Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-02


second coupon and forward 1t to Mr.. Plat:
but 1t will not come back by the messenger
VINO handled the package. These coupons
Will check each other. and viii also check
with the originally entry book.
The Treasury Department has not such
an active interest in these protective meas
ures as has the express company. The COM
pany Is under $500, 900 bond to make good
theft. The express company Is the party at
interest The chief means that it uses to
protect itself are the constant menace of
prosecution and imprisonment.
How Packages Are Shipped.
Small packages Of money are shipped in
bags. Large quantities Of money going be-
tween big terminal points are put in sta
tionary safes. which are bolted to the floors
Of the express cars. These safes are usually
not opened from one end of the route to
the other. No one can open them because
the handle Is taken from the door when the
car starts on Its journey. and with this
handle goes the dial Of the combination
lock. Expert safe robbers have found
means OF getting into combination locks
and Of course 1t would be possible. by col
lusion for the messenger to learn the COM
bination and 30 be able to open the safe in
transit. But e locked safe, without q dial
or a handle, Is puzzle which has baftled
safe robbers I'D to this time. There has
been only one instance OF an express mes
senger getting ahead OF the stationary safe.
express agent at Des Moines. He had a
safe dial. and when he boarded the car he
opened the safe to put in two packages.
He found that the safe was filled to over
flowing. 81 would like to get these two
valuable packages in the safe. but there
doesn't seem to be room." he said.
Here are a couple of packages of jewclry
which l can take out to make room for
Them" said the messenger.
Now 1t was the business of the agent to
note these two packages of jewelrv" on
the express agents way bill, after examin-
ing them carefully. But he did not. The
packages were really money packages.
They contained $4,000 each. The messenger
put these packages in his pocket and
dropped Off the train at the next station.
The express company captured him within
twelve hours and recovered the money.
The only weak spot in the stationary safe
system was the man who held the dial.
That was the spot that gave way at Des
Mofnes But this is the one instance where
the system has not worked perfectly.
Most of Uncle Sans money Is SHIPPED in
stationary safes. Nothing has ever been lost
In shipments from the Treasury Depart
ment or any Of its branches. The losses are
usually from packages OF ihntilared carren-
cy sent In for redemption. The number of
these packages reaching the Treasury De-
partment now is comparatively small. The
banks cannot spare the currency long
enough to send 1t to Washington for ex-
change. Just now the principal shipments
8OAuB Out ITOHk w dSnlUS hT0 VI llCOm-
plete currency being sent to the national
banks. 1t comes to the Office Of the express
company In the basement OF the treasury
building In packages nearly eight inches
square. These packages are Of heavy napil-
la sealed with two wax seals. bearing the
stamp Of the controller Of the currency.
The package Is a patented device the seams
being folded in so that a knife-blaie insert
ed In one Of them would Not pass directly
into the package. but would have to go
through the fold On the outside Of each
package is plainly marked its destins ton
and the amount and character OF the con-
tents The express company gives a receipt
for each Of these packages. II they are go
ing to a big terminal point. they 30 in one
Of the stationary safes. They are carried
from the Treasury Department TO the rail
road station in q portable safe OF the IA
milar style. which you could see in almost
streets.
Care in Handling.
At the station the packages are removed
from the portable safe. checked Off on the
way-bill. and locked in the stationary safe
in the presence Of three men. One Of these
IL the messenger who has charge Of the c,r
when 1t leaves Washington. The room In
which the currency is receivad end put up
for shipment is one Of a long s,lite Of looms
on the east side of the treasury building.
facing on a court When Mr. Platt took
me into this room he had to rap on the
door and wait until one Of the men within
had identified him through ''lcok OUT in
the door. No one Is admitted to this room
except the employees of the Treasury De-
partment or the employees of the express
company directly charged with handling
the currency and coin. unless he comes
with Mr.. Plat.
Gold cannot be handled like currency be-
cause of its great weight. At the time that
so much gold was going abroad a couple OF
months ago the Treasury Department was
l@ft, a
every day from Washington to New York.
This gold weighed two tons 10 the million.
One of the portable safes, holding about
500. 900 in gold, weighs, when filled, 1.5p
pounds, These safes were locked and sealed
at the Treasury Department. The portable
safes have key locks. "trip of iron slips
over the key hole. and Is .astenrd in place
once with piece of string. AMI once with
a piece of wire. A lead seal is Gsei on the
wire, and a green wax seal on The string.
To get at the key hole 4 messenger or a
robber would have to break the seals or cut
the string and the wire The fact that the
safe has been tempered With you'd he
plainly evident to the next person handling
1t.
The safe, with it's 900 worth II gold
having been sealed, Is noiste1 with 4 fall
and tackle into cage express wagon
that is a wagon with wire tides. Anything
that occurred in the wagon wouli he plain
ly visible to persons passing on the street,
and as the trips are made in broad day.
light there is no possibility Of the messen-
ger in the wagon tamprriug with his
charge Besides the messenger who SITS on
the safe with a shotgun in his hand ard a
brace Of revolvers in his belt. there are two
men on the front Of the wagon. also Gully
armed. The man in the wagon has 4 snot-
gun Of Belgian make, breech loading, the
barrel sawed off so that VI can he used IN
close action. The express company OWNS
fifty of these shotgunS, and each meSSeii-
ger has one in his car.
Transporting the Safe.
When a wagon reaches the railroad sta
ton the safe is lifted again by means of
the fall and tackle and put aboard the car
There is not much risk In handling gold
because 1t weighs SO much that a robber
would have a pretty hard time getting away
with 1t. But though the risk Is not so great
as in handling currency, the express COM
pany receives so cents on 1000 for trans
porting gold. Silver, which weighs so much
more than gold III proportion to its value
is still more expensive in handling. The
express company receives 81 for each $1,000
of silver handled between Washington and
New York or Baltimore or Pittsburg. From
st. Louis to Colorado the express company
would receive 81 for every 81 900 handled
If Congress should attempt to put the
20 OOO, GOO silver dollars now in the treasury
vaults into circulation by shipping them
through the country the express company
would receive at least $4,000 for handling
them A year ago, when the Treasury De-
partment shipped $40 900. 900 in gold from San
Francisco to New York, 1t would have had
to pay the express company $65, 800 for the
haul at contract rates. But San Francisco
is outside the contract territory Of the
United States Express Company, and the
Treasury Department sent the gold east