The Portland daily press., 1893-08-23
BIG PILES OF SILVER.
Dollars That are Stored in the Treasury
yaults-A Count of 1t is Now Going On.

fauIGS-A Count OF HI Is ISOW UOlus Ohs
In view of these troublous times in the
money market and the effect that the
steady purchase Of silver is said to have
upon it, the question of just how much
silver the United States owns naturally
becomes very Interesting one.
When one begins to consider this matter
he at once plunges into the realms OF
large figures. Small matters must be
forgotten in the attempt to conceive OF
millions. The United States is the pos
SCISSOR Of about 5000 tons of silver stored
in the va ults under the control of the
treasurer, Mr.. Morgan. 1t is generally
known that the government has been
purchasing silver at the rate of 4, 500, 900
ounces month, and when one stops to
think what an immense mass of white
metal this has compelled the govern
ment to take and care for he is likely to
be more than little surprised. This
monthly purchase is said to be pretty
much the entire output of the silver
mines of the country.
A Trip Through the Vaults.
A Star reporter made a trip. through
the vaults of the Treasury Department
yesterday afternoon. 1t is a tour of in
spection that many people make every
day, and is one that strangers in the city
always look forward to with especial
pleasure. They have been told of the
novel experiences of holding in one hand
million dollars worth of greenbacks
and being uShered into room where
there are silver dollars, so many that
it would be useless to attempt to count
them as it would be to carry them away.
1t is visit that is of more than usual
interest now that the two houses of Con-
gress are spending SO much of their time
in extra session discussing the merits and
necessities of silver.
Only coin is kept in the Treasury vaults
Bars and bullion are stored in the sub
treasures and the minis There are eight
vaults in the Treasury used for the safe
keeping and storage of money. The
total value of the contents of these vaults
is 1888, 176, 900. Only two of these vaults
are used for the storage of standard silver
dollars. Vault Mol contains $780, 900, 900
while the smaller vault, known as vault
No. 2, has in it only about $50, 000, 900.
In addition to this there is $53, 900 worth
of fractional silver. The other vaults
are used for holding bank notes, bonds,
money for daily use, &c.
Counting the Silver.
The money in the two silver vaults is
being shifted about just now owing to
the count that is going on. Men have
been at work ever since the 1st of July
counting the silver, and the work now
will probably be finished about the lat
ter part of this week. 1t is an interesting
sight to watch these busy men at their
task of handling large bags of silver.
The coin is contained in stout canvas
bags holding 1000 each. These bags
are passed across, through a passageway
between the piles of silver, and there
a man sits, who weighs each bag sepa-
rately. On one of the scales is placed a
bag that is known to weigh the proper
amount and to contain the right mum Der
of the shining dollars If the bag that
is to be weighed does not pull it's side
down at once the bag is at once taken off
and it's contents counted. Occasionally
there is bag that shows signs of too
much handling or too long life, and this
is turned over and its contents poured
into new bag. 1t is hot and tiresome
work, way down there below the region
of electric lights and fans are kept rum
ming constantly. 1t also takes quite a
considerable number of men to do the
work, among them a number of big,
brawny colored men, for the bags are
not light and it takes strong man to
handle them as rapidly as must be done.
The Treasurer Responsible.
The Treasurer of the United States is
personally responsible for all this wealth,
which must, of course, be counted every
time there is change in the office, for
the new man must receipt to his prede-
cessor for every cent that has been turned
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