The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-11-04
A TIER UP OF MILLIONS.
VAST FORTUNES PASSED THROUGH
THE HANDS or JOHN 4. BARNES.
He Hand ed Amos. Every Dollar Printed
for the Governmens--tnormo sumo
BsnGled In tile Treasury.

| John T. Barnes. lie was appointed
August 10. 1861. by General Spinner at
the instance Of Montgomery Blair. to a
| 81 100 clerkship. When he died ne WAS
stll holding that S'tvo GIeoSs' fpr mon.
! than thirty-three years. Inere u noun.
| ing very exciting on the race OF thdt
| record Yet It can be sald Oh J9hh
| Harnes that few men in the world s
history have shouldered more response
| biIty than he carried during me thIty,,
| three years OF his clerical expeIle.ice anu az
Jew men. having so great irus' ColliI mn
| ed TO them, have ilschar8eu II 81 SO"
| sclentiously ..r, tbrovs
| around the handling OF money IN ei'h 'II
| the completed or uncompIeted FORM, an
possible safeguards. b hesg "a" at every
| possible point. and there are eWpioyes
! VINO check against each other TOT ~
sake of greater accuracy ana SeCuiIty
| In the count But no sy siten ~ ~ trVsting
nate entirely the necessity, Oh 90, ~
AZ some point the personal honesty V.
some one. There is always thc ons p0',''
where honesty is the only salesu w. eice
that, point IN IN the tnrrei ! 'e's John Barnes
handled for thirty-three years 'o va .il5
| the periods Of his absence On leed ie
every Treasury note or te' la, ficc
which came 10 the ITeasuIei no ono
Just wi at the total value was no ot bs
win over know. The Office Whele nc
| worked IL handling only a million ana d
| half dollars every day just now, ou LII III
| denominations of the notes a IA aggre-
THE same number Of notes CoulL ass =,
cate x2O 900 900 in value. In the dayS ~, "a
$1,000 notes they could have ass, v ,S7,e,t
! 5000 90 600. This money passeu t'' c,,sid
Tie hands Of John Barnes. he 800
bnva elinned a bundle less than an lnCI,
thick into his pocket ana eoht nOil',
million dollars richer. WIN lhe f,Isinpss
that in the ordinary course Vi ,,arad for
his crime would not be dlsCo''''i w.
weeks. perhaps for months, l., ,ho divi-
Tbe Mace Barnes held was IN the NV ~.
sion o. ISSUES. OF WnlC. .At ,,nrl, Of
the chief. In this DIVISION Ih me- Which
c0rne from the Bureau OF EnSIaEI ms 49,
printing Is done. Until 1888 tm ms ,,,or IN
was done at the bureau. buI HG1,"' -
Jordan worried about the poSSlbillIS ",
S 80. u ne of some Of the completed money
on its wav from the bureau to the 'eI io
ury Department, and IN July, - - IN
ordered the chief of the Bureau ". he-
craving to transfer TO the lIGd9uiS Cor
hhartrnont building the machinery loi
printing the red seal on the notes ,T Tmu
That for cutting the notes apait i ne
work now is done unaer t ne S'H Win The
of MIR Sample, who has been WIN tIie
Genartmcnt since 1873 and was until TWO
wears ago an assistant telIeT III Iiie N"0"
ier's Office upstairs. a., ,o.os IN
There are five counts or the holes ~
Mr. samnIe's office. They are counted
twice i'm The sheet before they go 10 tlle
press Then the press autohallcaly IS1
isters the number OF sheels on VIZ,
the red seal Is printed. Inc mrs. 60 CO tbe
are made by spreading the sheets AT tie
corner and running the myers IdpIuy
between them. That IS me wa, 1 En-
sheets are counted at the bureau ol IN
craving When the sheets come lIotu Tue
press they must be counted IN lhe way
bank tellers handle mOncy-eaCh enttt
separated from ITS fellows WIN NH a bba a9d
of the thumb and lifted by the right manu-
until the left hand grasps II AS the
count goes on the woman VINO uots nv
counting inSpeCts every sheet 10 see uldI
tho seal is there and that II IS IN the
proper place. a defective piece OF w2Ik
is thrown aside and in time Is cdhcelied
When the sheets have been inspected
and counted they are handed to the cut
ters who sit at little machines hdIdIy
higher than a ladys desk, ana ieed
single sheets TO a set OF knives. lhest
knives as they reVolve trim the ems OF
the sheets and cut apart the four notes
on each. When twenty-five OF LHeSc
sheets have been cut the notes are gain
cred together, sorted, ana Dounu Win
paper strap. Then a suspected "oHidl'
whose ewes must welcome the evening
takes each package ana repeats the
count. Accompanying this rount Is an
inspection to see that the serial numbers
on the notes are in order. rms counter
nuts her initials on the strap, ana the
package then goes 10 the man VINO MAKES
up the bundles for the reserve vault
TO the reserve vault before II is put into
circulation and though in every respect
it has been confirmed on It's race as
money il Is not recognized as inonSN
until il has been transferrer TO the cash
ier's office on the books OF the treasurer
of the United States
John barnes was the man who made W
the bundles. His place has been taken
temporarily by middle-aged colored
man who has been in the Treasury LOT
many wears and who has the confidence
of the Treasurer. lie takes the PACK
ages of notes and makes thenl mo nUii
dies. There are 100 notes IN each PACK
age and forty packages In each puilult
The bundles of 81 notes therefore, are
worth SLOO0O0O The clerk gathers 10
gether the forty packages, drIanbes 'Hcm
In two piles side by side, wraps two
nioces Of paper around them TO protect
Them. and puts them IN power press
When he locks the press, ne SIPS TWO
pieces of stout string about the pdchaHSa
and ties them securely. Then he opens
the press, takes out the notes ana wraps
them in a big piece OF MAMMA paper; ne
seals this Wrapping WIN req VIZ ~ u men
eouare label telling the denominations
of the notes within. These labels are
of different styles and different colors,
so that the packages of different KINDS
Of notes can be separated easily. on each
label are entered the numbers OF the
notes within, and In the corner are the
initials of the wrapper. IL would be the
/
nrr to abstract package Of 100 notes,
| Substitute Il package Of blank paper, and
| walk away with the notes. In time the
! theft would be traced to him; but he
| would probably have six months in which
| TO make good his escape.
| A greater degree OF responsibility than
| rested with John Barnes belongs to MIR.
| Ouaiffe of the Treasurer's Office, who en-
Tered the Treasury service in 1850. Mr..
| Ouaiffe has charge OF all of the vaults,
| Including the silver and gold vaults in
| the sub-basement OF the Treasury. His
| especial charge is the vault in the office
| OF the cashier Here are kept the notes
and the gold and silver money which are
| used in the everyday transactions OF the
| Government. He has handled In mis- time
| not "uncounted millions" for they are
| millions which have been counted again
| and again, but millions which IL would
| be hard TO compute now. He kept an
| account once for four years, and In that
| time he handled more than 500. 10000.
| He is personally responsible for all this
money from the time II enters his poses
one of the tellers. The abstraction OF
several millions would be easier 10 Mr..
Quaiffe than II would be 10 the clerk who
puts up the packages down stairs. In the
vault over which he is the special guard
ian Mr.. Quaifie is often quite alone. Moth
Ing would be easier than TO slip package
worth $4,000 into his pocket. and no
one might be the wiser for many months
Mr.. Qualne'S money is in the bundles as
made up in the Issue Division, in bags
in loose packages, and in stacks of com
The bundles are ranged on shelves, sorted
according 10 their denominations. The
gold coin is arranged in trays, sorted
according TO denomination. when 5000
worth OF coin OF one denomination has
accumulated II lis put up in a bag.
The cashier OF the Treasury is likely
at any moment to put a man into the
vault where these millions are handled