New-York tribune., 1897-01-30

until the last S20Ooc0 remained. The com was
placed In bags Of 5000 each. and the bags were
locked In California redwood boxes. each OF whicn
had been made to contain $4,000. There were
twenty boxes to the load, and the twenty boxes
weighed exactly two tons. So sixty-four tons
Of gold were placed in the new vaults.
word about the vaults themselves Nearly
two years required for their CONSTRUCTION
and they really three great chrome s'eei
safes. which practically form one anordihs aii
interior space OF II feet wide. 20 feet IN depth
from front to rear. and II feet ceiling neight'
However each of the three has itj own speciai
entrance door. weighing ten tons. That Is the
outer door There are two others within ana
the three are fitted with time and compina-
ton locks The triple vault rests on piers OF
solid concrete masonry and railroad iron ABOUT
seven feet high. In their turn these piers rest
upon a solid bed of concrete . feet thick Inc
outer walls Of the vaults are Of steel. inches IN
thickness. In addition further precautlon Is
taken by the presence in front or the doors Oh
steel platforms which when the doors nave oeeii
closed and locked raised against their fronts
preventing any approach 10 the locks. AGAIN
around the vault steel fence has been erected,
the bars of which are three inches IN diameter
and only hand breadth apart. The fence STANDS
four feet from the faces of the vault, and watch
men parade about. keeping eye on all sides
and top of the vault. at al lhours OF the nisht ana
day from without the fence The fence bars ex-
tend downward to the very bottom or the louh-
dation and above the floor to the ceiling OF the
vautroom. Electrical devices or every SOFT
known to that elaborate science connect the
vautroom with all portions Of the building Pipes
are so laid that the vaultroom can be hooded al
an instant's warning. or the engineer has at MS
command valves with which he can MI the room
with scalding steam at moments notice once
more If any impous hand should be laid upon
the vaults. the trespasser could be electrocuted
by charging the plates with the current from the
dynamos which operate the electric lighting
plant Of the structure. other secret devices are
held in reserve by the officials. but these which
are thus exploited will probably prove sufflclent
protection Yet when once inside the vaults the
operator would have great difficulties Of an en-
tirely unantcipated sort staring him in the race,
for the interiors Of the trio are filled with COM
partment safes. having a capacity or H'tW'No
each The total apacity Of the vaults is slOo.-
100000 in gold. and they weigh 3lJ tons. Their
cost TO the association was nearly SiD.OoD. Even
the most sceptical will give assent that TOO
weighty precautions could hardly be taken 10
protect an institution which stands as the type
and symbol Of Greater New-Yorks supremacy
as the cOnservatOr Of finance in the United
States. Exchange on NewYork is as good as
the gold of commerce the world over and busi-
ness men from ocean 10 ocean base their trans
actions upon It. Clearing House balances the
country over are settled in the same way. and the
weaknesses which have been unfortunately mani
Testing themselves in certain parts Of the cOun-
try during the last few weeks have been absent
from the financial institutions % Greater New
York. And this is necessary. The interests at
stake. the close inter-relatiOnship between busi-
ness man and banker. are far too serious in their
possible consequences to permit any but the most
conservative attitude on the part Of the men
who hold in their hands the fate OF the citys
commerce. and by the same rule OF exchange
cited above. the fate OF the commerce Of the
United States panic in Greater New-YOrk
means business paralysis for the country at
large. That is all