News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-03-07
SHIPMENT OF SPECIE.
CONVEYING MILLIONS OF THE
PRECIOUS METAL.
It's Transit from Philadelphia to
Washington A Corps of Sesret
Service Detectives Required to
Watch It.

There were $21, $50, coo of specie in the
vaults of the Philadelphia post Office.
Seven million Of this has recently been
transhipped to the Treasury building
at Washington, going at the rate OF
81, 100000 day The work was be-
gun under direction of the Adams Ex-
press Company, who were protected
at every step by secret service men.
The specie is tied up in heavy canvas
bags, each containing $1,000, which
weigh sixty pounds. These bags are
sealed with the government seal, and
before passing from the vault they are
carefull ully~scPtstiI.ized=
Fifty bags, each containing !, 900 silver
dollars and weighing in the aggregate
5000 pounds, are loaded upon car
riage or truck. Guarded by two uni
formed officers and the eyes of the Sc
cret service detectives, the carriages are
wheeled to the elevator and taken down
stairs and through the passageway to
Chant street. At the rear entrance
stands heavy wagon of the Adams E1-
press Company. The contents OF the
carriage are transferred to the wagon,
and the load, guarded by four detectives,
is conveyed to the main Office of the
company at Sixteenth and Market
streets. These $4,000 instalments are
conveyed to the depot until the million
dollars are stored at the depot
Each detective carries two loaded pis-
tolls ready for instant action. Two pairs
of the finest automatic handouts and q
blackjack complete his defensive outfit.
ANY attempt to mOlest the pre- i1us load
would invite a volley of pistol bulls from
every detective, as their orders are to
shoot upon the slightest attempt at rob
berry.
When the sixty-pound bags of silver
arrive at the main Office they disappear
as completely as if the earth had opened
and swallowed them up. The money is
never seen again until its arrival i'll
Washington. Each bag of silver is
placed in a heavy oaken keg bound with
iron and sealed with the government
and express company's seals. These
kegs are loaded upon an express car
built expressly for this service and
lined with wrought iron. Each car will
carry 81, ,000,0 900 in silver and $40, ,000,-
600 in gold specie. About the move
ment of the cars the closest secrecy is
observed. But one person knows when
it will start on its journey or to what
train it will be attached. Awaiting his
orders is a corps of armed secret service
detectives.
The government learned the import
ance Of secrecy by a severe lesson in
1868, when So, 100000 in silver and gold
was transferred from San Francisco to
the mint in this city. When the train
arrived at Harrisburg the train was split
in two sections, the government car be-
ing in the second section. The first
section was running at q high rate of
speed near Frazier, when the engine
plunged over an embankment, wrecking
the train and killing the engineer and
fireman. The passengers waO endeayOr-
ed to assist the wounded were stoned by
an invisible gang of robbers. The car
containing the money had been traced
from San Francisco, and the train was
to be delaled for the purpose of robbing
the government. The unlocked for split
in the train defeated the plan.