Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1897-10-07
COUNTING THE COIN.
Examining the Contents OF Uncle
Sans Strong Box.
Four Men Have Been ut Work for
Two Months A Task That
Would Take an Expert
Fifty Years.

the treasury building four Of the secre-
lary's subordinates are counting the
contentsof Uncle Sans treasure vaults,
amounting to 67,7S2,216. This is al
ways done when change occurs in the
office of treasurer of the United States,
The gentlemen now having the matter
in charge are Messrs. E. B. Daskam,
chairman; A. Il. Huntington, M. R.
Vance and Howard Elliot. The latter
represents the new treasurer, Ellis 81.
Roberts, while the others act on the
part of the government, especially the
retiring treasurer, D. N. Morgan, who on
the completion of the count takes re-
ceipt for the funds. So correctly kept
are the books of this immense financial
institution that the least shortage is
readily discovered and must be traced.
Notwithstanding the absolute certain
ty of discovery, the temptation to steal
is too great to be resisted by some OF
the employees, and only few days ago
one of the negro lalborers assisting the
committee helped himself to few
deprecated silver dollars, was found
out, confessed, and is now in the dis
trict Jail awaiting trial. An occasional
theft like this is the exception that
proves the rule of honesty.
The committee began its labors on
July 1, and will probably complete the
count the latter part of this month or
early in October. The following are the
present contents of the vaults in the
United States treasurer's Office:
Vault Amount, o3,733,ooO; de-
ecription, standard silver dollars;
halves, $345,0OO. Vault 2-Amount, $4S,-
OFT 900; description, standard silver
dollars. Vault 2-Amount, $3,3Oo,ooO;
description, gold coin. Vault g
Amount, 100000; description, frac-
tional silver, 1922, 900; minor coin, $751;
coo. Vault 3-Amount, $3,500,0o0; de-
scription, national bank notes received
for redemption. Vault Amount, ST.
100000; description, mixed moneys re-
ceived daily for redemption. Vault G
Amount, S27,o0o,O00; description,
mixed moneys for daily use. Vault z
Amount, $27o, ZIG; description, bonds
held as security for national bank cir
culation, etc. Vault S-Amount, $780,,
OOO,O 900; description, held as reserve to
replace worn and mutilated notes unfit
for circulation. Total, S767,7S2,216.
The silver vault is the largest in the
world, being SO feet long, 81 wide and Il
feet high.
The latter section Of the treasury
chambers is the most interesting and is
open to the general public, who view its
interior from a dungeon-like corridor
when accompanied by messenger OF
the department, and then only through
the bars of a securely locked steel door
where a Cerebus-like conservator eyes
with seeming suspicion all visitors.
The silver is packed in small sacks
holding $1,000 each, and weighs Sc
pounds ounces. 1t is counted by
weight and the least deficiency or de-
feet in the bag is sufficient cause for
rejection. Such sack goes to the issue
division, where it is counted numeri-
cally by an expert, placed on the scales
returned to the vault and again
weighed.
In the vaults iron latticework parti.
tons divide the space into several com
partments. Around the outer edge and
against the iron frame the silver coir
is placed in boxes, and the central part
of each chamber is then filled with the
silver in sacks. Each Of these apart.
ments is secured 10y key locks, only
opened by two different keys kept by
the cashier and the vault clerk, while
the burglar-proof metal doors protect
the entrance to each vault. On these
combination time locks are used.
Some interesting figures were. fur
nished by one of the employees who is
somewhat inclined to make compute
tons. A cubic foot contains 1854 stand
ard silver dollars; packed in sacks Of
1000 each, $4,10O are required to fiji
the same space. At the department
100000 of these dollars are estimated
at 30 tons, and the contents Of all the
vaults, if represented by silver dollars
putting the amount at 767, 100000, would
weigh 23,O1O tons. This, loaded into
ordinary freight cars with carrying
capacity of 20 tons, would require fol
transportation train of 1850 cars
that would stretch along for dis
lance of little more than seven miles
The experts in the issue division are
ladies, whose daily task in handling
notes means the actual counting Of
eight packages of 1000 bills each, th;
close scrutiny of the seal, the careful
watch of the serial numbers and, il
the case of old money, the instant de
lection of counterfeit notes. Theil
hours of labor are from nine O'CLOCK
until three, with an intermission o
half an hour for luncheon. When hur
ried some of these experts can count
10000 notes in day.
An expert counting at the rate Of 40,
900 every working day would be en-
gagged for more than SO years and
months counting the above sum in dol
lar bills.
Notes In the issue division, after pass
ing through the hands Of the counters
are packed in bundles of ] 600 each ant
weigh II pounds. When enveloped il
MANILA paper wrapper they measure
7hs inches by inches by 6h inches.
The 767Ooo,ooo if in one dollar note
would weigh 4,218H tons.
A one-inch cube of gold is WORT
500; u cubic foot, 1862, $50, and cubi
yard is valued at SO, Notwithstanding
ton Star.
FASHION NOTES.