The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1890-07-30
UNCLE SANS TREASURY.
OBJECTS OF INTEREST IN THE BIG
BUILDING AT WASHINGTON.
Large Sums I'm Small Packnges--The
Great Maccrator and How It Does
Its Work---In the Vaults.

Department are two places, says the Wash
lngton Star, that are visited by thousand
OF people each month, and these are first
the place where the Governments prom
issory notes are made and the other wher
some other firms notes are destroyed. |
is case of nip and tuck between thes
places as to which one is the most power
full attraction, but the truth is that thos,
who 90 to one place think that they havt
not completed the rounds until they hav,
seen the other.
There used to be n large sum of none,
done up in very small package IN tho
Treasury Department, million dollar.
or more, it may have been, which the
guides used to show to visitors to the
vaults as a specimen of how much wealth
could be put into a small space. Folks
used TO look at il, handle it carefully, rub
their hands over it in caressing, loving
manner, and then put it down again with
long sigh that spoke of regret at part
ing. Some OF them were iucrcdulous as
to the sum that was in the bundle and
would show their skepticism by asking
some rather ridiculous questions. But
most of them swallowed the statements
of the guides without murmur and went
home to tell as a marvellous n tale how
they had had million dollars in their
hands all at once, Just think of it
The stream Of visitors to the Treasury
is constant. 1t begins at ten in the
morning, when the doors are opened to
the public, and it does not cease until
after two, when they are closed again
1t is estimated that 30, 200 people went
down through the vaults and other places
OF interest last month alone, and this is
but sample OF other months in the wear.
There is regular route over which the
guides, who are furnished at the Office of
the Treasurer, take their chargcs-alony
the corridor, past the rooms where the
ladies are counting money, both new and
old, and then the questions begin.
Everybody wants to know what the wire
cages are put up around the counters for :;
II 1t is to prevent them from getting
away with some of the Governmcnt's S
cash, or whether it is to ward off a poss-
BILE raid on the rooms by mobs of bur
glars. Then the parties, numbering from
five to fifty, descend into the basement,
where the doors of the vaults are to be
seen, peering vaguely from the half lights
OF the gas flames that dance and futter
at the approach of visitors.
The mysteriousnes of these huge doors,
portentous with their charges, impresses
the by-standers, and they are silent for
moment, but they soon break forth INTO
questions about the exact amount of
money stored away there, which the
guide can tell them to cent
But the main point of interest is the
macerator, which is the name for the
great machine thst grinds old money into
shapeless, valuless pulp-the financial
ogre, as it might be called. 1t is in the
sub-basement of the building in q room
facing the courtyard on the west side,
and any day from this point can be
heard loud whirring and moaning, as
ii the monster was gnashing his teeth for
more food.
The money that is put into the hun.
CRY thing to be destroyed is that sent
back to the Treasury for redemption by
national bauks, after it has done its best
service, old money issued by the Govern
ment that has become limp and ragged
and other forms of the buying power that
has seen better days. In short, this is
the grave of the cash. 1t is huge
kettle, closed on top and on all sides,
with lot of pipes running into it and
an amount of gear reaching almost to the
ceiling. A large, smooth engine in one
end OF the small room slides back and
forth with noiseless motions, and starts
wide belt that turns and twists several
times before it finally goes around the
shaft OF the macerator and gives to it
spinning motion that is almost dizzy
ing.
The great kettle is about three feet deep
and six feet in diameter. The upper half
only is to be seen, as the lower part is
buried in a square base of bricks that has
been built up so that in order to reach
the machine itself one has to go up few
steps. On the side near the door is a
hole cut into the metal and covered by a
plate OF steel about foot square, per-
forated by little round holes through
which the attendant or the visitor can
peer and see the mass of mutilated money
flying around at lightning pace in food
OF seething water which has assumed the
color of a soile1 handkerchief, if it is
very much soiled. This plate is locked
down with three large brass padlocks,
one for each OF the Offices that nave ac.
cess to the machine. The money is put
into the kettle every day at / o'clock and
again at 2 under the eyes of a committee
OF three officers, one from tine Office of
the Secretary, one from the Office of the
Treasurer and the other from that of the
Controller Of the Currency. Each of
these men has key to one of the locks,
and 1t will fit no other, so that it is neces-
sary for all three to be present when the
macerator is opened. This prevents any
possible fraud, which is not an unwisc
precaution, as the money that is put into
the pot is quite good at the time,
II takes about five hours to grind the
money quite into pulp so that it is en-.
tirely devoid of financial value except as
curiosity, aud when it is taken out tho
next morning it has the consistency OF
rather hard mud that is still moist. The
water has all been DRIVEN from the kettle
and drawn out by means of tube at
tached to blower on the engine. The
pulp Is then taken to the Bureau of En-,
craving and Printing, where it is put
through process to extract the ink, and