The times., 1899-07-10
AN EXPERT MONEY COUNTER.
A Chicagoan Who Can Count Mill
ION Dollars Day.
(From the Chicago Tribune.

Ion Dollars n Day.
CFrom the Chicago Tribune.)
S. Steele Finley, the asserting teller
of the United States subtreasury over IN
the Rand McNally Building is the cham
pion money counter of Chicago. Every day
he counts between 100000 and s1.5OO, ,OO0.
Mr.. Finley's record d-breaking count, how
ever, far exceeds the latter figure, for in
one day, OF only six or seven hours. he
once counted s1.907 900. The teller has
held his place nearly five years, and in
that time he has counted much more than
half billion dollars. 1t is said in all
probability no man in the country has
counted SO large an amount in an equal
length of time.
The asserting teller counts all of the
paper money which comes into the sub
treasury. He sorts out all of the bills
which are worn and soiled and unfit for
circulation and sends them to Washington
for destruction. Paper money pours into
the subtreasury from all 'of the banks in
Chicago, from the custom house. the in
ternal revenue office, the postofiice, and
Army sources. and the task OF handling
the vast quantities is tremendous.
The daily average which Mr.. Finley
counts is half a million dollars, and for
every dollar of this he is personally re-
sponsible TO the United States Government.
He has acquired such facility in counting
during his long period OF service that he
can count between 1000 and $500 bills
every hour in the day. The magnitude of
this feat will be appreciated when it is
explained that the teller must make good
to the Government every counterfeit bill
which slips through his fingers. 1t will
be difficult for the average man to under
stand low a teller can spot counterfeit
when bills are flying through his fingers
at the rate of about two each second. Bu.
Mr. Finley does it with great expediency.
| Very likely he is the most expert person
/ in that line in the city, for nearly every
bank in Chicago has sent counterfeits to
the subtreasury to be passed upon by Mr..
! Finley. During his entire term Of office
| only three counterfeit bills have sue
! ceeded in getting past the teller. and only
one OF these should be counted clearly
against him. The three together sggre-
! gated 1920 which was taken from his
/ salary.
When he first began work as asserting
| teller Finley let a $50 counterfeit bill get
| by him undetected. and sent it to Wash
| ington. Not another counterfeit evaded
his eagle eye until the 800 bill counter
/ feits came along about year ago. Before
| the teller was warned of the issue he
passed two of the bills, and 5000 was sub
tracted from his salary. A former teller
once passed a $500 counterfeit bill,
although he had been warned that it was
| in circulation. Despite the fact that he
had been warned Congress nevertheless
made good the mans loss by paying him
back the $500. Although Mr. Finley had
not been warned of the appearance of the
900 counterfeits he has not as yet been
reimbursed for his loss.
All the paper money which comes in is
dumped on Mr.. Finleys desk behind the
bars at the subtreasurer's office, The as
sorting teller then proceeds TO do five or
six things at once. He looks out for coun-
terfeits. he counts the bills. he picks out
the bad money which he thinks unfit for
further circulation, and he places the bills
in different piles according TO their char
acter and denomination. By vigorous rad
cal treatment the paper money circulating
in Chicago has been so thoroughly weeded
out that it is now in good condition. For
merly it was in worse condition than OF
any other city in the United States. Then.
about three times much money was
withdrawn as at the present time. Now
about $1,000 is withdrawn from circulation
every day. All this is sent to the Treasury
Washington and destroyed
Not only is the place of asserting teller
full of risk from a financial standpoint
but from a physical standpoint it Is even
more dangerous. Disease and even death
lurk in the bad and soiled bills which fins
their way to the subtreasury from every
section of the city So far as is known nc
one has ever occupied this place as long
as Mr. Finley. Two men have died while
occupying the post, and it was supposed
that in each case death was caused by the
microbe-infested bills.
The worst infected money comes from
the lower classes of foreigners. who use
old shoes, stockings. ashptles, etc. fol
banking purpose. orl? the man who leans
over such piles of money all day long
lingering each bill. really knows how bad
it is. The odor arising from ii is often
sickening and on several occasions the
teller mas had TO disinfect rolls of money
with chloride of lime before it could posi-
bly be handled.
The danger from breathing the disease
laden air above the bills is not the only
peril which the teller must guard against
often the danger of being inoculated with
some disease Is imminent. II the teller
has even the tiniest scratch upon hi.
hands wrists. or fingers, he covers it care
fully with collodions or courtplaster.
Mr. Finley's predecessor was once badly
poisoned in handling soiled bills. He cam,
/, TO the Office one day with little scratcl
on one of his fingers He had not covered
the wound or endeavored to protect it il
any way soiled bill came in 2ontac
, with the scratch, or germs from the bill
got into 1t, and blood poisoning resulted
The finger sweiled until it was as larg
as a sausage. and the poison went through
the mans entire system. The poison ulti
mately caused an eruption on the neck o
the sufferer. Two surgical operations
saved the mans life.
Mr.. Finley is stout, vigorous younl
man, who apparently could stand almos
anything. but after sixty consecutive day
at the asserting desk he has to leave hi
cage for a month and work in another de
partment of the subtreasury. Once
year he gets a two weeks vacation. bu
S il he succeeds in getting little color /
1 his face during that period 1t doesn't tax
/ many days over a pile OF dirty bills t
: make 1t disappear again.
A Fortunately for Mr.. Finley. the banks {
a Chicago have recently relieved him of
share of his disagreeable work, as well q