Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-10-03
STOVES EARN DOLLARS.
This Sounds Funny, But 1t Is True
Just tho Same.
Uncle Sam Adds to His Wealth Year
After Year Through the Careless
ness of Citizens Who Hide
Money In Stoves.
Special washington Letter.

Stoves of all kinds make money for
the government. The parlor stove, the
sitting-room stove, the stove in the bed
room and the big base burner in the
large hall of the biggest mansion in
town; all of then make money for
Uncle Sam on the principle that "a
penny saved is penny earned" These
stoves ''save" money for the govern
ment by destroying the notes upon
which are printed the promise to pay"
which makes greenbacks and national
bank notes worth their face value.
Throughout the length and breadth
of the land there is no method of saw
ing money more popular than the GUS
tom of hiding it away in an unused
sitting-room stove during the summer
time. When the fire is lighted in the
autumn the cash goes up in the smoke,
and then the owner makes application
to have the ashes redeemed. The chief
of the redemption division says that
not less than one hundred such cases
are submitted to him every fall. Some
times the remains are not too far con-
sumed for Identification, but as rule
this method of destroying money is
found to be singularly effective. There
was received recently at the treasury
$3.50 in the shape of a small quantity of
ashes packed into thimble, from
Texas. The woman who owned the
S120 had drawn the sum from bank and
deposited it in a stove for safe keep
ing, with the usual result. Uufortu
nately, the ashes are indistinguishable
from any other ashes, and so she will
lose the entire amount; and tits prob
ably all she had in the world.
The dear old parlor stove, which
keeps the rising bread warm during
the winter nights, after Julia's "com-
pany" has said goodnight for the hun
dredth time, and after Julia has gone
to bed with mammals scolding ringing
in her ears for sitting up so late-the
red-hot old parlor stove is a considcra-
BILE source of income to the United
States treasury, though the contributors
to the fund accumulated by IS means
are invariably most unwL-.ng ones.
The parlor stove is unused for many
months, and only one member of the
family knows that it is the custodian of
treasure in paper. The only one who
knows the fact is never present when
the first fire is started in October, "just
to take chill the off of the room" when
company is expected. And the paper
money is all consumed.
Uncle Sam promises to pay in coin
the amount printed on his paper money,
and he is able and willing to do so. He
issues the money for the payment of
debts. 1t is accepted by government
officials. They spend it and it goes
into circulation. When it reaches the
stove, the government is under obliga-
tions to redeem it in coin. When it is
burned, Uncle Sam is relieved of all
obligations and is therefore just so
much ahead. .."
When cars are burned in railroad &C
cidents large sums of paper money are
consumed. There was an accident one
day in Kentucky when two trains met in
a tunnel, one of them loaded with pas
sengers and the other freight, carry
ing coal and iron. For thirty hours the
wreck burned and such was the heat
generated that the iron was melted
and flowed like water. In the express
car of the passenger train was safe
with 1000 cash in it, besides lot of
jewelry. 1t was ali paper money and
was reduced to ashes. Whenever a
railroad disaster occurs fire usually en-
sues, and the express car is consumed.
Now an express car almost invariably
carries a safe with more or less money
in it, among other valuables. The safe,
unless it is one for transporting gov
eminent money, is apt to be of the por-
table kind and not freproof. Thus it
is an almost everyday occurrence for
one of these safes to arrive at the treas
yH ~ s..