New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-09-29
BANK OF FRANCE RoRRpn
FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE
FOUNDED BY NAPOLEON IN ,sou

/ C-ptem0er IL
Until last Monday the conviction 1880,
this country that the Bank Of France -"
nest securely guarded institution OF n. L,-
the world The measures 20 preserve th.
nous deposits in specie. Jewels and notes -
prising the entire war chest Of the nation -,
which it is asserted constitute nv -,
greatest amount of treasure ever collected una.-
single roof. were regarded as infaIbls :.
give idea of the wealth accunuIatea :, :.
vaults of the Bank of France II NAV ha 60
that at the moment OF the discovery Of =.
robbery last Monday the stock OF gold coin :.
the bank anounte. to no less than 2575Os0Wa
francs. equivalent in United States roonsv :.
S515O00Oo0. Besides this there were go.
S3o0Ooo0Oo worth of jewels TO say nothins !,
the national reserve fund OF banxnotes excssd
ing eight milliards.
The rules for guarding the deposits IN FRA
Bank OF France from robbery and from s-a
were drawn up by Bonaparte when First Cor
sui. aided by his able Finance Minister. coun.
Molten These rules have been only sIghfy
modified during the last century, and tina no
ton naturally prevailed that the vaults which
had remained intact during the revolutions q.
1880 and Of 1S4s and during the Commune 81
1871. and from which nothing had ever bee,
stolen since the foundation OF the Bank O,
France by Napoleon in 1900. practically
Immaculate.
1t is true that in December. 1887 a cashier o.
the Bank Of France. who had just received a
sum of 100000 francs in banknotes was way
laid by two assailants in a narrow passage o.
the building Both of the robbers were en-
ployes OF the bank. One OF them escaped with
a few thousand francs. and the other succeeded
in blowing his brains out with pistol before
/ he could be questioned as 10 how he had
planned the robbery. But this attempt. made
sixty-ive years ago. was not a case OF robbery
from the iron chests OF the bank Under these
conditions it may readily be imagined that the
theft of 10000 francs in specie (S44OOO, alb
stracted from the vaults themselves. which was
discovered last Monday elicits from bankers
ard from the business community feelings ap-
preaching TO CONSERVATION
NJ Cochefert, Chief of the Secret Police. In in
constant consultation with NJ PaIlain. governor
general of the Bank OF France. and has made It
a point of honor TO capture the robbers and.
above ALL to ascertain how they accomplished
their unprecedented feat. The only information
so far disclosed in regard TO this sensational
robbery relates to the manner in which it was
discovered II appears that on Monday morn
ing three employees proceeded to the vaults to
get 100000 francs in specie (s2OOooO- 1t Is
necessary to explain that no employe Is ever
permitted to enter the vaults alone. There
gates must be opened, for each Of which are
reouired three different keys. When the en-
Moves opened one of the chests to take the
100000 francs they noticed that a leather bag
on one of the top shelves Of the cupboard was
missing. The bag, as is the custom at the
Bank of France contained ten smaller bags.
each containing 10000 francs. The employees
Immediately reported the facts. and an inveh-
tory of all the specie in the vaults was maoe.
If was ascertained that another bag, also on
a top shelf, had been cut open, and that one or
the smaller bags that It contained was miss
ing. The total amount OF the robbery was
consequently only 10000 francs, out TINS
maiden infraction of the famous Napoleonc
wants IS regarded here as a matter OF nauonai
Importance
The measures enforced at the Bank OF France
To protect the treasure from robbery and from
fire have served as models for the sarety VauhS
in other countries. and 1t Is interesting 10 cum
pare them with similar precautions preVahns
in banks in the United States Inc dolsi &c ID
v-i,Iiare which. since 1905, has served as the
PREMISES for the Bank Of France, was ouiit III
1885 by the famous architect. Mansaro. anu N
lib was purchased by the Conte de IouiouSs'
The 1egitimized son of Louis XIV and Nine a.
Montespan The palace was inherited III l'o'
nv the Due de Penthievre. son Of the Cornte os
Toulouse whose daughter-in-law, the Priheesse
Ian,bare the beautiful friend OF Marie AN
toinette. lived there for several years Ah7
T4otel de Ia Vrilliere became nationai properly
IN the Revolution and in 1903 Napoleon hao Il
reconstructed and intrenched so as to serve a.
the building for the Bank Of France
The walls are Of solid masonry me Vaui''
are protected by underground waHs anu A0o''
of stone. Roman cement and steel COMPANY
of infantry, in addition to the special corps -
custodians and watchnen. are quartereu he
ona dav in the building There is only one en-
trance to the famous treasure vaults oy iiie'n'
of small winding staircase of forty-tnree s'sps
| -,ada ~ stone and Roman cement, so hardened
"a 10 turn the edge Of pickaxe or cold eniSe
The staircase is only wide enough to aAo~ "
the massage of one person at a time AZ 'A'
foot of the stairway Is a massive HoI uo.'
with three separate locks and steel oals-
KEYS of these locks are kept by three olllsi
,,nc+ionaries-the governor OF the DANA 'N
controller general and the head CASHIER
This first door. which can only be opened "
assembling the three functionaries aooV0 -
toned leads to a first cellar. wnicn - pio'
with two additional doors, eacn OF WHICH
three different locks. One OF these oooi' -
10 a second cellar. and by an ingenious eOI
.s,,,,,,oo ar only be used for entrance TO It anu
not for exit. while the other door. likewise pr
,iaad with three different locks. can Only "
need as an exit from the second cellar. ana hOs
as an entrance to 1t. There are a mulrltuos -
collars similarly arranged and protected H"-
cellar is provided with stone and Roman go
walls two metres thick. Around the walls u
cellar are sheIved wardrobes like bookcases
structed of iron. and three and 8 nan - -
high. each provided with double DOORS oHe
iron and one Of glass In compartments VI -1
con holes are the leather bags. each' "neH - e.
weighing sixty-five Kilograms. ana the 9N
each leather bag is 100000 francs EAcn