The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-08

an alarm during the term of Secretary
Folger. One day Secretary Folger sent for
the Captain of the watch in great haste and
evident alarm. "Do you know, Capt
Cobaugh,n said the secretary, "that an at
tempt has Just been made to rob the
treasury
WHY PRECAUTIONS WE'RE TAKEN.
A little questioning showed that Secretary
Folger had Only Just heard from the pFesi
dent of q national bank in Washington Of
the boldest attempt ever made, so far as
known, on the nations treasure-house. To-
cal detectives had warned the treasury that
two expert thieves were in Washington,
with designs upon its vaults. Only the
next day the captain of the watch saw two
men answering their description lettering
along the corridor.
1t must be understood that the main halls
of the treasury, during certain hours of the
day, are as open to the public as are the
streets. The captain of the watch put a
sharp Ouerry to the suspicious strangers.
They had a ready answer as TO whom they
were looking for, but they saw that they
were spotted, i" in criminal phrase, and they
left the building. IL was this incident that
alarmed Secretary Folger, so that he was
entrely ready to make tour of the build
ing under the guidance OF the captain of the
Watch. They first went to the office of
Discussing Clerk Bartlett, who had con-
stantiy III his charge hundreds u on hum
dreds of thousands OF dollars. His room
opened directly upon the corridor, and there
the clerk was constantly alone with his
treasure.
What would you do" asked Secretary
Folger of the clerk, ''if two men were to
enter here suddenly and place two revolvers
at your head"
The clerk could make no reply. Similar
questions addressed 10 other disbursing
clerks met with equally unsatisfactory au-
swers The immediate result of this eXpe~
rience was that all of these offices where
the actual daily money business Of the
treasury department is conducted, were
fitted with counters and ratings aud no
man was left alone for a moment. Upon
every mans desk and at various other places
are electric alarm bells which can be rung
in an instant.
The great silver vault which is in such
danger from subterrauean assault is often
exhibited at ordinary times TO visitors, who
are allowed to gaze upon the heavy steel
door which caD only be open and shut by
weighty mechanical gearing. and to look
beyond it upon the vast heap Of silver dol
lars stored in canvas bags containing thou
sand dollars each.
These bags have hitherto been packed in
wooden boxes, but the increase in silver
coinage has made this method too cumber-
some, SO that the bags are now piled one
upon another twenty feet high. Narrow
lanes lead between the argent stacks. Just
now, while the vast hoard is being counted
dollar for dollar process simplified greatly
by Weighing the thousand dollar bags, no
one but those engaged in the work is allowed
even to look beyond the door that guards
these millions By special permit, the
Press correspondent was admitted within
the vault the other day. After he had ex-
perienced the pleasure Of holding within his
hands a feather weight of printed paper
worth a million dollars, he picked up a bag
of silver and asked the armed guard at his
side, these walls are strong, but how about
your floorr'
"Oh, we're away under ground here and
need no floorW
The guard did not know Of the sewer 50
dangerously near.