The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-04-24
Iues, the greater part Of which are

tom dues, the greater part Of which are
| settled in gold.
Whatever the reasons, however, for this
tux and reflux of the precious metal, the
| fact remains that many millions of dol
lars of it are shifting every year between
America and Europe. and a. may be easily
Imagined the transportation Of only sim
| gle one of these millions il . matter of
some Importance. How much do you sup
| pose 81, 100000 worth Of gold would weigh
boxed up and put on an ordinary pair OF
Eales7 Somewhere in the neighborhood OF
| two tons, varying according to the weight
Of the boxes and the alloy of the gold
Now for the way in which all this gold
transported from one part of the city
to another-usuaily from the sub.treasury
10 the banking house which is shipping il
and from there to the steamer. Any day
| you care to stroll down Broad street you
will find, rain or shine, standing at the
corner OF Exchange place q gruff. grizzly,
veather-beaten man about 90. who seems
70 have nothing to do but hang around a
| red-painted truck and occasionally walk
over to q slate hanging by a rusty nail
agains. the building and scrutinizing il as
nhe were schoolboy studying . hard
sum in division.
DO not pass this man by because he 10
roughly dressed. he is worthy of all the at
tention you can give him. He is John
Barkley, who for thirty years past has
monorolized the curious business Of truck
Ing gold and silver in New York city.
| Mr.. Barley has had entrusted to his care
more coin and bullion than could be
| seusIled by ali the fortunes CT all the mil
honalres in this country and France and
England added together. He has
Tracked gold in bars, bags and boxes,
millions Of dollars of it at a time,
until the treasures of Aladdin's
palace sink into insIgnificance in com.
l parison. And yet he is a plain. practical
toft OF man with nothing remarkable
about him at all except his faithfulness
md honesty. And he is remarkable for
Nose two qualities. so remarkable that the
4 greatest banking houses in the city and
me suhtreasury officials themselves place
confidence IN John Barley very much
me same way they do in the time locks on
\ Their big steel safes
Now let us see how Barkley attends to
4 Dis singular business. He gets an order
on the slate To bring. say 100000 worth
" go1d 10 some great banking house by
o'clock the next day. At 10 o'clock in the
morning he calls at the sub-treasury
Where the firm in question has de-
posted $2,hn.00o worth of gold certi-
hcaies IN exchange for the coin they
want This coin is put into kegs. as
aready explained, carefully weighed,
os the weight gives the value not less
accurately than would be done by count
me each coin, and then rolled out through
.he back door on Pine street. where Bark
Hys trucks are waiting. with a crowd of
samirng clerks and office boys standing
.ooat TO watch the operation. Barkley
shd his assistants quickly load the kegs
Ncarely, handling them. however, with
sooUt IS much care as baggagemen DIS
I faaV IN regard ~ Saratoga trunks, and then
.'h Nfn.Hn worth or more on each truck
saey are ratified of, down the street with
~ oiher guard than two or three men SIT
...as ABOUT On the load lazlly and not look
.AS IN the least formidable. All the same,
ICY nave their revolvers ready. each one
" 'hem. and would make a hard fight
..vuid any enterprising scamp try to in
kfiere with them
asked barkies one day If during his
Wa experience he had ever had anything
~oaen from his trucks
never but once" he said, land that
very ioggy day seven or eight years
esaen was carrying . load of silver
~ ~ 20 the North river. II was SO foggy
couple of snesk-thieves came up be-
.s and managed 10 get one of the bars
/ me truck without our seeing them
~-N - 40 AAOtS thah tot
M'eF bar weighs about seveuty-fvs
s s.nsas ana - worth nearly 5000"
0ked '0
a laey oaugh. themselves. You see
were such fools they thought the
V'ty had s,o.en WAS lead and sold il 10
YAK dealer for 81 or 81. The Junk
-" Vas As ignorant as they were and in
s.,s 10 dispose OF the lead got himself
h.. ana who WAS held responsible for the
%*s OF the bars"
,.kIey looked at me as il the question
personal st.ront.
V~'i say tho would have been held
r.Nasiole- What know IS that the bar
A. .oIhd missing about IL O'Clock one
~ and that had paid TO the bankers
,'atFasisd II To me its fun value before
Nk the next morning"
H,,ss SHOWS @hat kind of a man John
e. lae load Of gold or silver has been
a. ed at the banking house the kegs
CEN, evses are opened ans the coin
a. 49, ever carefully. Then il is repacked
'Nasa oyes once moIs - BARKER. n ho