The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-08
WEAK TREASURY VAULTS
a DANGER THAT THREATENS THE
MILLIONS OF THE UNITED STATES.

MIR. Huston's Odd Txperiment-How
Ee Was Hustled Along the Corridor
at Pistols Point-A Way Skillful
Safe Burglars Might Become Worth
Nillions-A Carefully Guarded Sc
cret-Fear of the Officials.
Washington Correspondent Philadelphia Press.
Six hundred and ninety-one millions of
dollars
A sum sufficient to abash a Monte Cristo,
and to make King Midas turn green with
envy.
This is the amount, within a few paltry
hundredsof thousands, one way or the other,
for which United States Treasurer Nebeker
will sign a receipt to his predecessor, Col.
Huston. Treasurer Nebeker is already in
office, but ex-Treasurer Huston is still re-
sponsible for this sum, and be will continue
TO be responsible until every dollar Of it has
been counted and found to be correct
large force of men have been at work in the
vaults of the United States treasury for
three weeks, and their huge task will
keep them busy for at least month
longer.
The startling fact about the presence of
this glittering mass of wealth in the United
States treasury is that it is in daily and
nightly danger from burglars.
The danger is so real that special vigilance
is exercised by the armed treasury watch,
who patrol its corridors and watch its por-
tails every moment of every hour in the
twenty-four. The danger is so real that
Mr.. Huston when treasurer was unable to
sleep because of his nervous sense of re-
sponsibility. The danger IS so real that Of
Pja Of ba trna Il to
have it made known, lest the attention of
expert era ksmen be directed to the oppor-
tunlty that invites their skill. The danger
is SO real the count of the money now going
on is conducted under the scrutiny of spe-
cially appointed watchmen and sentinels,
and with caution against the admission of
visitors never equalled.
WHERE THE MONEY is HELD.
These hundreds of millions of d, liars in
the keeping Of the treasurer of the United
States are held in eight principal vaults.
One, known as the great silver vault, con-
tains about SOL 900, 900 in silver dollars and
fractional silver. Another, ad joining it,
contains SO, 800, 900 silver dollars, and $26,
600, 900 in gold coin. Another vault con-
tains 1920, 900, 600 Of bonds held as security
for national bank circulation. Another,
known as the reserve vault contains
$500, 100000 in paper money, held as a re-
serve to replace worn and mutilated notes.
Besides these, three other vaults hold re-
spectively, So, 900 in national bank
notes received for redemption; S5000,0J0 or
so of mixed moneys received day by day
for redemption, and So, 100000 in mixed
money used in the daily business Of the de-
pertinent
Glittering figures, these. And now for the
dangers that menace them.
THE VAULTS COULD BE OPENED.
ha Of ba Toz
gress, Treasurer Huston became uneasy
about the condition of these eight vaults,
and he sent to New York for an expert to
examine them. The expert looked the
vaults over and smiled. Why he said,
''the best of these vaults can be opened in
jitfy." To prove his startling assertion, the
expert locked Treasurer Huston and two
of his clerks in one Of the best and strong
est vaults In thedepartment. The treasurer
and his companion sat there shivering and
half stitled in the darkness amidst the mill
tons but not for long.
In fourteen minutes the great door swung
open and let in upon them food of light.
The expert had pried back the lock with
ease. The marks of the jimmy that he
usedlin this experiment are still to be seen at
the edge of the door of the vault, al
though they have been covered with black
paint.
Then the expert led Treasurer Huston
TO another OF his strong boxes. This vault
is built of masonry aud steel The expert
produced drill such as would be used by
a mere apprentice in the art of safe-crack-
ing, and in just eight seconds had perforated
the wall of the vault near the lock of the
door, so that small charge OF powder, such
as would make scarcely any detouation at
all, would have blown it open.
THE TREAsURER's EXPERIMENT.
At these revelations Treasurer Huston
turned pale. He had the hole drilled into
the wall of the safe by the expert filed with
steel, and then he applied to congress for an
appropriation to provide the old~fashioned
vaults with modern protection. He made
his application to the house committee on
appropriations. The committee heard his
statement in secret session and were so inn
pressed by the facts as be set them fortl as
promptly to report On appropriation which
was discreetly pushed through the House
without debate. The appropriation failed,
however, to pass the Senate, because it. y as
limited at the time of the jealousy Of rival
safe manufacturers.
Meantime, Treasurer Huston grew more
and more nervous. The thought of the
millions thus in danger OF attack caused
him one night to get out of bed, dress ana
go to the gloomy treasury building. The
armed Waterman pacing up and down be-
fore the entrance recognized him and let
him pass
Col. Huston hurried along the echoing
corridor and climbed the interior stair case
to his Office. There be substituted pair Of
slippers for his shoes and orept back into
the corridor for a tour Of inspection. He
feared that even then some pupil Of Jimmy
Hope might be attacking Uncle SANS
vaults.
Stealthily, warily, MIR. Huston crept
along the corridor. His slippered feet made
no echo, and he fancied himself unobserved.
He said to himself: II will put this haunt
ing danger to a practical test. / will see
whether l can reach vault and stay there
long enough to open it as the expert did,
undetecte6.n
The ex-treasurer, who is a man of slender
build, and wiery, elastic frame, came to a
corner Of the corridor and turned it. AS
he did so, q stalwart figure confronted him.
who are you! Stand" " ere the start
ling words that met Mr., Huston's ears,
while at the same time the cold muzzle of
arevolver was pressed against his fore
head
AT TIRE POINT OF PISTOL.
The nervous treasurer, startled by the
sudden apparition and thrilled by the touch
of the cold steel, sprang backward as far as
long Indiana leap could carry hirn. Then,
seeing the level pistol trained upon him,
and recognizing that his questioner wore
watchman's badge, he recovered his dig
nifty and said haughtily: II am the treas
urer OF the United States"