The Washington critic., 1890-04-26

hc iIcdSuftT IeclS " MS uuly lO-
call attention to several matters which
he deems of sufficient Importance to
command the early attention Of Con-
gress. The vaults, excepting the large
one for silver, are such as have been in
use Tor many years, and, consequently,
they cannot be regarded as equally Sc
cure with those of more modern design.
It's recommended that they be strength
ened and supplied with the recent i'm
provements. The old safes should be
replaced with new ones. The cash
room, when II was fitted up some years
ago was doubtless supplied with all the
conveniences and appliances for the safe
transaction of business then known,
but improvements have since been intro
duced by the public generally which
would add greatly to the present facili-
ties and render more secure the prop
erty of the Government. In fact, the
banking house of the Government
should be made fully equal to the mod
ern banking house in first.class cities.
The Treasurer is required to give 4
large bond, and is held responsible for
the safe.keeping Of all things of value
placed in his ands; hence he feels that
he should be supplied with all the safe
guards that modern invention has pro-
duced."
The cash.room to which Treasurer
Huston refers in the foregoing passage
is the banking house or counting
room of the Department, where millions
of dollars are handled every day
taken in and paid out. He has re.
Gently made one Improvement In that
Department himself. Con nsidering that
there is not large city in America,
where purse -snatching in the street is
not common, and where money has not
been snatched by desperate thieves out of
the hands of men and women as they
stood in banking offices transacting
business with the tellers, IL is simply
wonderful that no attempt at robbery
has ever been made in Uncle Sans
counting house, where the temptations
are so great. Treasurer Huston
thought of this the other day, and,
going in among the clerks In the cash
room, where millions were lying
within reach of any bold adventurer
who wanted to grab, he asked how
many revolvers were in the Office and
ready for use in case of emergency
The cashiers and clerks who were
handling the money looked very much
surprised at the question, and said they
had never thought of an emergency and
never thought of revolvers. Somebody
remembered that there was a revolver
somewhere about the cash room and a
vigilant search found 1t slowed away in
one of the safes, which could only be
opened by the co operation of three or
four officials, each of whom had eX-
elusive knowledge of part of the COM
bination, and, even when found, it was
not loaded.
Another official knew that in the
Treasurer own office there was a box
containing twenty-six revolvers. "They
won't remain long in that box" said
Mr.. Huston; and they didn't, for he
went straight TO his office, had the box
found, produced and opened, and now
in the Treasury building there is not a
man who handles dollar but carries a
loaded revolver where 1t can be easily
and quickly drawn in case of emer-
gency. In this way the disbursing Off
GERS are expected to be able to protect
the funds in their possession from any
surprise.
II Is well known that the contents of
the vaults are protected from the dis.
honesty of trusted employees by the
system of distributing the secret of
the combination locks. The locks on
the safe doors are fitted with clock
works, which make it impracticable to
work the combination so as to open the
safe except at certain stated hours of
the day, and then it can't be done ex-
cept by the joint efforts of several off,
osa Ac ,hnx h.a III
| liar secret about the combination.
| While Brown is intrusted with the
secret Of one part of the combination,
| Jones is the only fellow who can work
the second, and Robinson has monop-
oily of the secret which completes the
work and opens the safe door. The
Treasurer himself, of course, is an ex-
ception. He can open any of the safes
himself, and he might 90 in and borrow
hundred millions or so of the public
money any day to go to the races, but
he Is the only man who could do 1t, and
he is not expected to exercise his pre-
rogative.
Since the foundation of the Govern
ment no Treasurer of the United States
has ever proved defaulter in dollar,
| and none has ever had his integrity
suspected. The Treasurers of the
United States, from 1889 up to date
have been line of officials that any
country might be proud of. Neither
has there ever been any burglary or
robbery within the Treasury building.
Treasurer Huston recognizes the
principle that man never constructed
anything that man cannot destroy. The
forces of attack and defense are about
equal. For every inch that is added to
the thickness of the armor ON wal
ships an equal advance is made in
ordnance, and guns are made powerful
| enough to pierce the armor. And so II
| art of the burglar. AS the safe is made
stronger the burglar grows more
skillful. No great feat of bold burglary
has been reported for so long time
now that Mr. Huston fears the time Is
approaching for another big surprise to
he sprung on the world. While he
thinks the Government should have the
strongest vaults and safes that modern
art can build, he feels that the safety OF
Uncle Sans treasure depends more
upon the brave ana loyal men who
watch it than upon any combination oi
masonry and steel.
The Treasury building is guarded
night and day by force of over sixty
watchmen most Of whom have beer
soldiers and not strangers to the use oi
firearms. Until recently the force con
sisted of one captain of the watch who
receives salary Of 81 400 year, tive
lieutenants OF the watch at 5000 each,
and fifty eight watchmen at $720 each
but recently since Mr.. Huston became
convinced of the vulnerabilitv Of tn,
vaults, the number of watchmen ha
been increased.
The watchmen work in three relay
from a. NJ, to 4. D. m. from D. m