Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-02-05

where Uncle Sam will Hereafter
Keep His surplus Dollars.
Washington Start

A Star reporter, with q taste for
burglary, obtained the other day from
Supervising Architect Freret piece OF
paper giving him permission to inspect
the new vault, and was placed in the
charge OF Civil-Engineer Edwin c. Mil
Ter, the chief draughtsman OF this
bureau, who has practically had the
entire supervision of the work OF
the construction OF the vault. After
Mr. Miller had cautiously donned
his overcoat and Oyershoes the
pair went down stairs into the basement
and passed into the northeast corridor,
where crowds of clerks were grouped
around little holes in the wall buying
pies and beans and sandwiches for lunch.
A short flight of winding steps led down
into the sub-basement, where the chill OF
the outside blizzard was intensified by
dampness that soon made the two vlsl-
tors turn up their collars and shiver.
couple more turns brought them to q
very ordinary wooden door, near which
number of men were sitting In
front of great safe. This is one OF
the "smaller" repositories and contains
onlya few millions, the reporter was told.
One of these men brought the only can
die the place afforded-a bit OF tallow
an inch long-and the three went through
the door. which was then carefully
closed, into a perfectly dark apartment,
where the air, though very cold, was in
contrast to that outside, being perfectly
dry. On the right rose the foundation
wall OF the building, gray granite, and
on the other was the new brick wall OF
the vault. The man with the bit OF light
went ahead and disclosed the door which
is to guard the millions.
1t is of iron, six inches in thickness,
and weighs 5000 pounds. 1t slides into
the wall on the right, clearing half of the
passageway, and requires the strength OF
five men to move it without the aid Of
the mechanical device which it is pro-
posed to put in place. The lock is a cir
cular brass plate, about a foot IN diane
ter. set an inch or 30 into the face OF the
door. The bolts are on the left hand, or
east end Of the floor, and fit into slots in
a masslveiron plate set into the wall on
that side, the door going nearly a foot
into the face of the wall. They arc
moved into place by a turn Of large
handle in the centre OF the brass plate,
and when once shot cannot be turned
back without the use of small key that
fits into q very ordinary-looking key
hole on the upper rim of the plate. The
lock is said to be one OF the best IN use
for strength and reliability.
Once inside the door the vault looks
very much like jail-room, except that
on this occasion it was impossible to see
half dozen feet away, owing to the
feeble light of the candle. The walls are
hollow, and are now entirely dry. IL IL
intended to run steam-pipes through
from the main building, aud to place in
candescent lamps around the room so
that it will be perfectly comfortable.
The money is to be stored in sixteen
cells or rooms, arranged in two rows OF
eight each, separated by a passageway
about four feet wide, with IL
door from each room opening into
it. The partitions are made OF iron
lattice-work, of strips about a quarter Of
an inch thick. At the corners of each
room is an iron column formed by rivet-
ing together four pieces OF iron shaped
| like a letter l. and about fifteen feet
long. These bear the entire weight OF
the arches and directly support a series
of iron cross-beams or glrders fifteen
inches thick. Not long ago rumor
found its way into circulation that the
weight of the roof had bulged the lattice
work. thus indicating an early collapse
of this storehouse for the Governments
treasure, but as matter of fact the lat
tice does not quite reach the roof and
the bullying" was the resultOf the work
of riyeting, which took place after the
strips were in position.
Mr.. Miller thinks that the columns are
capable of bearing q weight eight times
heavier than that which now exists. The
dimensions of the vault, outside measure
ment. are 60. 10 feet by 978. This gives
a surface area OF 5,877.78 square feet.
According to the nearest calculations the
weight now to be supported is about 100
pounds to the square foot, and thus there
| is a total weight of 8S1, 667 pounds.
Each room is 20 feet by 10 and about
- feet high. The silver dollars will
be stored in boxes and in such a way that
in the end of the room furthest from the
door they will be piled high and grading
down to the entrance. 1t is expected
| that each room will contain 5000, 600 If
piled close to the top of the arches.
This will make the total accommodations
of the vaults equal 10 lbs. 100000. The
doors of these rooms are fitted with locks
so contrived that the Waterman cannot
take the key ont until the door has been
securely locked, in this way preventing
the door being left aiar. A three-foot
passage runs around the vault, outside
the rooms, with no connection with them
except in the front through heavy pair
OF double doors.