Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1899-02-03
THE MINT.
HOW THE PHILADELPHIA ,Nsr,rv.
TON IS PROTECTED.

Little Chance For Any Ono to Get Rich
Quickly By Helping Himself TO uncls
SAINTS Treasurs-Rstrols, Rsvolvers ana
winchestsrs In Plenty.
Probably not one person out Of q hun.
bred who pass by the Philadelphia mint :.
that grim looking editice at Chestnut
and Juniper streets. after nightfall real
ICES what is going ON inside. There 10
nothing mean about Uncle Sam, but he
is determined that any one who gete
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 4 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 nj can either stay in
or get in without q special permit from
the superintendent. Needless to cay.
this is difficult to obtain.
simultaneously with the closing 81
the doors at 4 O'Clock the first shift Of
the night guard goes on duty. The shift
is composed Ut the captain Of the guard
and ii stalwart men. As the men file
out to begin their round each one is
handed a 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 cessati..s
every floor Of the inside of the mint, ftum
the corridors Of the gloomy vaults
where, away down in the earth, are
slowed eighty odd million dollars in
silver AMI almost as much gold. to the
top floor, where there is nothing more
valuable than machinery. Placed at FIRE.
quent intervals throughout the corridors
$40 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.
toned all through the long hours of
his shift. Every two minutes and o
half the central machine in the rotunda
denotes the presence Of some one of the
guard at some particular station in the
building. If it doesn't, then the cap.
tain knows that something is wrong.
and he Immediately proceeds to discov-
er what it is.
But it has been a long time since the
little machine failed to send forth its
announcement at the proper time, for
the mint guards 3 patrolling up and
down outside the big building, careful
~ watching that 40 suspicious charac-
tiers approach too a the vast treasure
left in their cart.
Promptly at midnight the second
shift Of the night guard puts in an APP
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
f1dor leading from the Chestnut street
entrance stands a walnut case. Through
the polished glass front Of one frown
30 Winchester rifles. The other con-
tains Is many ugly looking carbines.
To grab these dispensers Of death would
be but tho 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 OF hand in the mint 500 rounds
of ammunition, and for the rifles and
carbines {, 500 rounds. Each of the
guards is an expert in the use Of both
the pistol and the gun, and each is en-
dowed with a plentiful stock Of cour-
age; hence q combination capable of
successfully resisting almost anything
less than q regiment.
The superintendent and assistant GUS
todian both talked to the reporter about
the methods in use to protect the mint
and its contents. Both smiled signifi-
cantly when the possibility of one get
ting away with a portion of the vast
treasure was suggested.
~ WOu1u Uo July AoE Any OIo W ei.s
it, was the superintendent only COM
ment. To it the assistant custodian nod
ded emphatic assent.
81 have been here for q good many
years. " the latter said, land no such
attempt has ever been made. It is prac-
tiaally impossible for any u to break
into the mint from the outside, and no
one could secrete himself in the build
ing during the hours when it is 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 raay
rest assured il any one who had no
business within these walls was found
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 in
at the mint at odd hours of the night to