Evening star., 1895-05-27
How the Millions Will Be Taken to
Europe.
PRECAUTIONS AGAINST THEFT OR Loss
Bonds Not to Be Made Perfect
Until They Reach London.
TO GO. IN INSTALLMENTS

the terms of the contract of February last
the syndicate subscribed for s69, 9,000, 900 Uni
ted States per cent bonds, payable in gold
not to be obtained from the federal treas
ury, and Furthermore agreed to protect the
government gold reserve from foreign and
domestic encroachment to the best of their
ability. Nearly one-half of the loan was
taken by foreign investors, and it is this
part of the transaction that is now about
to be consummated by the actual delivery
Of the securities in London: The arrange
ments are entirely in charge of Assistant
Secretary Curtis, who took a prominent
part in the negotiations which eliminated
In the contract. He sailed from New York
last Wednesday on the steamship New York
for the express purpose of personally super
vising the delivery of the entire lot of
bonds allotted to the foreign subscribers.
He will establish an office in London and
will arrange all the preliminaries with the
representatives of the syndicates for the
delivery of the bonds. Mr.. Curtis is max
ing the journey across the Atlantic alone
and unattended. He did not require a body
guard for the excellent reason that he did
not take any Of the bonds with him.
The actual method of taking the bonds
from this city, where they were printed
and engraved. to London, where they are
to be delivered, is an official secret In or
der to protect this precious freight from
all possible danger the greatest possible
details Of its transportation. The face
value of the bonds is about S30.OOO.OO0, and
1t is evidently feared that desperate chances
might be taken to secure rich prize if
the opportunity were invited by public an
nouncement.
A Second Party.
1t Is no secret, however, that second
party of treasury officials win follow Mr..
Curtis to London this week on business
connected with the delivery of the bonds.
This party will consist of Mr.. Logan Car
Isle. son of the Secretary, and chief clerk
of the Treasury Department.; Mr.. William
Merservey, bond expert of the registers
office, and Mr. Lawrence o. Murray, pri-
yate secretary to Assistant Secretary Cur
tbs. They will sail from New York on w cd
nesday next on the American steamship
Paris. and unless all surface indications
are at fault, the bonds will form part Of
the freight of that vessel, under their
special guardianship.
A Star reporter visited Mr.. Carlisle al
the Treasury Department today. in order,
II possible. to get some definite informa-
tion on the subject. He might as well have
applied to Secretary Gresham IS to the
next step to be taken by the administration
for the restoration of the defunct Ha-
waiian monarchy. Mr. Carlisle said that
Mr.. Curtis. who had charge of the matter,
had left specific instructions that all the
details of the shipment should be care
fully suppressed, as otherwise serious diff
cuties might possibly arise. He said he
really didn't know how 1t would be done.
beyond the fact that the TRANSFORMATION
was in the hands of the Post Office De-
partment. He wasn't going to carry any
of the bonds himself, and if anybody rob
bed him he would get badly left He
would take only enough money to get to
London and would carry nothing in his
valise or his trunk but what was necessary
for his personal comfort and. convenience.
He did not know how the post Office peo-
wOnld bonds
not care.
Valuable Only ns Paper.
What he did know, however, was that
the bonds would be sent from Washington
in an incomplete condition, and would be
entirely valueless except as old paper. un-
til the finishing touches were added by As
sstant Secretary Curtis in London. when
all the formalities for their delivery were
completed.
Mr. Carlisle declined to indicate wherein
the bonds. as shipped, were lacking in
value, or what measures were necessary to
make them negotiable, but he was en-
phatic in his declaration that until certain
unmentioned additions were made to them
in London they would hardly be worth
picking up on the street 1t Is therefore
possible that they lack the treasury seal
or stamp, but u is more probable that the
essential factor missing is the signature
of Mr.. Curtis, as the properly accredited
agent of the government.
According to Mr.. Carlisle's representa-
tions, the party from the Treasury Depart
ment will have no responsibilities in this
matter until after the bonds shall have
been turned over to them in London for
delivery to the subscribers. The postal
authorities will take charge of them here,
and will have entire charge of their trans
portation to the English capital. A special
force of postal clerks will be assigned to
this important work, and their movements
will be zealously concealed from the gen.
eral public.
To BE Sent in Instnllments.
Although not officially admitted, it is un-
derstood that the entire consignment of
these foreign bonds will be divided into
several installments and shipped by differ
ent steamers sailing for England within
the next week or two. Moreover, it is be-
lieved that small lot of them are already
on the ocean. consigned to Mr.. Curtis in
London. They will hardly be treated as
ordinary mail matter, however. inasmuch
as extraordinary precautions will be taken
to insure their safe delivery.
1t is a common thing for steamers plying
between Europe and America to carry val
liable cargoes. frequently including large
sums Of money, and that method of trans
portation is properly regarded equally
safe as railroad transportation.
All the large steamers are provided with
a large iron compartment, known
s'tank," made expressly for the storage of
articles of great value. They are really
vaults, with solid iron floors, walls and
ceiling, and when locked and sealed are
practically burglar-proof, as it would be
well nigh impossible to break into them
without giving an alarm.
At the Risk of the Government.
1t is said that the government assumes
the entire risk in the transportation of this
vast amount Of bonds, and that it will not
even go to the expense of insuring them
against loss or possible accident, for the
reason that they are incomplete and value
less. Their complete destruction would en-
tail no loss to the government or to any
body else. inasmuch they can be easily
duplicated by the Treasury Department IN
case of necessity.
1t is possible that the postal authorities
charged with the shipment of these bonds
will decline the use Of the "tank'' or
strong box on the steamers and will adopt
instead the custom that formerly prevailed
in transatlantic shipments when specially
conducted by the Treasury Department.
Under this system the bonds or other Sc
curities were closely packed in burglar
proof and fire-proof safes of small dimen-
sions, the doors of which were locked with
a combination known only to the sender
and the recipient, those having the care of
the safes in transit being entirely ignorant
of the combination by which they might be
opened. This method is now employed by
the United States Express Company in the
daily shipment of money and other yalu-