The Press., 1898-10-13
GUARDING THE MINT.
HOW THE PHILADELPHIA INSTITU-
 TON IS PROTECTED.

I.ittle Chance For Any One to Get Rich
 Quickly by Helping Himself to Uncle
 sam's Treasure-Patrols. Revolvers and
 winehesters In Plenty.
 Probably not one person out of hun dred who pass by the Philadelphia mint, that grim looking edifice at Chestnut and Juniper streets. after nightfall real izes what is going on inside. There is nothing mean about Uncle Sam, but he is determined that any one who gets his money shall get it honestly and by process duly laid down. Therefore he has taken all kinds of precautions to properly protect, especially at night. the millions upon millions piled up in the vaults.
 The doors of the mint are closed ev- cry weekday promptly at o'clock in the afternoon. After that hour no one but mint employees have any business within the walls which inclose so much money, and no one can either stay in or get in without a special permit from the superintendent. Needless to say. this is difficult to obtain.
 Simultaneously with the closing of the doors at 4 o'clock the first shift of the night guard goes on duty. The shift is composed of the captain of the guard and II stalwart men. AS the men file out to begin their round each one is handed big Colts revolver of the most approved pattern and loaded with big cartridges
 From then on till midnight seven of the II guards patrol without cessation every floor of the inside of the mint, from the corridors of the gloomy vaults where, away down in the earth, are slowed eighty odd million dollars in silver and almost as much gold, to the top floor. where there is nothing more valuable than machinery. Placed at fre- Quent intervals throughout the corridors are electrical devices for enabling the captain of the guard to keep tabs on his men. Each of these little machines com- municates with the rotunda opposite the Chestnut street entrance to the mint. Here it is that the captain is sta tioned all through the long hours of his shift. Every two minutes and half the central machine in the rotunda denotes the presence of some one of the guard at some particular station in the H I9 uOCoh 0hOh bhO Cdp tain knows that something is wrong. and he immediately proceeds to discov ar what it is.
 But it has been a long time since the little machine failed to send forth it's announcement at the proper time, for the mint guards are patrolling up and down outside the big building, careful ly watching that no suspicious charac- ters approach too near the vast treasure left in their care.
 Promptly at midnight the second shift of the night guard puts in an ap pearance to relieve the early shift. It is also composed of a captain and II men, and they are split up. as the other squad, into inside and outside details From midnight on until 2 o'clock in the morning they follow in the foot steps of the first shift, with every fac ulty alert to catch an intruder. The big revolvers are not the only weapons upon which the guards have to rely. On each side of the main cor ridor lending from the Chestnut street entrance stands a walnut case. Through the polished glass front of one frown 20 Winchester rifles. The other con tains as many ugly looking carbines. To grab these dispensers of death would be but the work of an instant for the guards, and then woe be unto any man | or men upon whom it might be found necessary to turn them.
 For the revOlvers there is kept con- stantly on hand in the mint 800 rounds of ammunition, and for the rifles and carbines 2.5OO rounds. Each of the guards is an expert ill the use of both the pistol and the gun. and each is en- dowed with a plentiful stock of cour- age: hence 8 combination capable of successfully resisting almost anything less than a regiment.
 The superintendent and assistant GUS todian both talked to the reporter about the methods in use to protect the mint and it's contents. Both smiled signiti- cantly when the possibility of one get ting away with a portion of the vast treasure was suggested
 "It would be folly for any one to try it, was the superintendent only com ment. To it the assistant custodian nod ded emphatic assent
 "I have been here for a good many years. the latter said. land no such attempt has ever been made. It is prac- tically impossible for any one to break into the mint from the outside and no one could secrete himself in the huild- ing during the hours when itis open to visitors and hope to avoid discovery We search every nook and corner of the structure carefully as soon as the doors are closed for the day. and you may rest assured if any one who had no hT1 1Eiu uithiVn fhnsa xunllS fnr1ul he would regret the day he was born "
 In addition to the two shifts of night guards, the superintendent and assistant custodian have a habit of dropping i'll at the mint at odd hours of the night to see that everything is going on all tight
 The mint is connected with the cen tral telephone station, and should there be trouble the captain of the guard could communicate with police head quarters in 8 brief space of time.
 If you come across anybody who thinks he can get rich quickly by hcip- ing himself to our coin, remarked the superintendent in parting, ''just advise him to think it over carefully first
 In compliance with the superintend- ent's suggestion the advice is hereby given.
 And it is pretty good advice to follow too.-Philad:lphia Inouirer. The Screw of Archimsdea. Archimedes of Syracuse. when he was in Egypt, invented u machine for pump ing bilge water out of the holds of ships This instrument was also used in the delta for purposes of irrigation Diodo- rus Siculus twice refers to it G.. 34. , {: v., S7, B. A curious model of such au