Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-10-05
TaE GOVERNMENT Cash BOX

1
Crown Prince ct The Kings disposal"
TaE 60VERyNERT Cash BOX
1t iF the Largest Construction of the Kind
in the World.
Philadelphia Times.
10 the dimly-lighted, Dizzy depths ct
the north wing Of the National Treasury
may be seen stalwart men wheeling in
from the elevator foot OF the branch Of
fee O, the express company IN the build
ing, truck after truck heavily laden with
ce1v6se sscks over 2 foot and & half long
and oae-third that width, each containing
silver dollSrs. As the fTncks, rafting
Cver the pavement, psss into the granite
walled outer room, three accountants, with
book and pseBcl IN hare, examine the
number {. stacks on esch truck and enter
the amount. The trcck then passes on
through the heay7 GTChed opening IL
which swings b.cE ponderOus steel
do0T, with all the devices OF bclts snd
bars snd time locks sgsinst the Ingenious
sni Ekili'ul manipulstions Of burglars,
into Vesti5ule. Here stsnts the great
brass coin balances, so nicely adjusted IS
to record the weigd1 of hsir. Each
esck Of COIN is emptied into the bslsncc,
/ weighed and weight noted. Tie coin Is
then replaced into tie secke, tied end
sealed and carried through another door
into one Of the steel woven lattice celia
for is eecUre storage for inkeflite years
while oliver certificates are in circulation
| A. every step IN transit, from the coiD
! elevator 10 the storage cell, are trusty
guards and wAtchmer, Wh0se vigilant
/ eyes survey eVe;y s&ck CO the precious
metal until it passes under the hG&l
survey Of the officers at the cell entrance,
who are there. key il hand, to fssIen the
steel lattice door when the cell is full or
| the hours Of work ended.
Tcis great steel cash bCx cS The gnv-
eminent, which has just been put in
readiness to receive the Overlooking NIL
| lions O COic Of the republic, is the larg
| est construction CT the kind In the world
l. lies buried undsr the north court OF
the Treasury building, where slI the
! hundreds CT millions Of TIE peoples
money is kept. l. consists f outer walls OF
masonry and brick and & covering OF iron
girders, brick arches and concrete five
| fee. thicx, with an inner lining Of heavy
plates Of steel. The Inside measurements
| are sOS50 feet and twelve feet high. For
| the convenience AID additional necurity
| CT storage The interior is divided into
sixteen steel lattice cells, 20X10 feet, with
capacity for 100000 SILVER dollsra
esch. Thsy are surrounded BIZ onCu:aZ
corridor, and open upon 3 transverse pas
s.ee.
The inner door CT this immense coin
chest is s massive construction CT steel,
eight by six feet, SIX inches thick, and
weighs 5000 pounds. An apparatus, cor.
s:stiDg Of levers and a com 3iuati0u of
| Cogs, Is required 10 open md Gloss il OF
isg tricks. 4 hs,t dozen men can barely
move IL unsiied By this mechanical ap-
plis1ce.
A practical ides of the siz3 CT this IN
me0se suhtcrrsnesa casl box msy be
formed by showing its holding cepaciiy
In silver coin. 1t u estimated to accom-
modate Sl04, GOO, coo in the cells or six
teen lattice su odivisions, OF il round
numbers Si00. 100000 The Silver Is
sacked in heavy Canvas bags 1890 inches,
occh holding q thousand silver dollars
and weighing shout fifty niue pounds
Each cell contains sc 100000, which
is $500 sacks, making 3S4, 800 pounds Of
silver coin, or equal 10 over 192 net tons
The sixteen cells will hold 500, 100000,
or 100000 tags Of dollars, weighing
5 100000 pounds or shout 5000 net tons
The outer corridors and massage will
store S2S, 10000 or $4,000 sscks, OF
1852 200 pounds, equal TO nearly soc
more; or an sggregare storage capacity
for SIPS, 100000, IN l2S.0 200 sacks, weigh.
ing 1892 coo pounds, or 3746 tons.
In event Of sudden necessity to re-
move this immense bulk CT treasure il
would require abou. 1000 four horse
wagons carrying two tons eech and max.
ing treasure trsiu thirtY-six miles in
length, or il would take g railway trair
of 1877 cars, each car carrying twenty ton!
Of ccin.
The transfer Of silver coin which is nov
goins On is TO relieve the overburdeued
ccfers Of the government at Philadelphis
New York, Ssn Francisco, New Orleans
Denver and other mints and sub-treasu'
ries where the accumulstions of coin ex
coed the storage capacity. The dali,
transfer under the arrangement
with the express company is $500,
600, or $50 sacks of silver dollars
weighing 90 500 pounds, or 193 tons
This enormous daily transportation owe
hundreds of miles Of territory and deliv
cry of silver coin is made in huge iro,
money chests, which sre constantly unde.
the eye CT srrned guards. Upon the ar
rivsl of the Treasure at Washington 1t il
conveyed from the cars TO the branch e1
press office in the Treas urY Dspsrt
ment in immense wagons, upol
which are stationed strong guards
The coin is turned ever to the cashier o
the United States Tressurer's Office, WHIT
receipts for it sitter it is weighed ant
passed into the vault 10 It's final place c
storage. The present receipts OF silve
coin will swell the already burd eneC
vaults Of the Treasury build
ing. Previous to the transfer O
silver dollars there wss $4,000, 00
in cssh in the Treasury. The whoA
amour. of &seets on hand in the Treas
iry, Including its sub-sreasuries, mint.
etc is S72l, OoO,O snd IS $4,000 il
the depository banks to the credit Of til
government Treasury. In addition TO tn,
immense new vault there are i've othe
similar constructions, though on smalle
scale.