St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-07-28

than $500, 000,0 900, and the gold and
silver coin stacked up in the treas
ury cellars weighs 5000 tons. The
sums in which he deals are big
enough to tempt the widest dreams
of aVarice, and Thousands of men
are plotting how they can in some
way break in and carry away a part
of the pile. This money is sur
rounded, however, both by day and
by night, by trusty watchmen, whose
reVolverS are always ready. The
strongest of wrought iron and of
welded steel inclose his bags of gold
and silver, and the heavy doors
which form the entrances to his
vaults have time locks which defy
the most expert of burglars. The
ordinary thief has little chance here.
The checks on the treasury are
legion, and the chief money stolen
from the government is slipped out
in other ways. And yet there is no
doubt but that vast sums are stolen.
Uncle Sam receipts amount to al
most $1,000,000 day,and he undoubt-
eddy loses millions of dollars in one
way or another every year.
MILLIONS IN MOONSHINE.
Take the matter of the whisky
tax. Since it's increase to $1.10 a
gallon, moonshine stills have been
springing up like weeds in all parts
of the country. They are flour
ished for years in the mountains
of the South, but they are now be-
ginning to sprout up in the big cities
of the North. Within the past few
weeks a number of illicit stills have
been discovered in New York and
Philadelphia. The business is being
carried on by Polish Jews in attics
and cellars. They are making Whis-
ky from black strap molasses, fol
which they pay in bulk about foul
cents per gallon. 1t probably costs
them less than % cents to make 6
gallon of whisky, and their profits
are from 400 to 800 per cent.
This business is entirely different
from that OF the mo0nshiners. Col
w. w. Colquitt, the chief of the
special agents of the treasury de-
partment, has given me the details
and | have before me the drawing
of one of these Northern whisky
stills, which has just been received
by the treasury department. The
still was captured ony few days
ago in one of the big cities Of the
East. 1t is Of the sort used in Rus
STA. and it consists of two galvan
lied iron boxes or barrels with firt
boxes beneath them. The molasse!
is mixed with water and is ferment
ed into a kind of sugar beer. 1t il
then put into these boilers an(
cooked into a vapor. This is con
Quoted through pipes into a secont
still and cold water from the cit.
water works acts as the condenser
The sugar beer after two distilla
tons comes out in the shape o
whisky, and as such it is ready 70
the market. Such a still costs but
few dollars. It makes practically n
smell, and it can be put UP in an,
room where there are water works
The only ways that the treasury de
tectives can know of it's existenc
are through the selling of tn
whisky and the purchasing Of tn
molasses and yeast. a large amour
Of yeast has to be used to fermen
the beer, and the yeast factories G
all the big Eastern cities are nov
being watched by treasury detec
tives. Every one who buys niue
yeast has to give an account Of hin
self, and all suspicious purchaser
are carefully Swallowed.
The whisky robbers use all kline
Of means to escape the detective