Milford chronicle., 1891-06-19
Milford Chronicle
PUBLISHED WEEKLY AT MILFORD, DEL
J ! ~ S.., h. JUNE 10, Posses. u..
wkO. TOwEsF,est Known Bank
World.

~ rs OF untold wealth are con
jured ~ the very name Of the Bank 0
England
When ] made up my mind to visit tn
bank and its celebrated vaults found tina
the matter was not 0 easy as some MAJ
imagine.
Since the dynamite scares in London it i
exceedingly difficult to enter the portals o
the bank. But, accompanied by my banker
friend, whose name is world famous anC
whose doings and sayings influence the ex
changes Of two continents, the locked W
treasures were opened to my wondering
gaze.
Whenever the "open sesame" of the
bankers name is whispered the well bal
anced doors hungrily swing open, swallow
me and my guide and snap almost noise
lessly behind u.s. InexOrable looking pOr-
ters, cold eyed guardians and austere man
ayers bow as they hear the name or catch
glimpse Of my dOyen.
The doorway opens into the bullion of
flee, where all the gold and silver that en-
ters or leaves the bank passes through to
be checked. On the right is the gold; on
the left the silver The first impression is
that of being in the order department of a
wholesale trading establishment.
But a figure in white apron quickly
dispels the Illusion. This parsonage in the
apron Is attired in a lilac vest, plum col
Ored coat and buttons Of two shilling
pieces, His hat is a peculiar black velvet
affair, and is a compromise between beef
eaters and a smoking cap.
A MARVELLOUS INSTRUMENT.
A suave gentleman approaches the
banker, and in a few hurried words the
g. ssf
that he wishes to show me everything to
be seen. We are therefore first introduced
to the scales, or, as it is termed, the grand
balance"
This marvellous instrument is a ponder
Gus and peculiarly built weighing ma
chine standing about seven feet high and
weighing about two tons The whole is
under a huge glass case, access being
gained thereto by a sliding panel The
scale is worked by hydraulic power, and is |
the most sensitive weighing machine in |
existence The foundation, which is OF /
solid concrete, is sunk to a depth of sixteen
feet, so that not a jar can affect the clean
balance
The manager sets the hydraulic power in /
motion by means of small wheel, and
then touches an ivory button at the side
Immediately the entire scale, weighing
hundreds Of pounds, sinks seven inches
and is ready for weighing.
I'VE will first weigh a postage stamp"
observes the suave gentleman On each
fslde the scales are ftts.s win weights
- = - TO 100 ounces. When gold is to
be weighed the smaller weights on the bal
ance are withdrawn, and the gold placed
on one Of the two lodges. The gold is
made up in 400 ounce bars and the differ
ence of one-thousandth part of an ounce
can be detected.
The stamp being added to the 400 ounce
weights another ivory button is touched
and the index jumps distance of six
inchesl Think Of it; six inches on the in.
dex for a postage stampl But the most
wonderful incident was yet in store for me.
ALMOST HUMAN MECHANISM.
Surprising a bar contains more than
this scale is made to weigh" explains the
manager, "auy other scale would go tc
this limit and give no sign. Not this one,
however" To prove this he adds one quar-
ter Of an ounce more than the maximum I
weight, when, instead of the index moving, q
there Is a pause of some few seconds and {
then an electric bell commences ringing
There is something terribly human about v
this mechanism which declines toexecute a
task Of which it is incapable This is the r
only balance of its kind in the world The
maker has never constructed a duplicate I,
This triumph Of mechanical art cost exact %
~ $4,000. The silver scale is Of course not s
so finely balanced, and the two are respec- II
lively christened ''The Lord Chief Justice" n
and ''Ths Lord High Chancellor" d
The manager then moves away from the
scale, and turning a handle in the wall Il
suddenly eliminates a long vault, with G
finely groined arches, which would other
wise pass unnoticed. Throwing the gate b
open we pass in, followed by one Of the al
body guards in a chocolate brown suit. g
We arrive at door which admits us to "a
IN inclosure almost entirely of glass in Il
which visitors stand and gaze upon the al
wonders within. However, the bodyguard
hrows open the door, and stepping up to 70
he chief, whispers a word in his ear He ca
approaches US with warm welcome. and Sc
lids me walk up to one Of the gold weigh III
ng machines, of which there are some tr
hirty here. This is the room where SOW -
reigns and half soversigns are weighed
7hen sent in by bankers and Others. Here, al
gain, hydraulic power is used. to
A COMPLICATED MACHINE. co
A machine consisting Of complicated
ystem Of counter weights looks not un- wi
Ike a sewing machine as to its lower half
his is completely inclosed in glass. A I'M
ing feeder, like tube cut in half, down CO.
S length, and made of brass, is set at an
ngle Of 45 degs., and is filed with a long stl
III of sovereigns. These turn as they slip sh
OWN on TO a circular, movable plate,
lightly larger than a sovereign.
For moment the plate seems to be de-
ding upon the merits of that particular mr.,
in, Then, as if it has made up its mind In,
nclusively, it deity turns the coin to the ms
ght, and It slips down a metal tube into on
till below ~
But il the coin proves to be lighter than 50,
e standard weight the delicate machine in
rms it 10 the left and condemns it to the bo,
iillOtine. Again one is impressed with the IN
human" idea of hand weighing the SOW sal
aigns. One can almost fsncy that hid m
"A person is feeling the weight There is q n
ore than a mere mechanical look about vii
e momentary indecision Of the scale IN
ate; it is really rather that of an inteli-
ut animal. atf
These machines weigh coins at the rate mo
twenty-six per minute, and "a days tjo,
ighing amounts TO about 100000 ster- ma
T. The light coins are taken to the gull cba
hydraulic triumphant Mn
Dpped down a long tube. As they slip ize,
rough a sharp knife clips the coin neatly M,
wn tue center aud allows it TO fall out at nov
= slot at the side, and, TO carry out the eni
illotine notion, they fall into a small si,y
sket H.
They are not cut in two, but the cut is nre
ne than half way through, and this pre- Il
ITS the banker who has paid them in For
m again circulating them, although he
take them AWAY after they are clipped
4 De never does, but takes the weight T.
de o. the gold.-London Herald yer,
Dreams Are wonderful. l ~,
h. Reid had blister applied to his s al
"a, and plaster which was put on after cne
I'd cauAing excessive pain, he dreamed snc.
alhng into the hands Of Indians and ~
BE- scalped. a whisper in the ear is suf- 5es,
snt to produce dream and it is re- 80;
d Of certain officer that his compan- notl
) in this way conducted him through car,
whole process Of quarrel, which loov
ed ia a duel and when the parties were nj