The Lamar register., 1891-08-08
Tons Of Currency in Uncle SANS
Treasury,


The new treasurer of the United
States has only recently finished
counting out his money. 1t took some
time, because it is no small Job to
reckon over 1900 tons OF coin ;and this
is apart from $500, 100000 or SO In
bank and treasury notes. For several
weeks clerks were engaged in clink-
ing the gold and silver which fill
Uncle Sans huge cash boxes, telling
over the shining pieces, weighing
them out and sealing them up in bags.
One gets notion OF the magnitude OF
the task when it is considered that
one OF the vaults beneath the ground
floor OF the national treasure house,
containing S5.0Ao 900 silver dollars,
is 100 feet long, 90 feet wide and IA
feet -high-chock f4.i OF coined pre-
cious metal. As you walk around
this huge lattice work box of iron and
view its dimension, you begin to real
ize the actual magnitude of so vast u
sum. To empty the receptacle with
a coal shovel would require many
months OF hard labor, If you had to
do the work unaided. When the great
French actress, Rachel, who had al
ways cen very poor, was suddenly
placed in possession of large heap of
gold coins, she put them in basin
and poured them over her arms de-
lightedly, with ecstatic enjoyment of
literal wash in wealth. You might
fairly swim in gold and silver in these
immense Golfers at the treasury.
There is another which contains S25,-
600, 900 in go d and $50, 200, 900 of
silver also. In counting these masses
of silver aud gold, each bag contain
ing $1,000, is removed from the
vault and first examined to see il the
seal is intact, If SO, it is placed upon
scales and weighed. On one side of
the balance are put l, 900 unused dol
lars, and the sack must be found an
equal counterpolse. Supposing that
it is light, it is opened and the money
in it is reckoned piece by piece. Coin
suffers more or less loss of weight by
abrasion, even when not in circula-
ton, and it might be that bag would
be less heavy on this account. though
having in it the required 81 200. Also
when a seal has been disturbed the
| contents of the sack are poured out,
stacked up, counted and put back
again, The sacks which are opened
are resealed; but ordinarily the seals
are found all right and the weight is
correct, in which case the bags are
computed as representing so many
| thousands, and no further trouble is
taken with any of them before putting
them back into the vaults. When
| the gold is gone over, particularly
rigid inspection is exercised by the
| overseeing officials, because the value
is SO much the greater. 1t is a very
interesting sight to watch the millions
| in paper money-bank notes, treasury
notes and gold and silver certificates
being counted by deft-fngered
young women in n big room beneath
the treasurer's Office. Every dollar
has to be numbered before the new
guardian of the national cash box
gives his receipt in full to the out-go-
| ing incumbent. The stuff is all kept,
except such small change as is needed
to transact government business With,
! in the shape OF packages. each about
| one foot cube, which are stored away
on shelves in vaults. Cash in the
shape OF gold and silver takes up .
| great deal of room, but in bills enor.
nous sums require very little space tc
hold them.