The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-07
UNCLE SAINTS STRONG BOX.

The last steel plate has been put in
place in the new vault which Uncle Sam
has just finished for the storage of his
money, The new vault is in the north
ern wing of the treasury department
building, and exactly over the site of the
old state department building. 1t is TWEEN
ty feet square, and its steel walls rise
twelve feet in height. 1t will be used by
the issue division of the department, of
which Mr.. Watson w. Eldridge has been
chief for the past thirty years. The vault
was placed where had formerly been the
office of the clerks of the division, two
windows being closed for the purpose,
and a large door entering the corridor
being bricked up to make it secure. The
only method of entering the new vault
will be through the old one just be-
yond.
The old vault has been in use for more
than thirty-four years, and is now lit
orally gorged with money. Last week the
old vault contained $135 COO in bank
notes. They were piled on rough stand
in the center and in cases rose to the
steel-covered ceiling so that two men can
not pass each other in moving about
inside. A gallery four feet from the floor
of the vault has made it possible to reach
the packages of money stored near the
ceiling.
The old vault long ago became too
small for the needs of the issue division,
and the chief has been obliged to Dor
row the use of a vault in the basement
from the treasurer of the United States,
who complains that the capacity of his
vaults is sorely taxed by the demands
upon them. 1t is difficult, if not impossi-
bic, to locate the vaults from outside the
building. Although solid masonry and
sheets of steel protect them on the street
side, false windows have been allowed
to remain and between the glass on the
inside and the walls of the vault proper
hang window curtains of the same shade
as those in other windows. These win
dows are thirty feet from the level of the
street in front of the treasury depart
ment building. The curtains of the old
vault windows have been imprisoned in
this manner for the period of thirty-four
years since they were first sealed in.
In the new vault there is a perfect ar
rangement of steel pigeon-holes in which
the packages of bank notes of regula-
ton size easily slide. The new yalut will
be turned over to Messrs. Davenport and
Briggs. the two vault guards, who for
years have guarded the government notes
which the old vault contains. Neither
of the men is able to enter the vault
without the other. No one else is allowed
to enter without both being present.
During the thirty years in which MIR.
Eldridge has been in charge of the issue
division not note has been stolen or
misplaced. In that period about 81, O0O,-
100000 has passed in and out of the doors
of the vault. Before his incumbency a
colored messenger named Schureman Sc
cured package containing $4,000, which
he had been ordered to carry to another
division, in 1869, and walked off with it.
He was captured later and most of the
money recovered.
About twice a year all the money in
the vaults of the division is counted. Fiji
teen expert counters, all women are
employed at the work. They are selected
for their experiences from different divis-
ions of the department, and do not know
of the duty to which they will be as
signed ten minutes before being ordered
to go to work 1t requires three weeks
for the fifteen counters, working seven
vaults. There are approximately 4lO0 ma
tional banks in the country, and a sup
ply of money is kept on hand for every
one of them.
1t is the intention of the government,
after the new vault is ready, to greatly
increase the supply of bank notes on
hand. An order to this effect has been
sent to the bureau of engraving and
printing, which is now charging its
capacity. In times when money is
scarce the demands on the issue division
of the treasury department are great.
Under normal conditions the division