Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-03-29
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
Gold and Bullion Sent Through the
Mails Every Year.

Vast quantities of gold pass through
the New York Postoffice. The post
office authorities are naturally reticent
about it, for publicity adds to the risk,
but the fact is that millions of dollars
in gold coin and bullion are shipped
through the mails by banks and in
dlVlduals every year. In two days this
year $3,175,000 in gold coin came
through the New York Postoffice for
local banks. Most of the gold to New
York was from the west.
Gold is sent through the mail in
strong canvas bags, such as used in
the Treasury and bank vaults, secure
ly fastened and sealed The bags CON
tain from 1000 to $4,000 each in SIS,
$40 and $40 pieces. The bags are reg
istered, and the amount of gold con-
tanned in each package is marked on
the registry receipt. Unless the bags
have been broken open in transit, or
their contents appear to have been
tampered with, they are checked off
When they are received at the post
office without being counted. But once
in while mail bag comes into the
postoffica with loose coins rafting in
it that have escaped from one of the
money bags. In that case the gold Is
counted to make sure that none of it
is missing
The treasure comes in with the or
dinary mail matter, and is dumped un-
tremendously into the mail wagons at
the railroad stations. No outsider
would suspect anything extraordinary
in the character of the mail. But,
even If he did know the contents of
the bags, he would have hard time
in getting away with any of them, for
the wagons have armed guards in
plain clothes inside.
When the mail containing the gold
bags arrive at the postoffice the mail
pouches containing the registered mat
ter are carried directly to the registry
department The bank to which the
gold is assigned each has a confiden-
tlai clerk at the postoffice ready to re-
celVe 1t and carry it to their vaults.
Ihese clerks are also accompanied by
armed guards. The bank clerks are
usually personally known to the super
lntendent of the registry department,
yet they must present their creden-
tials on each visit, with duplicates of
invoice. The mail is piled on a long
e"DiS aiouhu WHICH tle DOSIOHlCe ana
bank clerks gather. The bags contain
ing the gold are separated from the
rest, and the names of the banks to
which the gold bags are addressed are
called off. The respective bank clerks
respond and each bag is checked off
as it is handed over to them. Here the
responsibility of the postoffice ends
and that of the bank begins. The bags
are carried to the mail street end of
of the postoifice building If the con-
sigument to any one bank is large it
has wagon in waiting there, into
which the gold is loaded and carried
to the bank Sometimes it is carried
in cabs and sometimes in boxes by
bank messengers.
Almost every bank in New York re-
ceives gold in this way Most of it
comes from the west; some of it
comes from South America and some
from Europe. The amount of mail
shipments of gold is constantly in
creasing. In 1897 $16,000,000 in gold
came through the New York postoffice.
Last year the amount was S42 900, 900,
and this year the figures will be much
larger. The reason for shipping gold
through the mails is the same as for
transferring diamonds in this man.
ner, namely, cheapness and safety
N. Y. Post.