Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-08

| NybgM 5000 sss:s ISSUE WORT: 3 ''s :
10 !: :: !: !:
XHEtEhSk"ll may be sent across
E Il EEx ~, the ocean for sale In
SSSr- to 1881 hundreds of
-NNR1 millions of dollars
S; worth of such secu-
SS rites. both coupon
and registered, were
transmitted to Lon
don for negotiation. They were carried by
trusted messengers, the sums represented
being often in negotiable paper, and
amounting to gigantic fortunes Undoubt-
eddy the same method of transportation
will be adopted in case any fresh issue is
to be disposed of in Europe.
An enterprise of this description is al
ways kept very secret by the government
authorities, because it Is not deemed wise
to invite attention to the contemplated
transportation of immense values in small
compass over land and water. The Gus
tom has. always been 10 issue private or
ders 10 the men who are to act as mes
sengers. OF the latter there are usually
three or four and 1t goes without saying
that they are picked out for exceptional
trustworthiness. Not the keenest-nosed
newspaper man gets scent Of the affair.
At night a covered wagon Is backed up to
a side door of the treasury. and upon it
are loaded small iron safes, containing the
bonds.
The messengers get into the wagon with
the safes. Each of them has a big revol-
yer strapped to his waist. They are driven
to the railway station, where they get
aboard a mail car with the safes They
sit on the safes all night while en- route
to New York, with pistols ready in case
Of emergency. To hold up the train
would be likely to prove a serious business
for any robbers who might attempt such
an enterprise. On reaching New York,
the messengers are met by officials from
the subtreasury. The safes are conveyed
to the subtreasury and are kept there I'M
til the time arrives for the sailing Of the
steamer on which they are to go.
In Ocean Steamships.
The safes are hauled to the steamer in
wagon. under the same guard, and are
put in the specie vault in the hold of the
ship. Every great passenger vessel now
adays has a steel-clad strong room, like
a banks. for carrying gold and other val
uables. Hundreds of millions of dollars
in gold are shipped across the Atlantic to
and fro every twelve months. The bonds
being locked up, the messengers are re-
lieved Of care for the time being-that is
to say, until the steamer reaches Queens
town. There the vault is opened for the
purpose Of getting the mail. which Is kept
in the strong room. The messengers stand
guard until the mail has been taken out
and the vault Is locked up again. They
have no further duties to perform until the
ship arrives at Liverpool.
From 1871 to 1881 many shipments OF
bonds were made in this fashion, and never
a penny was lost. Millions worth of ne
gotiable securities might have been stolen,
but the theft could only have been ac-
complished by three men conspiring to-
gether. Each safe employed for the pur-
pose had always three locks. Each of
ton for one lock. All three combina tons
were in possession of the United States
treasury officials at the agency in Lon
don. In 1871 the treasury established an
agency in that city for the purpose OF ne
gotiating bonds. 1t was located in the
Rothschild bank. The last business done
through 1T, in 1881. was the exchange Of
new IL per cent bonds for other ponds
were sent abroad in the manner already de-
scribed, and, after they had been disposed
of, the office was closed.
A Money Mountain.
On reaching Liverpool the treasury mes
sengers were met by pan from the
agency In London. Together they took the
safes by rail to the metropolis. hiring a
compartment of a passenger car for the
purpose. II the steamer got in too late to
to the RothSchild bank before that institu-
ton closed, they would convey the safes to
the Western Hotel in Liverpool, take them
to a room and remain with them all nixh ut,
taking turns at keeping watch. On arrv-
ing in London the safes were carried 20 the
bank and put into vault there.
1t seems queer that Uncle Sam, at peace
with all the world. should have to borrow
$10O.OOO.OO0 in a single year to help pay
running expenses. Such a sum is beyond
the power OF the human mind to grasp.
One hundred million of dollars in gold.
Just think of it! That amount of the yell
low metal weighs about 200 tons.
Take S1O0,0OO,OOO worth Of gold $40 pieces
and stack them UP in one pile, like poker
chips chip Truly they would make a pretty
AS tall the Washington monument?
That giant obelsk is $50 feet high The
stack of gold pieces would be taller than
that The Eiffel tower in Paris is the high
est structure in the world-1OOo feet. Yet
this ina ginary pile of yellow coins would
considerably SurpasS 1t.
For comparison, then. one must look
around for some natural elevation-a noun
tain, say, Of small size. Vesuvius, the vol
cano of Naples. is three-quarters of a mile
high. Yet the stack of gold pieces Is high
er. But why not take a big mountain-for
example, Mt. ST. Elias which, until recent
ly has been supposed to be the tallest peak
in North America? Though towering to a
height of three and a quarter miles. 1t Is
not so lofty as the pile of coins represent
The highest mountain Of South America
is the active volcano of Aconagua, in Chile.
1t reaches an elevation of four and quar-
ter miles, but is not so tall as the pile Of
coins. Look, then, to Asia, where Is found
the loftiest summit in the world-the sky
kissing peak of Mount Everest, in the Him
alayas five and a half miles above the sea.
1t is surpassed by the stack of gold pieces.
In fact the column Of double eagles would
be six miles high and something over.
One hundred million dollars worth of
gold one dollar pieces stacked up in the
same way, would reach a height of twenty
eight and a half miles. If one owned the
stack and spent the coins at the rate of 81
a minute he would not go broke until the
end Of 100 years For the storage of $780,
100000 in bags Of 5000 in gold, seventeen
hundred cubic feet would be required. The
same sum in one-dollar bills sewn together
would carpet $50 acres, or more than half
of a square mile Of land. As a matter Of
fact Uncle Sam will receive for his $780,
COO 600 worth of Notwithstanding the last
and present issues-about $11S,0OO,OOO In
money, thanks to the premium.
Responsible Position.
Speaking of persons who are trusted by
the treasury, there are several men in that
department who handle millions OF dollars
every day and have enormous opportunities
for stealing One Of these Is John Brown.
who has temporarily succeeded John T.
Barnes as Sealar Barnes, who died few