The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1886-02-20

tlncate OF deposit; 1T IS slippery, and
$1,000 makes 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.
ing the rule against turning my back,
use tray to make the transfer
The conversation then turned on bank
robberies, 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 a moment, and then replied
that inpoint of weight there would be
no difference. ''As regards bulk, how
ever, So pieces would prove the most
valuable Doodle, especially if the
money was to be packed in a square
box"
How do you make that outp'
swell, the question is somewhat
puzzling one to answer, but l can easily
demonstrate it. The ratio of both the
diameter and thickness of five and
twenties is as eight is to five."
With this the expert strung eight half
eagles out in a row, and il was found
to be exactly as long as a row of five
twenties. The two rows were then
stacked up and the tops were found to
be on a level to hairs breadth. This
| illustrated the fact that the smallest
cubic space that would be exactly
filled by both coins would hold 5x5x5 in
twenties and 8xSx8 in fives, or 125 twen-
ties and SIP fives. One hundred and
twenty-five twenties equal $4,000, OF
course, while SIP fives amount to 3d.
$50. This difference of $50 the teller
was unable to explain, and he stated
that it had puzzled good many ex-
| perts. The interstices between the
twenties were much larger it was adj
| mitted, but there were. so many more
spaces between cubic body of fives
that there should not be any difference
when the ratio of the coins is so per-
feet. After puzzling over the matter
for some time the teller was about re-
storing the coin to the trays, when his
quick eye fell on well-worn five bear
ing the date of 1880.
Here's relic, he exclaimed, as he
| tossed it over. IF the old standard OF
coinage was in force now, the differ
ence in favor of the fives would be easily
explained. This was made in the days
when the Government used to swindle
itself out of over dollars worth OF
gold in every four IS pieces that were
turned out by the mint y
The reporter examined the veteran
bit of metal, and then asked for an ex-
PLANTATION.
WELL" said the teller" ga $50
piece contains SIG grains of gold, 900
fine, and always has, to the best of my
knowledge. The first $5 pieces were
coined in the year 1895, and the law
compelled them to contain 1856 grains
of gold, 9163 fine. 1t takes four fives
to make a twenty, and four times 1856
grains is equal to $40 grains, or "a
grains more than 500 piece. Add the
extra fineness to this and you have
more than the 25s grains that it takes
to make one gold dollar. 1t was the
same way with tens at that time; they
contained go grains each, or $40 grains
to the twenty. 1t evidently took the
Secretary of the Treasury thirty-nine
years to get onto this leakage, for it
was not until 1884 that the weight of
fives was reduced to 129 grains, and
that of tens to 258 grains. There is a
premium of 81 on fives antedating
1884, and If they are not too badly worn
they are worth it in extra bullion"
The subject of bank robberles was
here resumed at the point where it had
been broken off by the teller's mathe-
NAUTICAL problem on the rotation of five
to twenties. He expressed the belief
that the Pacific Coast banks were more
free from raids than their eastern con-
freres, on account of the prevalence of
coin here in preference to papermoney.
"There a clever sneak could toss
a million dollars into his hat and still
have room. to get it on; but here if he
stole $40, 900 he could not carry it with
out its being seen, and the heightened
bank thief will not take such desperate
chances as he would be compelled to
run with coin in his possession. There
are very few notes in circulation here
now"
..what will $4,000 in coin weighp''
'sYou can easily figure that for your
self. There are our trays that are built
to hold 500, 900 in twenties. They weigh
1,075 ounces each, or rather the coin
does, which equals 67.S pounds. Ten
thousand dollars weighs just half that,
and even SS3 pounds of coin would be
a pretty good load for man to stow
out of sight on his person. / always
had great admiration for Bret Harte,
until read one of his yarns, where
was able to contradict him. One chap
ter in it was devoted to the robbery of
the stage to Red Dog and the
driver was the hero. When the rob-
bers brought him to halt he fired the
coach lamps at them, and then jumped
on to one of the stage horses with the
treasure-box, and after race of six
miles beat them into the nearest sta
ton. The treasure-box, so Bret Harte
said, contained $4,000 in gold dust.
Now IL Won can find a man that can