The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-05-17
John wincholl, tho Greatest Gold
Expert IN tho World, Is There, and
lie Can Handle $1,000, 900 In Double
Eagles in a Day...Tho Silver and
Certificate Vaults.
Ntu liort rro.

'oS'o oSio'S thcy Nere
put into bags and stored away with tho
millions in the vaults,
Tho gold and silver coins are counted
and examined In tho room on tho cast
side of the building, while tho minor
coins, nickels and pennies arc handled
In tho room on tho west side. Bags OF
money como in from all over tho coun.
try to be exchanged for silver or cold
certificates. The theory is that nil Tho
coins are sorted before they aro a n TO
tho sub.trcasury; but dcpositors ome
tilncs forget this, and tho coins are 70.
ceivcd In sad mixtures-pennies, nick.
els, dimes and silve. and gold OF ali de-
nominations jun together In ono
bag. They must, of course, be sorted
into denominations before they can bu
counted. Most OF them come from rail.
roads and other large corporations, and
the companies which own tho drop a
cont in the slot machines send bags
and bags OF minor coin.
THE MEN WHO COUNT THE COINS.
Mr.. John Winchell is the gold expert
Of the sub-treasury. For nineteen
yoars he has stood ut one bench in tho
gold room, slipping the yellow sinners
from the bench into his hand and from
his hand into the big scales and thence
into canvass bags. His years OF expcri-
cnco have given hin, an adroitness that
places him Mt the head Of gold handlers.
Mr.. Winchell is to-day tho best gold
coin expert in tho world. Flo is also
the most rapid counter OF coins in tho
sub-treasury, where rapidity is second
only to precision as a requirement. On
last Tuesday no examined and counted,
verifying his count by weight afterward
$500, 900 in gold. This is a good davis
work, but Mr.. Winchell has comics
1000. 900 in double eagles between 0
o'clock in tho morning and 4 in tho al
ternoon.
"Look here" Mr.. Winchell said. tax.
ing a five dollar gold piece from his
pocket and throwing it into milo OF
similar coins, shat coin is two grains
too heavy. Now, I'll lose it in the 9th.
ers, like this" stirring the mass of gold
with.his hand. Nov find it."
Spreading the coins out on tho bench
q search was made for it. No one found
it until Mr.. Winchell picked it up from
under the searchers' noses.
"You can readily see," continued the
expert, "that no FINGERS could be trained
to perfect accuracy. But the eve is
quick and accurate to detect n coin
which deviates from tho United States
standard. This is counterfeit OF gold
and platinum.
After the coins arc counted thew are
dumped into a scale and balanced with
a weight of eighteen pounds six ounces
for every 5000. Then they arc placed
in bags which are marked and stored in
the vault down stairs. Light weight
coins are marked L and returned to tho
sender. They are then good az bullion
only. Counterfeits are mutilated and
returned also. For the good gold cor
tiGcates are issued.
But if there is wealth here in the
counting room how much more there is
in the vault where the gold is stored.
This is just off the large room where
the clerical work is. done. The four
walls OF the vault are lined with small
lockers, each one OF which Is capable OF
holding half a million in gold coin.
The aggregate is q tremendous sum of
money, Think OF it! When tho yanItis
filed there are $3.50 600, 900 in this room
alone. Only seventy-five or eighty
millions were there when the reporter
called.
When the treasury people speak of a
half a million by weight thoy say "a
ton," but in exact figures this sum
weighs 1850 pounds. This makes g.
700 pounds to the million dollars. So
when the gold vault is filled it contains
the enormous weight OF 5O3,2OO, 900
pounds.
On the side of tho building opposite
to this is the vault where the certid-
Gates are stored.
The first thing noticed by the visitor
10 this room is tho peculiar odor. 1t is
the smell OF millions OF dollars OF the
promissory notes OF the United States.
This room also is lined with lockers,
which in this instance are filled with
neat bundles OF notes. Tho artist
looked at q bundle OF $4,000 silver GER
tiicatcs which Cashier Muller placed
in his hand and feebly gasped out,
GLOW much is there in it," lie had
to be supported when he learned that
he was holding $4,000. 900 in n hand.
He feebly remarked. that ho could car
ry it away with case. But his too eyi.
don't desire mot with no
ment. SO he reluctantly handed lie
package back to MIR. Muller, and took
his reyengo by making a picture OF that
genial gentlemen as, he sat on the table
with tho Sl0,000,000 in his hand, ex.
planning that there wero $50, 900, 600 in
the room.
"Now we'll 60 tho silver vault" said
Mr.. Muller. .'Therc is moro weight
down there, but not SO much yslue.n
In soingdown tho stairs which led to
tho silver vault, the vaults where the
pennies and nickels arc stored wore
passed. There were 1000, 900 pennies
all counted and packed in bags md
stored away as carefully rs the coins Of
greater value.
TONS OF SILVER STORED IN GLOOMY CELLARS.
The silver vault is a rather gloomy
place, lighted with several ras Jets,
which are kept continually burning. Ii
looks like a huge wine cellar, only that
instead OF bottles OF rare old grapes and
sunlight, there arc rows on rows OF can.
vas bags, each bag containing $1,000.
The vault is separated into bins, whose
sides are made Of iron. So great is the
pressure OF the silver that these iron
sides have boon bent by tho weight
against them. Forty thousand dollars
only was IN the vault, but is not moro
than half its capacity.
1t is the custom Of the assistant cash
ier, whom escortinE young ladies