand new, glisten-
ing double-eagles His deposit
amounted to but little over $4,000, but
it was noticeable that the teller took
tray to effect the transfer from counter
to shelf
"New coin isvery difficult to handle"
he explained after passing over a GER
titicate of deposit; sit is slippery, and
$1,000 makes a good handful. If you
attempt to stack it up like coin that has
been worn the chances are that it will
slide off and make muss on the floor.
Consequently, in order to avoid break
'-'c VIZ Wv S,stih'p tui HitiS lily DdCh,
use tray to make the transfer"
The conversation then turned on bank
robbcries, and in search of possible
useful information the reporter asked
what standard of coin would be the
most desirable to steal. The expert
studied for moment, and then replied
that inpoint of weight there would be
no difference. ''As regards bulk, how
ever, s. pieces would prove the most
valuable Doodle, especially if the
money was to be packed in square
box
''How do you make that outp'
well, the question is somewhat
pulling one to answer but can easily
demonstrate it. The ratio OF both the
diameter and thickness of five and
tweniies is as eight is to five"
With this the expert strung eight half
eagles on, IN "A row, and it was found
TO be exactly as long as u row of five
twenties. The two rows were then
stacked up and the tops were found to
be on level to n hairs breadth. This
illustrated The fact that the smallest
cubic space that would be exactly
Allied by both rDlns would hold 6x5xG In