The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1889-10-30
THE BANK OF ENGLAND.
AN INSTITUTION WHICH is BANK
ER FOR THE GOVERNMENT.
Flunkies in Gorgeous Raiment-Pro-
tected at Night by Soldiers-Ofi-
GERS Who Live i'm the Building.


lidity everywhere about the Bank of Eng
land, says David Wechsler in the Brook
lyn Citizen. There is no end of we'll
dressed clerks counting money, paying it
out, making entries in various big books,
and explaining to this or that person the
intricacies of the bank system. There is
row after row of bank messengers, dressed
in swallow tail coats, waiting to make de-
posts or draw out money. There is a
ceaseless jingle of gold, scurrying of
messenger boys, aud the din and rattle of
omnibuses and cabs outside. There are
any number of bank servants who seem
to have nothing to do but stand erect and
look magnificent. Their superiors who
wear the cockades and flowing gowns of
many colors. are so gorgeously dressed,
and so naughty in manner, that they are
allowed to twirl their maces and walk
with measured step from one courtyard to
another. Through these courtyards there
are doors or gates from which the various
divisions Of the bank are reached All
of them are low, solidly constructed and
modest, and grouped about in nine court
yards.
The basement of the bank is very in
teresting. The visitor is taken through
a carefully guarded iron door into low
rooted circular vault, near which are
number OF small trucks loaded with gold
ingots, collateral for the banks notes.
The ingots on each truck are built up in
stacks to the amount of S400, 600 in
American money. These constitute the
assets which the bank possesses against
its liabilities on account of circulation and
deposit, and the difference between the
several amounts is called "the rest, or
balance in favorof the bank For weigh
ing admirably constructed machines are
used, and are accurate even to the weight
of the smallest atom. Gold is almost eX-
cl isively obtained by the bank in bar
form, although no form of deposit would
be refused. 1t may interest the reader to
know that bar of gold is a small slab.
1t weighs sixteen pounds and is worth
about $50 per ounce. In the basemant
also is the barracks wherein a half hun
dred soldiers are quartered from o'clock
every evening until Z o'clock the next
morning for the protection of the bank.
There is a library for the use of the men,
who are also provided with bountiful
supper and breakfast, plenty of good
tobacco and enough beer to satisfy even
thirsty Londoner. Every night in the
wear an officer at the head of this COM
pany of soldiers is marched over from the
Tower of London. AT Z o'clock he takes
possession of the bank. This is a. GUS
tom that dates back since the Lord
George Gordon riots All night long
these men patrol through the halls, courts
and offices Of the bank, and the outside
is as carefully guarded. Indeed it
may be truthfully said that from Z o'clock
in the evening until Z o'clock in the
morning 1.-THE Little Old Lady of
Threadneedle street" us the bank is often
called, is as well protected by her Majes-
ty's soldiers as her Majesty in her palace
at Buckingham. As there is plenty to
eat and drink and good wine cellar to
choose from, it is not considered a bad
post even for an officer, and it often hap
pens that late passers-by can hear music
and songs issuing from the building, for
be it known also that the Secretary, Su-
perintendent and various other officials
with their respective families are COM
PEELED to live in the bank. They form a
set of their own, and the young ladies
give delightful little musicales and teas,
which somewhat surprise the unsenti-
mental American sightseer. just imagine
musicale or afternoon tea in Wall or
Broad street.
In the weighing offices is shown an
ingenious machine, invented to detect
Eight" gold. About eighty or hun
dred light and heavy sovereigns are
placed indiscriminately in round tube.
As they descend on the machinery those
that are light receive a slight touch which
moves them into their proper receptacle
and those which are of legitimate weight
fall into their appointed place. The
light coins are defaced at the rate of 200
in a minute, and by the weighing ma
chinery 35, 900 may be weighed in one
day. There are a dozen of these ma
chimes, and 100,0 pieces have been
weighed without an error. More than a
quarter of the gold rendered in a year is
light. The silver is put into bags each
of $500 value, and the gold into bags of
$4,000 value. These bagfuls of bullion
are sent through a strictly guarded door,
or rather window, in the Treasury, a
dark, gloomy apartment, fitted up with
iron bars and made secure with solid
locks and bolts.
The bank note machinery exerts by
the steam engine power formerly en-
ployed by the machanic in printing the
note. The bank notes are numbered by
a wonderfully accurate machine. AS
soon as a note is printed and the handle
Is reversed to take it out and put another
in its place, steel spring attached to the
handle letters and numbers that which is
TO follow, No note of a higher denomina-
tion than $1,000 equal to $4,000 is is
sued, The press is capable Of produc-
ing these at the rate of 5000 an hour.
There are other presses which print 95
and el0 notes. The number and date
of each note are printed at both ends OF
It, and as the separate halves are thus
easily identified, it is no uncommon thing
in England to cut a note in half and
transmit each by separate mails or in diff
ferent envelopes. The paper on which
the notes art printed is made at a specia
manufaetory, About 5000 reams arr
supplied to the bank yearly and not the
smallest scrap of il is wasted If a nott