The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-05-13
GOLD BY THE TRUCKLOAD.
Sixty.FOur Tons Moved to the Clear
ing House Vaults.

Place
Any Number of Burglars.
New York Times
After eight days of careful and anxious
labor the transfer of s89, coo, 600 of gold
coin, weighing sixty tons, from the
Mercantile Safe Deposit Company's
vaults to the vaults Of the Clearing House
Associations new building, in Cedar
street, was completed yesterday morning.
This gold belongs to the various bank
in tho Clearing House Association, and
it has accumulated within the past six
or eight months, its owners holding
Clearing House certificates of deposit, in
denominations of IS, 600 and $4,000
The deposits Of the Clearing House gold
were originally made with the Mercantile
Safe Deposit Company, at Broadway and
Cedar street. because of the unfinished
condition of the Clearing Houses new
home. On the last day of April, how
ever, the massive vaults in the new
building were in condition to receive the
precious coin, and its removal from the
vaults half a block away was begun at
once. John Barclay, who carts all prec-
1ous metals to and from the b-Treasury
was employed to handle this S32, 900, 900.
He moved two truckloads of the gold
Thursday, April 80, each load containing
81, 00O 600. The coin was in canvas bags
containing $4,000 each. In the process of
removal cen bags were placed in red
wood box, and twenty DO 1es constituted
a truokload, Each load of twenty boxes
weighed exactly two tons. On the SEQ
ond day Mr.. Barclay removed So, ZOO,
and on the succeeding days, with the ex-
ccption of Saturd ay and Sunday, $4,000.
day morning the transfer of 81, 600, 900
completed the work.
AS matter Of precaution efforts were
made by William Sherer, the Manager Of
the Clearing House, and his associates, to
keep these proceedings as quiet as posi-
bic. Although thereswas large num-
Der of unobtrusiye policemen guarding
Cedar street between Broadway and
Nassau street during the work of removal
very few persons were aware that mill
ions of dollars in gold coin We're being
carried from one building to another.
The task was performed expeditiously
and without hitch.
In experimenting the transfer of this
enormous quantity of gold, Mr.. Sherer
had the assistance of William j. Gilpin,
the Assistant Manager, and two bank
officers were in constant attendance as
representatives of the Clearing House
Committee. Tally of each bag handled
was kept by three men.
Following are the names of the bank
| officers who represented the Clearing
House Committee in this matter: j. II.
Mills, Jr., cashier of the Chase National
Bank; E. Halpin, assistant cashier of
| The Chemical National Bank; Il. Fl.
Powell, assistant cashier Importers and
Traders National Bank; W. e. Williams,
assistant cashier of the Corn Exchange
Bank, and W. Fl. Tappan, assistant
Of the gold in the bags was counted and
weighed. and the bags sealed In the pres
enee of Manager Sherer and Frederick D.
Tappan, Chairman Of the Clearing House
Com mittee. Two of the five bank officers
here named, together with Assistant
Manager Gilpin and three of Barclay S
truokmen, accompanied each load from
one vault to the other, distance of
about 100 yards.
The vaults in the basement of the new
Clearing House are the largest and
strongest in the country, and are said to
be the finest in the world. They CON-
prise three chrome steel safes, which
form practically one safe. "a feet wide,
90 feet deep, and IL feet high inside
Each of the three safes is distinct, and
has it's own entrance. The vaults have
required two years in their construction.
They have cost 500, 600. The outer doors
Of the three safes weigh each of them
ton tons
The foundation of the vaults is a solid
pile of railroad iron and masonry seven
feet thick. This pile rests in turn on q
bed of concrete six feet thick. The outer
walls are IA inches Thick, and they are
stronger than the walls of any Other
vault in the world. The vaults are not
only fireproof, but are dynamite proof,
and there is no more likelihood that any
burglar will ever break into them thar
there is that burglars will steal the bot
tom of the ocean or the mountains OF
the moon.
The front of each Of the three safes is
protected by three DOORS and each Of
these three doors is equipped with time
and com bination locks of the finest anG
latest patterns. Each safe is finished
with au additional burglar proof devict
in the shape of movable steel platforms
which Automatically raise themselves
against the doors of the safes as soon as
they are looked, so as to prevent any one
from opening the doors unless it be il
the ordinary manner.
The entire vault is surrounded by al
open barn ed fence of chrome steel. The
bars are four inches apart, and each bal
is three inches in diameter. The fence il
tour feet from the outer walls of the
vault, and its bars reach from below thu
foundation OF the concrete pier to tht
ceiling of the vault room.
Night and day a Waterman will patr0
the vaultroom, outside the steel fence
and he can see every side Of the vault by
simply walking around it. There are,
besides, apertures in the angles of the
walls Of the vaulrroom by which, as il
the penitentiary, everything that goes
Oh inside the room is visible to an unseer
observer stationed without
| But this is not all in the way of protac
ton. There are other and more extraor
binary precautions, some of which ART
kent secret By Clearing House officials
but few Of which have been made
known. 1t will interest the enterprisine
burglar and safe cracker to learn, for in
stance, that in case he attempts to get al
thu gold in the new Clearing House
vaults, he can be promptly killed by tht
| jy1 II