The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-01-22
NATIONS NEW MONEY VAULT,
Holds Millions and Thieves Coult
Not Break In.

Holds Millions and Thieves Could
Not Break In.
In the panic of 1893 there was q
sudden call for bank notes from banks
in all parts of the country. The dc.
mand, beginning in moderate terms,
presently Increased to eronmous pro.
portions. 1t wired out the $5.O0O, 600
supply Of bank notes in the treasury
vaults in no time, and still the call
continued. .-. .e...
The issue division of the treasury
department was set to work double
time in the effort to keep up the sup.
ply. 1t fell behind hopelessly from
the first, and at one time there were
requests for some $50, ,0O0, 900 more than
could be supplied.
Naturally this increased the panic
and aided in bringing about disaster.
and the authorities at Washington
came in for severe criticism. Their
answer was that the SIS, ,0O), 900 in bank
notes on hand took up all the space
available for such storage. =.
"Provide more space, then," said
the banking interests: and the gov.
ernment set about doing 80.
The result of that complication Is a
wonderful new vault, just now conf
pleted, which will store S9O,0OO,00O in
money. With this enormous sum on
hand it Is not probable that any de-
mand will tie able to exhaust the i'm.
mediate resources. ....
The new vault is IL feet square and
its walls rise to a height of II feet
The lining is composed of Bessemel
steel plates three eights of an inch IN
thick ness, and these are securely fas.
tened by means of huge screws and
bolts to frame work Of steel, which
is built into the masonry. All the
pigeon holes, nearly 5000 in mum Der,
are of steel and there Is not an inch OF
inflammable material in the furnish
ings of the vault.
This receptac e Of the nations
wealth is doubtless an object of deep
longing to some thousands of gentle
men who make a living by he ping
themselves to other peoples money in
ways not sanctioned by the law, but 1t
would be a vely remarkable cracks
man, or array :of cracksmen, for thai
matter, who should get anywhere neal
the 500, 900, 900 securely nested in the
new vault. .- y
This new vault can be entered only
through the old vault, and its location
is impossible 10 determine from the
outside OF the building. The govern.
ment has even gone so far as to put In
false windows, heavily curtained, to
deceive any one who might try to de-
termine the resting place of the treas
ure from outside.
Two special guards who have fol
years done sentry duty over the bank
notes, guard the new vault as they
guarded the old. But even if these
guards could be overcome the bank
robber who had reached the entrance
to the which be could never do
by the way-would be able to get nc
further, for the doors are practically
impregnable.
1t was not so always. There was 8
time when a committee of investiga
ton invited q delegation of bank bur
glars to experiment on the doors. The
Committee believed that the place was
pretty secure.
The gentlemen of the jimmy exam
ined the situation carefully, smiled
did q few minutes work with theil
tools and said to the investigating
committee: "After you, gentlemen u
as they bowed before the opened en-
trance. Now there are duplicate locks
on those doors, and the whole con
struction is 80 compact that nothing
but dynamite would have much effect
upon 1t.
Aside from this passive protection
in all Its various forms, the gigantic
storehouse Of wealth opposite the
White house has the benefit of one o.
the most complete systems Of guard
ever devised. About seventy watch
men are employed and they work In
three reliefs, patrolling the entire
building at all hours OF the day anc
night.
In. the office of the captain Of tht
watch are recording instruments Il
which each watchman must send ar
automatic report once every half houl
while on duty. The captains office il
continually in communication viii
the chief of police of Washington, th'
commandant ut Fort Meyer. and tht
commandant Of the Washington ar
sepal, 80 that in the event of emergen
cy the police or a cavalry or artillery
force could instantly be summoned.
Stacked in the various parts OF tht
building where money is stored, art
sufficient weapons to arm over thou
sand men and quantities Of ammuni'
ton. The interior Of the building i:
also lined with wires TO fascilitate
quick communication aud should any
foolhardy robber attempt TO lntimidate
the treasurer, assistant treasurer 0l
cashier, the official would only have
to press a button under his hand t
bring an armed force to his assistance
in less than 80 seconds.
Ats o'clock each day all the doors o.
the .'easury building are closed, save
tt It the main entrance, and by
e * every person save the watch:
en- must have left the building and
the keys to all the various doors been
delivered to the captain of the watch
Assisting the guards on the inside are
a number Of outside watchmen sta
toned in sheltered posts or watch
houses. 40 dispOsed as to command