The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-15
COST OF SHIPPING MONEY.
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT PAID
FOR THE RECENT SHIPMENT.

press, and What They Have Cost.
Seven Millions Gold Went From Phil
adelphia to New York Recently.
How Money Is Sent by Express.
From the WASHINGTON Post.
The exact cost OF carrying the big gold
shipment across the continent is not known
at the treasury department but Assistant
Treasurer Whelpley says that 1t will be less
than $500 he thinks. Il was hauled by
the railroads under their regular mail con-
tracts, for it came through as registered
mail. The assistant treasurer at San Fran
cisco had 500 boxes made especially for the
shipment Then there were the personal
expenses OF the fitty-one men who
went out to San Francisco and
guarded the treasure on its way east.
These were the principal expenditures.
The laborers at the mint at San Francisco
were pressed into service to pack and load
the money; the regular employees OF the
railway mail service guarded it; the arms
which the guards carried were taken from
the arsenal by order of Secretary Elkins at
the personal request OF Secretary Foster,
and the mail wagons of the postoffice de-
partment were used to carry the boxes to
and from the cars.
The lowest bid the treasury department
could obtain from an express company for
hauling the money was So per 1000. or
100000. This, of course, would have in
cluded the risk Of loss In transit by accident
or theft. The Wells-Fargo company, which
controls all of the territory west OF the
Missouri, made this rate. The United States
Express Company, which has the contract
for hauling all Of the coin and currency
shipped by the treasury department be-
tween points east of the Missouri. would
have made a better rate il it could,
but west of the Missouri the United
States Express Company would have had to
do business with the Wells-Fargo people,
and they ref fused to make any better terms.
That is why the treasury department does
its own business west of the Missouri. IL
has handled many shipments from San
Francisco before through the railway mail
service TO avoid the necessity of paying the
exorbitant Wells-Fargo rates. These have
come through under special guard invarl-
ably without accident.
The representative OF the United States
Express Company here is son of the Hon.
Thomas G. Platt Of New York. He has an
office In the basement Of the treasury build
ing. ''We could not carry the $40, 900, 900
Shipment said Mr.. Platt yesterday, "be
cause we could not make rates with the
Wells-FargO company. IL it had been
within our territory we would have made
the department a special rate for handling
80 large a sum. Under our contract rate
let me see,h Mr.. Platt took pad OF paper
and figured for minute, lat the mileage
rate" he continued, Figuring on 1896
miles, we would have been entitled to $685.
800 for the haul. But on an extraordinary
shipment like that we would have made
some especial rate IL we could have hauled
it."
The largest gold shipment handled by the
United states Express Company since it
took the contract for the governments
work about three years ago was 81. 600 900
taken from Philadelphia to New York re-
Gently. This was kept extremely quiet at
the time of shipment. The gold was put in
two Of the company's safes In special car,
and six or eight special men we're sent along
to guard It. The shipment did not attract
any marked attention. The people of
Philadelphia are not SO much interested in
keeping their gold at home as are the peo-
pie Of San Francisco. Toe people or San
Francisco object TO having their
gold sent east. Every time a shipment is
made they watch the sub-treasury estimate
the amount of coin taken, follow it to the
station and then have the amount and the
number of the car autographed all over the
country, presumably to make the shipment
| more dangerous and so discourage ship
ments in the future. The treasury people
| have a strong suspicion that the Wells
| Fargo Express Company made public the
particulars Of this last shipment out of re-
venge because they did not get the con-
tract.
The amount paid to the United States Ex-
press Company for the 81, 0o0, 900 shipment
was 81, 500. This was for a 2-hour trip on
the railroad aud carrying the coin in the
wagon OF the express company between the
sub-treasury and the railroad. The cost, 1t
| will be seen, was greater than the total
| cost Of handling the big shipment from the
coast; out on that shipment the government
| took Its own risk or loss. On the 1000 900
shipment the express company took the
risk, and If any part of the money had been
| missing at the END OF the journey the COM
pany would have had to make it good.
The bond Of the United States Express Com
pany is only 100000. but as il is private
| partnership and not corporation the indi-
| vidual stockholders are responsible for
every dollar of its indebtedness, and among
| them are Calvin s. Brice, Russell A. Alger
| and Thomas G.. Platt.
Gold coin is easy to handle, though gold
is very heavy metal. A million dollars
| in gold weighs only two TONS But the risk
in handling gold is much greater than In
handling silver. There is no danger OF los
| ing any considerable amount of silver by
| theft, because it ia SO bulky. The only
| danger of loss is by accident-train wreck,
for example. But there is a much greater
chance of loss in handling currency.
| the express company has handled was $15,-
100000, shipped from Washington to New
| York three years ago. 1t was ID bills Of
! large denomination, and the entire amount
was placed in two small boxes. These were
locked and sealed and put in one Of the
regular safes of the company under special
! guard. These safes are Of the best make,
and they are bolted to the floor of the car.
| They have removable disls-big black and
! white things fully six inches in diameter.
| When the safe is locked at the beginning of
the run, the dial is removed and no one
without a duplicate dial could work
the combination of the safe even
If he knew it. This is only one
of the many dsvices adopted TO
circumveut dishonest employees aud others.
| A device which will be put into operation
| before long 1.-THE contracts for making it are
now OUT is an improved money bag. The
money bag now used by express companies
! is sealed with wax at the beginning of the
run. and upon the integrity OF the seal and
the integrity OF the bag (which is seamless)
the company relies for preserving the con-
tents intact in transit. The new device 10 a
paddock for fastening tho money bag.
The paddock has straight post instead Of a
ring at the top, and this fits into an oval
hole in the ring which confines the neck of
the bag. The paddock turns In this oval
I