The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-10-16
STRONG BOXES OF {. S.


Uncle Sans treasure boxes are under
going 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 a good thing
If they were torn out altogether and re-
placed with vaults of the proper kind
such as safe deposit companies have now
adayS- But that would cost a great deal
OF money-perhaps as much as 81 600 030-
and the government would prefer to avoid
such an expenditure.
Away back in 1892 this question was agi-
tated, and congress went so far as to ap-
point a, special committee, with an SpprO-
prlatlon. OF 5000 TO make an examination
OF the vaults IN the treasury and report on
their condition The report was decidedly
unfaVorable, condemning the arrange
menJS as practically obsolete, but moth
ing was attempted in the way of SUbstan-
Il2l improvements 1t was in the same
year that an expert came from New York
and, al the request of the treasurer with
only few ordinary tools of the kind used
IN safe repairing, opened one of the big
StronS rooms IN a lew minutes
SeVenty-fve thousand dollars have been
appropriated for the present alterations.
and strong doors for the great silver stor-
age vault This vault cost $30. coo orig
lnaliy, and extends under the terrace at
Jne sOuth END OF the treasury building
1t contains mighty box Of steel lattice
work, eighty-nine feet long, fifty-oae feet
wide and twelve feet high filed chocE
full of silver dollars Visitors are Der-
mitted to walk around the mass of treas
steel walls of the vault
This latuceWOrk receptacle holds SOL
100000 in silver, which is packed in wood
en- boxes, two bags Of standard dollars
70 box, and each box weighing 123
pounds Formerly the coin was simply
stacked up IN bags, but Notwithstanding
the walls of steel. dampness rOtted fhe
bags and the money ran cut Of them a i
made extra trouble, requiring fresh
counts, and IL is no small job to reckon
over such a gigantic sum in metal Hencs.
it was decided to pack the stuff in boxes
stack
as the treasurer'S seal on II is intact i+S
contents do not have TO be verified on Oc
c4SlOnS when recounSS are made
The bond vault is TO be enlarged greatly
ooupHhS It's capacity change made
nectessaFy by the increasing number OF
national banks which deposit bonds i'm the
treasury Many private and state hanks
taxing advantage OF the recent act of
congress, are coming in as national banks
A new and thoroughly modern sfronos
room IS TO be built for the registers 1fe
nce. to hold Cancelled paper rnone, tt'a+ i
awaiting destruction in the T09cers rr-
Meanwhile the sub-treasury in New To1-I-
is putting in two additfonaI vaTlf 81, 4
Tor gold and the other for silver the Iaf
Ter measuring fOrty-seVen feet in Iensy+l,
oy IWenty-elght feet in width and tvrass-e
ing in there by tons daily. and tbe,-. = :
no place to put all of il. At the rrasl-f
IN S5IIi oso tHat spo-treasury has on hand Sl7e
1890 IN Solu com and S5S,go0, eco IN silver
There are now $152. C5G CO silver 5oifar-
IN the treasury at Washington boT onII5
So,OSD,VUJ IN gold coin The freasI,r,- :, e--as,-
Keeps much gold on hand hero The e5-a,st
stock of yellow metal being held in 7Nf1,s,
York and at the mint in F1hiIs 5eIrttio- >e ~
one wants TO see crude gold in masses he
should visit the mint in the Quaker 49,
where he Will find it stacked up in hear3s
OF bricks-tOns on tons of itEaN ras.s,5
Lof conversion into coin. At the present
moment there is $4,000. COO worth 81 eroIS
bullion at this mint with ga 0a9 80 =; -
gold coin, not to mention $50 Cc9. CO. in sill
Yer bullion and coin Al 81
Notwithstanding the fact that tho
treasury vasllts compare so poori7- ,.li4S
the lmpregnable, steel-ciad str71ctr,-5e
have vaiuables TO protect the govar,7 -, -
ieels fairly secure as to the safety of It's