The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1889-02-02
BILLIONS In A CART.
HOW CUSTOMS RECEIPTS ARE TAKEN
TO THE suB-TREAsuRY.

From 100000 to $1,000, 900 Carried In a
Modest Old Hand Cart-A Simple Sys-
tcm-Daily tasl,-4i New Plan of Paw.
ing Customs
n heavy wheeled hand cart, with thick
SGT little guiding wheel in front and pushed
by two men from behind, cluttered down the
steps of the William street entrance to the
custom house at 3:45 the other afternoon.
1t was instantly followed by four broad
shonldercd laboring men, a smooth faced old
tian of clerical appearance and stern
looking man with Il heavy brownish mus
tache, who quickly grouped themselves on
both sides of it and in front of it and be-
..'iid The little group, with the cart rum
bling III the center, pushed rapidly to Wall
street To the north side and then went at
II uu!ck pace up the street to Nassau,
then around to Pine street and was
swallowed up i'll the rear entrance to the sub
treasury building. All along the journey
from the custom house to the subtrcasury
people stopped and gazed curiotlsly ut the
group us it hurried along and tried to get a
glimpse of the cart. 1t was not II Very hand
some vehicle. Tho box was literally a box
iron bound and tightly locked with II heavy
brass paddock, but those who understood the
matter knew that it might contain anywhere
from SoOO,o0o to 81 900, 900 or more, and that
tins money represented Uncle Sans daily
tolls ON merchandise imported from abroad,
and that 1t was on its way to he poured into
tho treasury, another contribution to swell
the great surplus which now lies idle there
THE ENVY OF THIEVES
For over twenty years, ut about the same
hour ON slx days in every week, the cart has
made til. same journey surrounded by its
escort How many thieves have cast en-
vi"u5 eyes mt it, how many SPECTATORS on
the verge Of ruin, how many dishonest bank
employees with the impending crisis of dis.
c"vrry hanging close over them. have
Thought that to only have for but a few
weeks OF II few days the contents of that
usly iron bound box would he rrsrue f. ON
ruin, flight or suicide, anybody can imagine
Doubtless many gang of knavcs have
wasted many IL long hour trying to ,levl,c
SOM" daring scheme to waylay Its glIur,ilans.
smash the heavy box and make Off with il.
contents. But from all this nothing has
ever come. For nearly quarter of II cen
tuly the old cart has trundlcd over it, rn,1te
and not an unlawful hand has been raI,o;
against it. Collector lIcdlen in his t,.:.,
did receive, it is true, Il written wnrnIi,y ll,
IL plot had been hatchc,l to ;,ilacK the trr,.,,
llin cart. 1t WAS the work of suiu,. pr;,t,,,;,l
joker, most likely. y little extr, plccu,.,.ou
WAS exercised for time. but the plot never
developed, The most daring robber could
not fail To see tho madness Of such an at
tempt. Tho cart has carried its million.
with never the loss of so much US a cent.
Familiar ;s is the sight of the little vehicle
and its guard its appearance never fails to
partially stop tho hurrying Wall street
tlrong for II moment. Those who know
what it means cast II rcvcrcnt eye ON it ns it
passes, Strangers who understand nothing
of it catch sight of the big letters ''U s.
painted ON each end of the cart, and the hur-
ried SERIOUSNESS of those who surround it and
know that it is no light matter that is i'm
hand.
The system by which tho money is thus
transferred is perfectly simple In the
cashiers Office at the custom house are kent
four boxes, iron bound and made of thicl,
oak hoard They are two feet in length bv
one foot in breadth, and about a foot in
d',h. AT ench end is II massive iron hnnlle
,lia' in itself wcig chs nearly two of the fifteen
pounds at which each box tips the lcam
W hen the days work is completed the money
Is counted and placed in these boxes 1t is
then delivered to the custody of Unitel
States Detective 7. j. Mnrthu. Four lnl,ol>
ers then come, and each one shoulders u box
and carries it to the ground floor Herr. the
boxes arc placed in the strong box on the
cart, which Murthn locks AT the slb-treas.
uiy the money is again counted, and if il
agrees with tho custom house count u receipt
is given.
DAILY AVERAGE OF CASH,
'lho daily average of cash We carry said
the good nntured detective, sis about 5000
0Go, though Of course there arc many duys
when we carry over II million. When we
llitvG good deal of coin the lo;id is a very
heavy one and this, with the weight of the
cart and the boxes. makes it no easy thing to
push. We always have two men pt,slln.,
and four around it, besides myself and the
messenger | am the only one who is armed.
We go up tho north side of Wall street be.
cause there are more people there ami always
some Of Inspector Byruc's detectives al,ont.
have only been here about two years. br,t
| suppose we have carried not far from $3.50.
100000 in that time. What wealth that old
cart has had in its bowels! 1t makes n man
dizzy to think of it, The surplus in the
treasury would he Il little chicken feed il,
your pocket compared to it, never feel
tie least fear Of an attack How could
they get away with anythingi Th.
street is tlcl with people. They would
have to disable me first There would he
pistol shots before that Then they would
have to smash in the box on the cart, and
then they would have To lug away the dead
weight Of one or more of those inner boxes.
There would he 500 people and IL dozen pd,
!iccmcn and detectives about before they got
li.ut far The system is absolutely safe So
far as that is concerned, unless a small army
OF desperate men sweep down upon US
Notwithstanding the system nausurated
of paying customs dues through the medium
of bank deposits in the sub-treasury aud
certified bank checks drawn thereon, the old
cart still goes over its regular route But the
days Of its glory arc numbered Already
fully half the dues are paid by the check svs-
ten, and as its advantages become better
understood by banks and Importers it Will
supcrsede the old system So the historical
cart, like many another Wall street celeb
ritv, viii drift penniless into some obscure
corner and its past glories will be forgotten
New York World
Height of meteorological Stations.
OF the present very limited number Of hign
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