The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-09
TREASURE WELL GUARDED.
NOT MUCH CHANCE FOR BURGLARS
TO GET THE NATIONS CiSH

Vigilance of tho Watch Over the Treasury
In Washington-Test Made by n Nervous
Tronsurer-The steel Vaults and Watch
men-Chancss of n Day Attack by Robbers
WAsHINGToN. July S.-The old time Treas
ury Department wutchmen tell bucolic visitors
that the lamented Jesse James made, seven
distinct tours OF the Treasury Department
with. presumably. an eye to business Tho
rural sightseers. after being permitted to ham
die package OF greenbacks said to con-
tain S10,o00,0OO are willing to believe any
thing. AS the late Mr.. James never held up
the Treasury Department. and as his eminent
biographers explicitly state that he never
penetrated east Of the Allegheny Mountains.
the old watchman's yarn may be said to 10
somewhat deficient in mornings
1t wouldn't be an easy matter to loot the
Treasury vaults. Not dollar has ever been
taken from the Treasury by force sneak
thief once got in his work to the extent of $780,
900. which he plucked from one Of the
tables OF the redemption division before
the place was properly safeguarded Butthere
has never been Il hold-up nor an attempt at
one. An account was once printed OF the al
legged discovery OF a plot. engineered by expert
burglars. to penetrate the Treasury building
by means OF the underground electrical con-
duts surrounding the cdince. Once in the
building these robbers were to crack the safes,
remove their contents and place them
In light rubber bags and to float
these bags along the conduits. which
were to be flooded for the purpose, to their
pals In waiting at the conduit openings. The
watchmen had a laugh over this story when
they read it. About week after its publica-
ton. however. the iron cover OF the electrical
conduit right outside the main entrance to the
Treasury went M into the air with n rour
along toward O'Clock in the morning, Some
OF the watchmen thought that the plot was
about to be carried out, and for the first time
in many years all the wGtchmen were sum-
moned from their posts to the main door The
watchmen grinned sheeplshly at one another
when the cause OF the alarm was ascertained.
One of the former Treasures of the United
States was somewhat nervous man. He was
not quite certain that 1t would DO practically
impossible for band Of brGands to loot the
Treasury. He wanted to make sure that it
would never be necessary for him to appeal to
Congress to have debt Of a few millions re-
moved from his shoulders. for OF course the
United States Treasurer Is responsible for
every cent In the vaults. so for nearly month
he slept in a room in the Treasury Department.
Ono night he slipped Off his Shoes put on u
pair OF carpet slippers. and began a tour Of the
corridors. in order to satisfy himself that the
watchmen were performing their duty. He
nduH Ruueu twenty letL from tIe upDr Oh MS
room before he heard Haiti" that sounded
like the snap of a loose lib Ten feet ahead OF
him man had bead on his heart with a pis-
toll. The Treasurer's hands went up.
~ Not guilty; search me. he said. I'm the
Treasurer"
Treasurer. hey 2" said the Waterman. II
don't know that. Just keep on pointing up
ward until get somebody TO identify You"
few moments the night lieutenant OF the watch
came along and released the Treasurer from
Although the Treasury has, never been held
up the Secret Service people know that many
celebrated cracksmen have from time to timo
OF Treasury money to their own use. All of
the cracksmen. however. seem to have decided
that the undertaking was OF too colossal Il
Down to the incumbcncy Of Secretary Foger
it has been said there would have been no
great difficulty for accomplished and ncrvy
cracksmen Of the first rank, to do good bit OF
of the Government. When Mr.. Folger took the
reins OF the Treasury there Was not an electri-
sound of which woull re-echo throughout the
askon that It Eook from eea to
half an hour for a searching party IRON the
men thus conditioned might easily have
been overcome by determined burglars. who
cess to the building, owing to the nsuficicqcy
of the force then distributed at vulnerable
POINTS of entrance. The safes, Of which there
are more than hundred scattered over the
lock-and-key sort. calculated TO wreathe the
smiles on account OF their primitive simplicity.
1t really seems remarkable that. with so al
the sale crackers who adorned their profession
during the seventies did not essay to effect
partition OF the nations wealth.
The watch system was completely changed
and reorganized under Mr.. Foger. An elabo-
rate electrical arm system was, introduced;
iron safes were replaced 10y modern steel affairs
with time locks and intricate combinations.
steel castings around their common shells OF
masonry and fitted with time locks. different
parts Of the ombinationso Of which were dis
tributcd among various officials OF the Treas
urer's office. so that the vaults could be opened
only with the concerted action of all Of them.
which the time locks were set. The necessity
Of keeping pace with the improvements in the
fine profession Of modern burglary was first
II there were no watch force on constant
at the @ Sey hs
safes in the Treasury building The safes are
as good as any made. but even manufacturers
OF safes admit that the safe has not yet been
devised that tho modern crack sman cannot get
into. The best that modern builders Of safes can
the greatest possible consumption Of time on
the part OF the cracksnlen who attempt to get
n9 the prosres Of har SorS more Eey
An expert manipulator of safe combinations
was summoned to the Treasury from New York
not long ago To open a safe that declined to re-
spond to Is figures. The expert op-ned the
safe in half minute. Then he made Il tour
OF the building and opened every one Of the
safes except those fitted with time locks. There
was not one of them that he didn't get into
within fourteen minutes alter making the first
turn of the com bnation handles. He modestly
stated to the officials accompanying him that
he didn't amount to much rs safe opener. and
that there were any number OF crack smen at
large who could do anything he did in one
half the time.
The Treasury watch force is divided into
three relefs. like an army guard. only the
Treasury Waterman is on post longer than the
soldier, His tour Of duty lasts eight hours.
The first watch Of the day goes on at = O'Clock
in the morning 1t is relieved al in the after.
noon by the watch which remains on duty until
garded as the most Important OF the three,
completes the tripe-linked guard chain. and
goes off at . in the morning. Although, as
stated. the mid watch. so called. Is considered
to carry the greatest weight of responsibility Of
the three, on account of the well-known noe
turnal preferences Of burglars, Can't Cobaugh,
the head Of the watch force, is of the opinion
that the day guard needs to be more on the
alert for surprises than either night shift
Each Of the night Watches said he the
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