The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-03-12
HE SHIPS THE GOLD.
The Washington Man wh$ Handles the
Treasury Coinl

ohy tOlu4
A sturdy old man whose Office is in
dingy little building down town is
an important factor lii the gold ship
ments that are made from this coun.
try. James Shay is the mans name,
and he supervises the handling of near
ly all the gold coin and bullion that is
shipped abroad. Shay is Ia cooper by
trade, and at his little Shop at IS
Fletcher street are madd nearly all
the kegs and bees in which the pre-
cious yellow metal IS shipped.
1t is needless to say that the cooper
of Fletcher street has been h very busy
man these last few years. aid conserv-
ative estimates of the gold which he
and his assistants have handled during
the last lG months would be $780,
100000. When 1T is added that Mr..
Shay has been in the business over so
years, the enormously fortunes which
have passed thrL ugh his hands without
the loss of single dollar can best be
appreciated.
When banker or some large export
ing house finds it necessary to make
a shipment to Europe, about the first
thing that is done is to send for Mr..
Shay, who mas virtual monopoly OF
this part of the business. Gold for
shipment abroad is packed in kegs
and boxes, just as the fancy of the
shipper may dictate. For amounts ex-
ceeding $500,O00 kegs, are generally
used, as they are easier sSal,sdle, and
contain $4,000 each. The empty kegs
are made of well-seasonedt oak, and
banded with hoops of steel. When
packed and sealed each key weighs
nearly 200 pounds. The boxes used by
the cooper are made of Eastwood or
oak, neatly dovetailed. These are also
bound with strips of steel. When
Cooper Shay receives an order from a
banker to pack a quantity of gold, the
boxes or kegs are sent from his shop to
the bank. There, with the help of a
few trusted assistants. the packing is
done in room used for that purpose.
After the gold has been put in stout
canvas bags, containing $4,000 to $780,
900 each, and carefully sealed, they are
turn, are sealed with tape ard wax in
three or four places. They are then
placed on truck and conveyed to the
steamship pier. Not once has anyone
ever tried to mclest tie truckman, but
this may be through ignorance of the
precious load ne is driving. Another
reason, too, is that the truck is always
guarded by several armed men.
1t is no eXaggeration to say that the
amount handled by Mr.. Shay, if con-
verified into double eagles, would make
pathway 100 feet wide around the
globe. Certain it is that if The money
were all his, Mr.. Shay's wealth would
be greater than that of the Rothschilds,
Vanderbilts, Rockefellcrs, Goulds and
Astors put together.
"Are you not sometimes possessed
of strong desire to run away with
| portion of the many millions which
you handle?' asked The reporter.
Never said the cooper, with a
smile. 1.-THE metal weighs too much,
and l don't think l could carry it very
far before 1 got caught myself
The old cooper has beea engaged
at his trade for upward of 35
years. He has amassed modest
competence, and lives with his family
of grown-up children in neat little
house in Brooklyn. When he goes
home at night he forgets all about the
fortunes which pass through his hands,
and is probably more contented than
any of the millionaire of Wall street.
Washington Star.