Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-05-29
UNCLE SANS CASH.
HOW COUNTED WHEN 4 NEW
TREASURER is APPOINTED.
1t Takes Three Men Three Months
TO Count the Securities in
the Treasury Vaults at
Washington.


his successor, Mr.. Nebeneker. Mr.. Hus-
ton, says a Washington letter to the New
York Sun, does not free himself i'm
mediately from the responsibilities of
office. The office is not properly and
completely finished until all the cash in
the vaults in the Treasury building has
been counted and every dollar for which
Mr.. Huston gave a receipt to his prede-
cessor, Mr.. Hyatt, has been accounted
for. This counting will be the work Of
two or three months, and so it will be
midsummer before Mr.. Huston is re-
lieved entirely of the responsibility OF
the Office. In the mean time Mr.. Ne
beneker will be in charge and the daily
business of the Treasurer's Office will
proceed under his direction.
The money In the vaults of the Treas
ury Department is counted by commit
tee of three. The retiring Treasurer has
the selection OF one member of the COM
mittee, the incoming Treasurer the Sc
lection of another, and the Secretary OF
the Treasury selects the third. All three
of the appointments, though, are sub
iect to the approval of the Secretary.
The law allows salary of Sc day and
expenses to each of the members Of this
committee, but it is customary to select
employees of the department for the work,
because they are thoroughly familiar
with it,and as they are under salary they
do not receive the per diem compensa-
ton. With the induction of the new
Treasurer in office the committee takes
entire charge, putting seal on all the
vaults and safes. On the evening of the
day when the change is made the cash
in the cash room needed for the transac-
ton Of the daily business Of the Govern
ment is counted, and until the count OF
the other moneys is completed, this ac-
count is kept free from the other ac-
counts of the office. This cash now
amounts to about 81 1000, 0OO On the
day following the Inauguration of the
new Treasurer the committee begins
the work of counting tie cash.
in the packages Of currency every
niece is counted. The counting of the
silver is easier. 1t is done with the aid
of finely balanced pair Of scales. 1t is
in this way that the silver is counted as it
is received from the mints or the sub.
treasures. The silver is stored in two
vaults. At present one Of them contains
about 500, 900, 900 and the other about
SOS, 900, 600 in silver. These vaults are
steel lined and divided by steel lattice
work into compartments. The silver is
in canvas bags, each containing $1,000.
One of these bags is opened and the
pieces of silver are counted. Then the
bag and its contents arc weighed. The
weight is about sixty pounds. If this
bag contains new coin that fact is noted.
Then a bag containing old coin IS
weighed and counted, for the abrasion
received in circulation makes considera
bic difference in the weight of large
quantity of coin. The other bags of coin
are then weighed. If one of them is
found at all lighter than the standard
weight, it is thrown aside fer examina-
ton, and later its contents are counted.
There are more than $50, 900 OF these
bags of silver coin to be weighed. Stall
wart laborers carry them from the coin
vaults under the supervision of the men,
bers of the committee and place them on
the big scales. A careful record of their
number is kept. In one of the two larger
vaults of the Treasury is stored more than
S26, 600, 900 in gold coin. 1t has re-
mained undisturbed for long time
This will be "counted" in the same way
that is, its value will be ascertained by
its weight. As has been said, the cur
rency will be counted piece by piece.
The current silver will be counted also.
When the count has been completed, a
report will be made to the Secretary of
the Treasury, end if it appears that there
is any shortage the retiring Treasurer
will be called upon to make it good.
For it is not at all unlikely that there
will be a shortage in the Treasurers ac-
counts on the face of the committees re-
turn. There was a shortage S19 in the
accounts OF Treasurer Hyatt when he
turned his office over to Treasurer Hus-
ton. 1t was found in the count Of the
larger silver vault This vault had been
counted under the supervision Of Captain
MeIine, the assistant cashier, and one Of
the oldest employees of the department,
when it was turned over to Treasurer
Hyatt. lie had charge of the vault
from the time Mr.. Hyatt came into Office
until he retired. He made the count
when the office was turned over to Mr..
Huston. When the apparent shortage
was found Captain Meline went to Mr..
Hyatt and said that he felt morally bound
to make it good. The vault had been
under his supervision from the time Mr..
Hyatt came into Office, and If there was
anything missing he felt that he was re-
sponsible for it. Accordingly he paid |
the missing amount into the Treasury
cash, and Mr.. Huston gave MI. Hyatt
D receipt for the full amount, which the
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