New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-10
PRICE THREE CENTS.
THE TREASURE TRAIN HERE.
IT'S TRANSC0NTINENTAL JOURNEY MADE IN
QUICK TIME.
THE BIG COIN SHIPMENT TREATED AS A REGISy
TERED LETTER BY THE PoSTOFFIcE DE-
PARrMENT-s2O, 900 900 IN GOLD GOES
DOWN BROADWAY IN NAIL
WAGONS.


WAGONS.
Great vanloads of gold coin, with driver snd
two armed guards in each van, went rumbfng
down Fifth-ave and Broadway yesterday, and
stopped at the Pine-st entrance of the Sub
Treasury. Their golden treasure was part OF
Uncle Sans hoard. and had been brought from
the Sub-Treasury in San Francisco. II took four
cars TO carry the precious metal, and forty-hve
armed agents of the Postofice Department kept
constant guard over it, for those cars carried
$40 O0O 900. II is said TO have been the larSese
transfer of gold coin ever made.
The train LETT San Francisco at o'clock on
Thursday evening last, and got into the Grand
Central Station in this city at 10 46 o'clock
Yesterday morning, having made the long run
from San Francisco in / IL hours and 46 minutea
The trip was made almost without accidenA
the train being slightly delayed once by the
breaking of car Wheel, and twice by other
minor accidents. The trainmen had out one
scare, and that WAS not important ehought I"
count AS the train was speeding along the
Union Pacific road, it approached point where
the engineer said he had once been held up,
and he feared 10 pass it with such load Dc
hind him. J. +. White, General Superintendent
of the Railway Mail Service, who was in charge
of the treasure train said he would risk IT, ana
the enaine sped on under full headway. Thres
armed guards faced the tender OF the engine
constantly from the front car, and there were
two on every platform.
At the Grand Central Station when the train
came in were II. Walter Webb, third vice-presi-
dent and acting president Of the New-fork Gem
tral Railroad Theodore Voorhees,, the general
superintendent ex-Postmaster Thomas L. James;
J. Lowrie Bell second ASSISTANT general.
oHl Of tta pa xvQu
Mail Service After the arrival Of the train In
the station the four baggagecars and one sleeping
car of which it was made up were backed down
and across to the storage-tracks in the yard at
Forty-sxth-st and Madlson-ave., where the gold
was unloaded
The gold was packed IN the usual Treasury
boxes, containing $4,000 each. There were 500
Of these boxes, and their total weight In round
figures was forty tons. L. A. Needham. snperin-
tendent Of mail wagons of the city postofiice, was
on hand with eighteen of the large, two-horse
vans used for carrying the mails. The driver
of every van was a sworn mail driver In the em-
ploy Of the Government, and most of them have
been many years In the service
When five wagons had been loaded and locked
up armed guards took their places by the
drivers, and. with Superintendent Needham on the
first wagon, the five started for the Sub
Treasury. The drivers were ordered TO keep their
wagons in line, and to keep them close together.
In the event Of a breakdown accident OF any
kind TO one wagon, all were to stop until they
got orders to go
At the Suo-Treasury some of Inspector Steerss
men, with five Of the Treasury detectives were
on hand to guard the gold in the process Of un-
loading. A large crowd collected and watched
the heavy boxes disappear behind the massive
stone walls ard iron gratines Of the Sub-Treassry
building 1t took more than three hours to un-
load all Of the 500 boxes
This great shipment Of gold was treated pre-
cisely as a registered letter, and was therefore,
from the time il left the Sub-Trcasury in San
Francisco, entirely In the hands Of the Railway
Mail Service Of the United States Postofice Do
partment. A receipt given for it to the Sub
Treasury in San Francisco for an ordinary
registered letter, and the receipt of the Sub
Treasurer in this city, Ellis H. Roberts, was taken
for il by Postmaster Van Cott yesterday. The
receipt 10 the Sub Treasurer at San Francisco was
given by General Superintendent White, and ne
WAS responsible for the treasure until he received
thc recent OF Postmaster Van COtt.
General Superintendent White is a ncrvy-look-
ing man When he stepped from the train yes
.cr,lay he wore a slouch hat and yellow linen
duster, and was covered with dirt and cinders;
IIs had made the trip with only few hours
seep his vigilant watch his golden charge
never relaxing
The run from San Francisco 10 this city was
second in point of time. only 10 that made In
1901 bv James L. Flood and party in private
car The Flood party made the trip in los hours
and 81 minutes.