Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-30
COUNTING THE COIN
Examining the Contents of Uncle
Sans Strong Box.
BEEN At WORK FOR Two MONTHS
A Task That Would Take an Ex.
pert Fifty Years.
RECKONING BY EIGHT

Down in the dimly lighted interior of the
treasury building four of the Secretary's
subordinates counting the contents of
Uncle Sans treasure vaults, amounting
to S161 ,IS22f6 This is always done when
change occurs in the Office of treasurer
OF the United States. The gentlemen now
having the matter in charge are Messrs.
T. Il. Daskam, chairman; A. T. Hunting
don, NJ. r. Vance and Howard Elliott. The
latter represents the new treasurer. Ellis
II. Roberts. while the others act on the
part of the government. especially the re-
firing treasurer ID. n. Morgan who on the
con pletion of the count takes a recent for
the funds. So correctly kept are the books
of uis immense financial institution that
the least shortage is readily discovered
and must be traced. Notwithstanding the
absolute certainty of discovery the temp
tation to steal is too great to be resisted
by some of the employers. and only a few
days age one Of the negro iaborers assist
ing the committee helped himself TO a few
deprecated silver dollars was found out
confessed, ard is now in the District Jail
awaiting trial. An occasional theft like
this is the exception that proves the rule
of honesty.
The committee began its Iabors July 1.
ana VIII probably complete the count the
latter part of this month or early in Oc-
tober. The following are the present con-
tents OF the vaults in the United States
treasurer's office:
Vault 1-A,nount, slos. 1913 600; description.
standard silver dollars; halves S,I5 900
Vault Amount, s4s.011 900; description
standard silver dollars. Vault 2-Amount
$3,3VO.00o; description, gold coin Vault o
Amount. $4,000: description. fractional
silver, $522,o0o; miner coin, $s7 600 Vault
eAmount. $3.50, 900; description, national
bank notes received for redemption Nault
Amount. sl.@o.Goo: description. mixed
moneys received daily for redemption.
Vault 6-Amount, s210o0,Ooo; description.
mixed moneys for daily use. Vault g
Amount, 500, .216: description. bonds
held as security for N. b. circulation, etc
held as reserve to replace worn and mutt
lated rctes unfit for circulation. Total,
S161, IS, PIG.
The silver vault is the largest in the
world, being eighty-nine feet long fifty
one wide and twelve feet high.
The latter section of the Treasure cham
bers is the most interesting and is open to
the general public. who view its interior
from a dungeon-like corridor when accom-
panied by messenger of the department,
ard then only through the bars Of Sc
curely locked steel door, where a Cerebus-
like copservator eyes with seeming sus-
picion all visitors.
The silver is packed i'm small sacks, hold
ing $1,000 each, and weigh ifty-nine
pounds four ounces. 1t is counted 10y
weight and the least deficiency or defect
Such sack goes to the issue division,
where it is counted numerically by an ex-
pert, placed on the scales, returned 20 TIE
vault and again weighed
In the vaults iron latticework partitions
divide the space into several compart-
ments. Around the outer edge and against
the iron frame the silver coin is placed IN
boxes, and the central part of each cham
her is then filled with the silver in sacks.
Each OF these apartments is secured by
key locks, only opened 10y two different
4 h. sarnl4
clerk, while the burglar-proof metal doors
protect the entrance to each vault. On
these combination time locks are IN use.
Some interesting figures were furnished
by one of the employees who is somewhat
inclined to make computations. cubic
foot contains 4.6S4 standard silver dol
lars: packed in sacks OF 1908 each. Si.loo
are required to fill the same space: AT the
department a million of these dollars are
estimated az thirty tons. and the contents
of all the vaults, if represented by silver
dollars, putting the amount at 90 .ooo.ooo.
would weigh 23.010 tons. This, loaded into
pacity of twenty tons, would require for
transportation train of LILO cars, that
would stretch along for distance of
little more than seven miles.
The experts in the issue division are la
dies. whose daily task in handling notes
means the actual counting of eight pack
ages of 4 GOO bills each, the close scrutiny OF
the seal, the careful watch of the serial
numbers, and. in the case of old money. the
Instant detection of counterfeit notes. Their
hours Of labor are from y O'Clock until 3.
with an intermission of half an hour for
luncheon. When hurried, some of these
experts can count 10000 notes in day.
An expert counting at the rate of 1900
every working day would be engaged for
more than fifty-two years and six months
counting the above sum In dollar bills.
Notes in the issue division, after passing
through the hands of the counters. are
packed in bundles of 1000 each, and weigh
eleven pounds. When enveloped i'm a ma
nilla paper wrapper they measure ~ inch
es by inches by 61a inches.
The seven hundred and sixty-seven mil
lions, if in one-dollar notes, would weigh
4,21S12 tons.
one-inch cube of gold is worth $40: q
cubic foot. 1862 $50. and a cubic yard is
valued at 50, 797, 762.