The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-09-19
Larger Treasure Boxes to Hold his Bor-
rowed Money.


some important alterations. They are
not at all up to date in the mode OF
their construction, nor burglar proof
by any means, and it might be good
ching If they were torn out altogether
and replaced with vaults of the proper
kind, such as the safe deposit compa
nics have nowadays. But that would
cost great deal Of perhaps
as much as a million dollars and the
Government would prefer to avoid
such an expenditure.
Away back in 1892 this question
was agitated and Congress went so
far as to appoint special committee,
with an appropriation Of $4,000 to
make an examination of the vaults in
Che treasury and report on their condi-
zion. The report was decidedly un-
favorable, condemniDg the arrange
ments as practically obsolete, but
nothing was attempted in the way of
substantial improvements 1t was in
the same year that an expert came on
from New York and, at the request of
the Treasurer, with only few ordi.
nary tools of the kind used in safe
repairing opened one Of the big strong
rooms in few minutes.
SeventyGvc thousand dollars have
been appropriated for the present
alterations, which consist in part of a
new vestibule and strong doors for the
great silver Storage vault. This vault
cost $4,000 originally and extends
under the terrace at the south end of
che treasury building. Il contains "a
mighty box of steel lattice work, 80
feet long, 81 feet wide and IL feet
high, filed chock full of silver dollars.
Visitors are permitted to walk around
the mass of treasure, following mar
COW passage which runs between the
sides of the box and the steel walls of
the vault.
This lattice-work receptacle holds
$l01 900, 900 in silver, which is packed
IN wooden boxes, two bags Of standard
dollars to box, and each box weigh
ing 12O pounds. Formerly the coin
was simply stacked up in bags, but,
notwithstanding the wills Of steel,
dampness rottcd the bags and the
money ran cut Of them. This made
extra trouble, requiring fresh counts,
ana it is no small job to reckon over
such a gigantic sum in metal. Hence
it was decided to pack the stuff in |
boxes. Each sack contains 81 900 and |
go long as the Treasurer's seal on it is |
intact its contents do not have to be
verified on occasions when recounts
are made.
The bond vault is to be enlarged
Greatly, doubling its capacity-a
change made necessary by the increas-
ing number of national banks which
deposit bonds in the treasury. Many
private and State banks, taking ad-
vantage Of the recent Act Of Congress-,
are coming in as national banks. A
new and thoroughly modern strong
room is to be built for the registers
Office, to hold cancelled paper money
that is awaiting destruction in the
macerator. Meanwhile the sub-treas-
ury in New York is putting in two
additional vaults, one for gold and the
other for silver, the latter measuring
AZ feet in length by % feet in width
and IL feet in height. Gold and ell
yer are pouring in there by tons daily,
and there is NO place to put all Of it.
At the present time the sub. treasury
has on hand $17O. 900, 900 in gold coin
and $58, ,000, 900 in silver coin.
There are now 1b3, 100000 silver
dollars in the treasury at Washington,
but only @6, ,000, 600 in gold coin. The
treasury never keeps much gold on
hand here, the great stock Of the vel
low metal being held in New York
and at the mint in Philadelphia. If
one wants,tO see crude gold IN masses
he should visit the mint in the Quaker
City, where he will 6nd it stacked up
in heaps Of brioks--tons ON tons of it
all ready for conversion into coin.
At the present moment there is S53,-
600, 900 worth Of gold bullion at this
mint, with $37 900, 900 in gold ooin-,
not to mention $15O, 600, 900 in silver
bullion and coin.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
treasury vaults compare so poorly
with the impregnable steele clad struct-
ures now used by great private con-
Germs that have valuables to protect,
che Government feels fairly secure as
to tho safety Of its stored wealth.
The best safeguard for coin is its
weight. Just to illustrate this point
IL may be mentioned that the $162,-