The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-03-01

Yesterday was pay day at the Treasury
Department. and of all the busy times AMI
places that can be imagined. the desk OF
the disbursing teller at the United States
Treasury Department on the last day Of
the month is one Of the busiest. Men
and w0men-old and young-were lined
up before the counters during the entire
day. patiently. or sometimes impatieutIy.
awaiting their turn in the line to get
their roll OF bills Many Of the retired
men of the army and navy were among
The members Of the thrOng TO draw their
pay
And the queer part Of the affair is that
all who come want their monthly wage in
small bills and change. The cashier of
the Office when asked how things were
progressing, said:
I'm declare. I think these people i'm
agine they can't pay bill or buy an arti-
Gle unless they have a dollar bill and the
exact change to pay for IL. II there is no
plenty of small change floating around
this world IL is no fault Of mine.
Mr. Pierce, the paying teller; Mr. Her
Tiott, he receiving teller, and Mr. For
syth, the redemption clerk. were three
very busy men yesterday, and for the
most part. with one-dOllar bills. The de-
mand for small currency has been So
great recently that many Of the best OF
the old bills which have coma IN which
customaTily go 10 the pulp machines
have been paid out again. Tha cashier
states that the amount of this small cur
rRnCy which IS circulating throughout the
states is the largest that has ever beer
Known. being more than seventy million
in the one-dollar bills alone
Mrs. Addie Divine, who was taken sad
denly i'll az her desk. in the division Of
accounts. about three weeks ago. returned
= her work on Thursday. but was alb
sent again yesterday Mrs. Divine is one
CT the veteran clerks Of the Treasures
Ofce. and her record shows that she has
never before this time. since her advent
into Government service. required a sin
gle day Of sick leave On February :. she
vas seized very suddenly with a severe
chill while al work in the department
an1 vas taken TO her home. Since that
titae she has passed through a severe At
tack Of pneumonia. The case is quite a
remarkable one.
One Of the most interesting divisions Of
the Treasury Department is the division
CT sssa-. and enc OF the most entertain
---1 1911 40 as NLtAEAr III AaNEll u rite
bead. This branch OF the department Is
rot very well known to the public. as
visitors are seldom permitted in It. but
wren one manages 10 get on the inside
Of the doors, il is hard for him to tear
himself away. The work Of the bureau
comprises the testing and passing OF all
CT the coinage Of the minis, and the MAX
Ing and holding OF the required standard.
IL has its own laboratory and Instruments
and when new geld and silver are g5tte,
out by the minis, samples are taken nv
the 2ssayi5t and put through every known
test 20 prove their purity. and 70 ascer-
talh II they meet he requirements Of tho
law This work s done with the great
est eXactness and the coins are rejected
II they vary more than one or two hum
dredth parts; but however. this seldom
occurs the coins being made so absolute
y correct that IL has only been the case
twice In the last twelve years
DR.. Whitehead has been in the division
since 1859 and since that date has es-
tablished nine branches OF the bureau in
tie different sections CT the country. He
graduated from Lehigh University. in
mining engineering in 1854, and then went
70 work al the lowest step OF the ladder
at the Philadelphia mint. Later he took
- ~Nb4Nr d5 AoELoE OF Philosophy al the
Columbian University in this city. and
then went into the assay osfice in Boise
City. Idaho II was after his service
there that he became chief of the head
Ofiice in the Treasury.
The work Of the bureau is invariably
attractive. but IN the last few years sew
erRl rather unique cases have arisen in its
connection In relating an incident which
occurred in the establishment OF the as
say Office for the use Of the KIondike
miners at eSattle washington. in 1898
DR.. Whitehead today sad. 4 went there
on the 22d OF June, with orders from the
department 70 open the new Office on the
18th Of the following July, and things had
20 be rushed, When I reached Seattle /
found that the place which had been Sc
sected and seased for the assay bureau was
IN O building which had been formerly
used as a church. The preacher. who was
then in charge, refused to vacate. had
the matter Investigated Immediately and
found that the agent for the owner had
leased the building 10 two different par
les, and things we're In pretty bad shape.
] engaged the services o. enc Of the local
lawyers and that gentleman. in the breezy
style Of the Western legal profession.
based. and put our claim through, On the
fact that Seattle was well supplied with
churches and rather short on assay
Offices. "
Major william F. Resell. OF the En-
Eineer Corps Of the United States Army,
who is enc Of the officials OF the Light
house Board 81 the Treasury Department.