The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-04-23
MOVING MANY
SILVER DOLLARS
The Tranfser of Millions From the
United States Mint.
NO GUARDS ARE NECESSARY.
Robbery Would BE Impossible. fJr No
EIan Could Carry Away Box Con
tanning a Thousand Coins If IL
Were Given TO Him.

The following article from the Phna-
delpha North America is an admirable
Illustration Of The insurmounmbie d.ni-
cuiues .n the path OF the general use Of
silver as currency:
m Third street or ON the Stock EX-
change. Jas carloads Of silver dollars
could be moved as expediuousiy as pawns
on a chess board by means OF drafts,
checks and stock transfers but with
Uncle Sam this task is a much more sen-
ous matter.
While bankers and brokers might fash
lCst0oD across the continent ON a tele-
graph wire almost in the twinking of an
eye. D. win take the United States gov
eminent month t0 move that much
money from Broad and Chestnut streets
to Seventeenth and Spring Garden And
that mas be considered remarkably qulck
work
Tle wonderful vaults NJ the new United
States Mint 40 Seventeenth aud Spring
Garden streets have just been formally
accepted bv Superintendent of the Mint
BOYER ON behalf Of the government ana
ARRANGEMENTS are being perfected t0
transfer from the old Mint to the new
demos tory the 6s 90 00 silver dollars that
Uncle Sam has kept lying tale such
long time in his Philadelphia branch
warehouses. for. owing % the old MINT s
capacity being overtaNed. s0mo or the
money has been stored in 'he posto0ioe
Iu these days of biz figures people have
become so accustomed 90 seeing enormous
amounts expressed that the casual men
ton of sfs o10ml is looked upon az news
item OF very little Importance. lt is only
when the amount is measured bv familiar
standards That The average person real-
izes ITS immensely.
A FEW COMPARISONS
One man working eight hours a day
and earning "a dollar minute would have
Orb t0u over $50 years 10 accumulate fS.-
10000 even " ne dld not spend any of the
money while h8 was earning IT, NoW
summing that this remarkable man
should receive Che whole amount n silver
dollars in ono payment and was COM
PEELED 10 move Dc away without any as
sfsteuce. the mere contemplation or the
task would probably give him such am
acute attack of chat tircd feeling. that
DO would abandon the undertaking in
hopeless disgust for bv Itile calcutta
zion hc would ascertain that he wnud
have TO handle over 100000 pounds
That weight is equal 90 lb carloads. or
400 wagon loads. one man moving l'"
pounds "a day would ger al hi money
home fn about twelve years. The Mint
.fftho~iffa- having many men horses and
WAGONS ut their service, expect 20 make
This "ltue transfer in about month
an those 100000 silver dollars are al-
ready hacked ready for the WAGONS and.
n Tho truth De told there is nothing M all
awo-insn'rirg about them If one torgefs
their money value and looks upon them
only as so much heavy freight
NOTHING BUT Wealth
IL fs not SD difficult as it seems 10 forget
the money value Of money when one soos
~ stared 7vav in wholesale ouantiues.
There IS nothing about the Mint vaults
which at aI resembles the descriptions
of o,-o.. treasure boards which ono has
read in such authoritative works as the
aArablan Nights" or 1.-THE Count OF
Monte Cr'sfo."
From superintendent Boyers office
where there g. nothing 20 suggest wealth.
% les only a moments journey 20 the base
mont. where there is nothing but wealth.
Even here there Is nothing pretentious.
Excepting the steel doors. you can see
almost the same sights under any old ho-
tel or Office building. The first thought
SUGGESTED bv the long. tunnel-iike pas
eag.s.is that they make an admirable
plloe in which 20 play hide and seek
There was group OF workmen before
ono of the steel doors standing about
trucks unon which were piled bullock
fro blocks OF metal about the size OF a
isrr, lraf of bread Although these were
handled as carelessly as II they had been
fnrr each one was a bar Of almost pure
silver worth over sLoOo. There was piled
IN three trucks about $4,000 worth Of the
white metal
DCTThRs STORED LIKE POTATOES.
ono of the doors was open. II disclosed
a room which bore a striking resemblance
~ one Of the cells OF Moyamensine Prison.
IN one side were piled what seemed 10 be
bors ~ potatoes, while on the other some
ODDS and ends ~ old building material
loaned against the wall In the rear were
piled 70 the ceiling, just as II they wer'