The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-09-07
TREASURE IN TRANSIT.
how 1.-THE Governments Gold, ESilver and
Currency Are Sent by Express.

Currency Are Sent by Express.
When the financial stringency began to
be seriously felt the receipts of the ex-
press company, which handles the gov
ernment's treasure in transit, fell OFT
rapidly. Now the business has picked up
a little, because the Treasury Depart
ment is hurrying out national bank notes
to be. put in circulation, so as to relleVe
as much and possible the scarcity OF
small bills. This national bank cur
rency is incomplete" when it leaves the
Treasury Department, for 1t lacks the
signatures of the president and the
cashier of the bank which is to issue it.
Nevertheless,it is classed with the COM
pleted currency issued by the govern
ment, and if the express company should
lose any of it in transit it would have
to make good the loss.
The contract for handling the money
shipped by the government east OF Utah
is held by the United States Express
Company. EFT. Platt, who is a son OF
the president of the company, is IN
charge of The company's government
service. He has,had charge of it ever since
the United States company took the con-
tract away from the Adams Express
Company, more than four years ago. The
dams company received twenty-five
cents 81 900, while the Uniteds States
Company receives only fifteen Genus a
SS1 ,O00 The rate for silver and gold IS
much higher.
Profits in Handling 1t.
For this fifteen cents the express COM
pany guarantees the safe delivery OF the
81 900 at the point of destination. or
course on sinlge shipment of 1000 we
would lose money! said Mr.. Platt to a
reporter, and single big robbery would
wipe out all we could make under our
contract in year. Up to this time we
have lost only ,000 Part Of this went
in a robbery of part of the contents OF
two packages out West, and the work OF
the robber was so carefully concealed
that the packages were accepted by the
Treasury Department, which gave us a
full receipt OF course we MADE gooa
the loss when the packages were opened
and the money was missed. In one case
the thief had broken the seal in the bag
which contained the package OF money
and had then raised,the seals on the pack
age within. The seals on the package
he had replaced with mucilage and the
express company's seal on the bag he had
initiated with duplicate seal which
had been made for him in Baltimore.
SIN very short time we will put into
use new bag with which we have been
experimenting for more than year. 1t
is seamless, fastened by paddock which
has straight post instead OF ring at
the top. This fits into an oval hole In the
ring, which holds the neck of the bag
together The paddock turns. in this
hole and locks across it. On the front of
the paddock is multiplying register
with four openings for figures. Whenever
the KEY is turned in this lock it registers.
You cannot possibly get at the register
without breaking the mechanism OF the
lock. The way bill which accompanies
the bags will show plainly with what
registry number it left the forwarding
point. If it arrives at its destination
showing some other number the agent
there will refuse to receive it. Ii it is
rehandled in Transit each messenger
who receipts for it will see that the num-
Der corresponds to the number on the way
bill So even if the messenger has a
duplicate key to the bag he could not
use it without being discovered"
One Instance of Theft.
The Treasury Department has not such
active interest in these protective meas
ures as has the express company. The
company is under $500, 900 bond to make
good any loss which may occur by acct
dent or theft. The express company is
the party at interest The chief means
that it uses to protect itself are the con-
slant menace of prosecution and impris-
onment.
Small packages of money are shipped
in bag Large quantities OF money go
ing between big terminal point are put
in stationary 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 it's Journey, and with this handle goes
the dial of the combination lock.
There has been only one instance OF
stationary safe. This occurred through
the stupidity Of the express agent of Des
Moines. He had safe dial, and when
he boarded the car he opened the safe to
put in two packages. He found that the
safe was filed to overlooking. $ would
like to get these two valuable packages
in the safe, but there doesn't seem to be
room,n he said.
aHere are couple of packages of jew
elry which I can take out to make room
for them," said the messenger.
Now it was the business of the agent
to note these two packages of jewelry"
on the express agents way bill, after
examining them carefully. But he did
not The packages were really money
packages. They contained $780, 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.
S2,0OO,O0O Gold in Transit.
Just now the principal shipments going
out from Washington are OF currency be-
ing sent to the national banks It comes
to the office of the express companyain
the basement of the Treasury building in
packages nearly eight inches square.
These packages are of heavy manila,
sealed with two wax seals, bearing the