Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1900-06-16
EUR0PES GOLD CHESTS,
PRECAUTIONS AGAINST SEIZURE or
FUNDS RESERVED FOR WAR,

y
voted for war purposes comes from, We
stand almost alone among the great
nations OF the world in this particular,
for some Of her mighiiest people have
to keep not only hidden funds all
ready for possible war. Int q con-
siderable portion OF this is laid by IN
hard cash,
1t Is estimated by the cooler headed
section Of iinaneiers that In Europe
alone, and chiefly distributed between
Germany, Austria. Russia aud France.
q sum Of quite $1,000. 900, 600 il al
ways lying to hand IN reserve IN this
way. most Of II being actually cont
tanned In "war chests, "as to the elab'
crate precautions to guard which
moro hereafter. A large section Of
financial experts hold that this esii'
mate il absurdly under the mark, and
both seciions 1T calculators are mainly
In doubt about France, but ~ to tho
three remaining States keeping u sum
OF about 81, 00O, 900, 900 always ready
there eau DO no doubt,
II need hardly DO said that the
actual hiding,places OF tho respective
boards, 80 prodigions in amount, OK
cite as much interest IN native minis
In tho different countries ~ they do
in the imaginationa Of atrangors,
Spandau. u small place within easy
reach Of Berlin, IL where Germany
keeps her war.chest, and II Ia pretty
openly declared In regard to II that It
il in amount kept ut about tho level OF
the compensation that Germany oh.
tanned from France In cash, namely,
81 900, 600, 900.
A species Of fort. hedged round with
complicated Notifications in its turn.
built since the war Of 1870 Of steel,
stone aud cement, forms Spandau's
strong room, and every man OF tho eS-
tcnsive quad holding 1t is an OK non
commissioned officer of tho army, who
IL sworn in solemn ceremony to Sec
recy a. to even tho nature OF his du.
tica, never to speak OF the arrange
ments OF the fort. The Governor OF
the fort is always a general officer and
is appointed for life, aud care is taken
that not even on his death-bed could
he reveal anything he knows.
But even he, according to German
officers, has never seen the treasure,
aud could not give no sort of guide as
to getting at il, even il he had done
SO; his subordinates arc 80 told of in
sections that they know nothing Of
tho general inner topography Of the
fort, and not soul OF them has ever
seen any man bring or take away por-
tons of the treasure.
Tho Emperor and the Imperial
Chancellor alone hold tho full secret,
and the Governor does but know that,
while tho treasure is normally sur-
rounded by water to prevent all
chance of blasting and undermining,
he can at any time, by the touch OF n
secret lever, render tho whole stI ong
room for many hours mn unlucnch.
able furnace of fire. This much is
admitted, and also tho fact that no
one workman on tho actual putting
together of the strong room, which
came to the place in sections, ever
saw any of his fellows, or any soul
but mysterious guard over him.
All this has a smack of the mystery
of the Middle Ages about it, but it is
solidly true enough, and influential
German citizens know we'll how i'm.
possible it is without instant arrest
for any man, by day or night, to even
approach within q considerable dis.
TANGO of the fort at Spandau. Not
even to the Governor, who must live
without family tics about him in
Spandau itself, is allowed any visitor.
Much more is known of the actual
Russian strong box itself, though it is
kept in tho mystery and gloom of the
Iron fortress of Kronstadt, for an
American engineering firm designed
aud constructed it, and in tho course
of their duties several mon were
crushed to death accidentally, fact
which focused attention upon the
work. This vault is one of the largest
in the world; it does not rest ON solid
rock, but on piers of steel, and sen.
tries command every part OF its OK
terror, sides, bottom and top. Its
three compartments have doors weigh.
ing 90, 900 pounds each, and it's walls,
of iron and chrome steel welded, are
twelve inches thick.
All the custodians are sworn to re.
main at their posts during tho term
OF their lives, and they neither know
nor are known by, even by sight, the
other habitants of the huge fortress.
Besides the war-chest, there are I'm
perial and other treasures, to the
amount of ten millions sterling, in
one of the compartments of the vault.
Only three mon in the world know
how to move the doors, one being the
American designer and another the
Gear, whilst tho third is the Life
Treasurer, specially appointed, and
who has never left the confines Of
Kronstadt since his appointment.
Those in position to know assert
that tho French war-chest contains a
larger sum than the secret funds OF
the Germans and the Russians put to.
gether THE vast wealth of the French
as nation must be remembers in
this connection, but, having regard
to what has previously occurred shen
the mob have broken loose, ev N the
place where the war-chest is lupt has
never been revealed to any oAe save
the President, the Minister of Fl.
nance, aud the actual custodian, but
many politicians affect to know per.
fectly, aud one of the main points in
a recent plot to upset the Republic
was declared to be the seizure of the
hidden war funds. Tit Bits.
SchOolbOys ns BarOneters.
1t looked like rain, and naturally he