davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-11

tant from Reading. there was a message
from o banker who could not lock his
safe. He was not cheerful over the
prospect Of having to sit in his Office all
day Sunday watching his securities. He
offered to pay for a special engine if an
empIoye could be sent down from the
factory 70 make repairs that afternoon
The man was sent He found the
banker frettiug and Tuning at the safe.
and declaring he would get another one
first thing the next week.
Would Not Work.
Let me see you work the lock- asked
the mechanic
Tut. man I cant work IT, Do you
think 1 have incurred such expense and
lost a days business for uothing?. I
sent for you TO open this sale, and you
cant DO it any too soon to please me. Sc
The mechanic Insisted. and The banker
went TO his safe. beginning 10 turn the
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-11

az the simple afe in some business Of
fee. What is to be done?
The Time Lock.
The modern time-locIt is as delicate IN
It's adjustment as a beautiful watch, The
first time-lock in the world was made IN
Scotland somewhere about 1881. Il was
about twenty-five years ago that a
scotchman began the manufacture of
them here in New York, and now the
American time-lock safe stands without
peer in the world
Ever since time locks were first put on
safes there have been lockouts- In 1887
q young man was working In the ma
chine shops OF a leading Pennsylvania
town manufacturing safes. There were
calls from customers Of the firm two or
three times a day, saying that they we're
locked out Of their safes. and that busi-
ness was at a standstiH- One Saturday
afternoon, in a town sixty miles dis
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-11

have kept me all night in the cars. and
had a pretty good dinner at his expense
in The hotel near the bank before I
started home. was rot economical"
Safe-breaking As a Business
But the lonely hotel meal gave birth %
an idea. If one firm of safe manufac-
turers were held up IN this manner why
we're not others, and Why should not
safe opening be made a profitable pro-
fessiou.
The young mechanic took two others
srom different safe-makers into his con
fdence, They consulted with safe deal
ers and won their confidence to the plan.
under certain conditions Of safety, which
will be mentioned They were provided
With the opportunities of borrowing
money. They have prospered. said one
Of them TO a reporter last week
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-11
The System.

PAM Italy, marsha. and in Oporto port
vine
The word wine is one of vide mean
ing. Tt covers every. sort Of fermeuted
liquor not containing malt, and in the
official returns IL is applied to many
queer beverages which are not prop
erIy wine at all. For instance, there is
an odorous goats milk decoction made
In AIgiers- Last year $40 worth of it
journeyed &c the United States. mas
querading under the name Of wine.
The name ofathe person or persons
who drank it is unknown. And then
there is the strong Asiatic "cognac''
AID brandy which comes from
YaCa. in hsiatic Turkey No one knows
what if is made of, but Uncle sam takes
it on trust, and last year he swallowed
about S25c worth of it-or $500 ten cent
svigs. He also made away with $50
worth Of the same mysterious stun fom
Haifa.
Time was when Uncle Sam bought
thousands Of butts of MADEIRA wine in
the MADEIRA Islands. but Of recent years
the Madeira wine growing industry has
declined, and last year the exports 10
the United states were pitifully small
Time was. too. when cask after cask of
Canary wine came from La Palma and
Grand CaBarv in the holds Of white
winged clipper ships, but now this trade
also is well-nigh dead Last year not a
drop of Canary wine reached the United
States. One small consi gnment OF S1H
worth went to Cuba. This was all
Imported Beer Bill Often Large.
Uncle sam owns so many breweries
himself that it seems scarcely necessary
FOR him to go abroad for the foaming
beverage. But he does so. nevertheless.
and his imported beer bill is often very
large Last year. for instance. he bought
$65.Ce0 worth OF Pilsener beer in Prague.
Bohemia, and thousands Of barrels in
Munich and Kulmbach, Germany. the
chief beer cities of the KaIser's empire.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-11
The We2D Mint at PfIadeL-
phta Is the largest and
Most Perfect institution of
the Kind IN The WofLd.
Scales That Would Weigh
an Elephant or a Fly or The
DuSf on the Fly Feet.

Speaking Of the strong box at the new
mint. here truly the bfgness OF the pIacs
comes once more in view. The great
storage vaults underHe the whole front
Of the huge building. These are. ae-
cording to good authority. the largest IN
the world. and embody all OF the latest
improvements in the safeguarding OF
money. No outsider passes their portals
except with the permission Of tbs Sec
rotary Of the United States Treasury.
They are built OF steel. and, though
surrounded with a subterranesn fort
ress Of granite and concrete. watehmen
can walk entirely around them. Each
vault has three doors. and single one
of these, closed with four combination
locks. weighs eight tons and is worth
as much as'the costiliest mansion.
Inside the Vaults.
Inside the great vaults there are sep
arate compartments under combination
locks for gold coins, gold bullion, silver
coin and coins OF ali other denomina-
lions. The value OF coin and bullion
contained In these vaults is usually lot
less than 5000, O00, O0O-
Some idea OF the magnitude OF the
mint may be conveyed by the statement
that the energy that operates It is sup
piled by eight boilers of an aggregate
of ], 200 horse power The engines cor
respond and ere the best OF their kind,
but a great deal of the power employed
Is electrical. and this agent is here TO
be found harnessed IN varied work IN
most improved, up-to-date methods.
After all the lay mind VIII find its
most definite impression Of the magni-
tude CT the mint in the reflection that in
the coming room are twenty-five OF the
largest and most efficient machines IN
The world. One gets relative idea OF
The bigness Of the Philadelphia mint, as
compared with those Of New Orleans and
San Francisco, by the statement that
while there are here twenty-five OF these
machines, the best than can be built,
there are IN the other two minis com
bined Only nine. and not at all new
The neg mist at Philadelphia Is the
only one that makes a full series Of cur
rent coins, major and miner. FOR me
Government.
The productive capacity OF the new
mint has not yet been tested. and can
only be roughly computed by the ire
mendous output Of late
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-11

ed for its cooling taste, and highly eneC-
gettc odor. In scent. according to those
who have sampled it. it greatly rezem-
bIes decayed garbage.
Mescal. a twin brother Of puIque. has
been brought across the border in smait
quantities for years A few hidesfuI are
duly recorded at the custom houses. and
a good many more cross the line in the
moonlight. when no one in uniform is
looking. Last year 5000 worth was enter
ed from Guaymas and 81 worth from
Cuadalajasa-
Uncle Sam imports vast quantities OF
wines and liquors from the various coun-
tries of Europe During the twelve
months ended June 80 last he bought
81 .93O,7G8 worth of champagne in France.
His total foreign wine hin was nearly
g, 600 geo. and the variety Of the items
upon it is shown by The fact hat he
bought more than thirty different kinds
OF wine in italy alone Some time ago.
W men the IldlltA@ OF New tEA gave
dinner 10 Hascagni. surprise was shown
ut the fact that there were Grteeu kinds
of wine on the menu. But this was not
remarkable, TOT there is hardly a town
in italy which does not produce at least
a dozen INHERENT brands on the slopes
Of Nesuvius. for instance. are grown
more than a score of varieties o. grape.
and each makes its own sort Of vine
Other Drinks From Over the Sea.
From GrenobIe and Bordeaux, France.
Uncle sam brings vermuth. Of which he
is very fond. both straight" and IN his
cocktail. From Switzerland
he brings kirzchenWasser, and from KieI,
Germany. he brought last year $3.50
worth of pepsin stomach bItters. In Am
sterdam he buys gin. in Copenhagen
cherry brandy. in Edinburgh ale, in
CrenobIe ehartreuse, in France absinthe
N Piraeus mastie and coguac, in ira
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-11

the German. whom We have come to re
gard as the boss beer drinker, is nearly
a hundred Iiters behind him. The Eng
Ishman. too. Is ahead Of the German.
The American is far behind ei.her-a-
least In the matter of beer drinking.
Recently, when the discovery was made
that the Belgians we're ahead Of the
Germans. a number Of TeutonIc news
papers jealousy questioned the truth
Of che figures. But they were proven.
and the Belgians are exultant
Uncie Sam. as has been stated. is be-
hind all OF his foreign rivals in the
matter of beer drinking, but this may be
because mis- taste, being catholic. does
not run TO one particular beverage.
When the average German thirsts ne
invariably drinks beer. When the aver
age Freuchman-at least, the average
Parisian-is weary. he always seeks alb
sinthe as a bracer, When the cockuey
finds his throat dry he imbibes 'aIf-aud-
alt. When the Russian feels famished
he seeks his jug of vodka. Not so the
American. He is tickle. His taste is
dnicky. One day he may drink beer
and the next day he may drink whisky.
The day after he may hunt JOY in some
tempting product Of the still OF vine
from the other side OF the earth
Jap Sake and Filipino Vino.
Who has heard that Uncle Sam is a
regular drinkcT Of sake. the rice beer
of the Japanese And yet last year he
swallowed 5a1 588.6S worth Of #. It
came from Yokohama and Osaka. and
Uncle Sam liked il so well that he is
ordering more this year Sake is "a fear
some and awful beverage Yankee tars.
after drinking half pint of it. have
been known 10 defy The authority Of The
entire United States Navy, admiraIs.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-11
SANS MINT HAS SURPASSED TEEWORLDS RECORD
Santa Czaas Caused United
States Mint 70 Break All
Records Last Year in the
Coming of Golden Eagles
and HaIf-EagLes for Christ
mas Shoppers Interesting
Secrets.
THE new United States Mint a

IT He new United States Mint at
Philadelphia has since it was
dedicated few months ago
broken the record not only of the
country. but Of the entire world, i'll
the coinage of money.
Its Christmas coinage alone is without
precedent. In less than one month
s., 286, $3.50 worth of gold was turned
into eagles and half eagles to be used
exclusively for Christmas shopping; and
S6,OS6. III into silver pieces, while the
baser metals to the amount of g, 25S. $50
we're coined into 1-cent and scent
pieces.
Since the United States Mint at Phila-
delphia came into existence it has used
up &37, 981. 388.O1 in minor coins, and
melted and remade 1852. 216.15 worth.
A Golden Christmas Spirit.
Although in England and many Eu-
ropean countries gold is in common use,
in America nobody wants gold pieces
until the Christmas spirit begins to
penetrate the atmosphere As soon as
the harvests throughout the Eastern,
Middle, and Southern States are heard
from the demands for gold pieces begin
TO pour in. After that there are busy
times at the Mint preparing the holiday
shipment OF gold coin, to say nothing
Of the silver and baser metals.
No wonder Uncle Sam is proud Of the
new mint at Philadelphia It is not
only the largest, but also the most
perfect Of its kind in the world, an i'm
posing. substantial, and beautiful struc-
ture. reared to serve great Govern
ment.
Stretching straight away an entire
square on Spring Garden Street, between
sixteenth and Seventeenth. having a
frontage Of 400 feet, it is built of granite
and marble. rising from granite ter
race. and is Of the modernized classic
architecture. combining the palace and
the treasure house.
A Treasure Mine.
Having passed through the huge por-
tails. its spacious vesHouIe confronts one
as a smoldering blaze Of glory. the pre-
vailiBg color scheme Of the side walls
being tawuy gold, heightened here and
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-11

captains. "jimmy-Iegs" and all It was
introduced into the States by the gallant
tars. and at present there is 3 growing
trade In it along the Pacific Coast. #
his fondness for it does not pail, Uncle
sam viii probably begin the manufacture
Of the drink on his own account in his
Southern rice country.
So far none Of the native drinks OF
the new island possessions have become
popular in the United States. The sol
dters in the Philippines drink vino, but
they do not bring it home with them.
Those who drink considerable guam
THY. in fact. usually remain permanent
residents Of the Philippines; their tu-
nerals. as a rule. being largely at
tended During the last fiscal year not
single consignment of Intoxicating
drinks came to the States from Manila
and not a single barrel or jug or demf-
john came from either Havana OF San
il ~ III -. There is every rea-
son 10 believe. however, that the native
beverages viii soon become naturaHzed
just as the American cocktail has be-
come naturalized in Suiu and the
American highbaII in Alaska. Uncle Sam
is already an industrious drinker Of rum.
hich is The chief beverage of the rural
Cuban and Porto Rican. though he now
buys IL IN Jamaica, q British colony
Last year he bought about $4,000 worth.
Mexican PuIque and Mescal.
Pulque. which is we'll known in the
West Indies. is beginning to establish
new home in the United States-enteriue
by way Of Mexico. During the last fiscal
year q sample order came from the city
Of GuadaIajara. The bill was but 81. SO.
so hat pulque hardly can be called &C
but his is no sign that it may
not become very popular in time PuIque
is the iermeuted juice Of she maEuey. Or
American aloe. Il is chiefly distinguish
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-11
TNgLE 81 81 carLainIg - q o.

7 TNCLE SAM is certainly not topper
and at times, as when he abol-
- izbed the army canteen, for in
stance, he Is even given to pos
ing as q moral reformer- Nevertheless.
the fact remains, whether he win ad-
nit it OF not. that he is fond Of an oe-
casional social glass.
When he arises in the morning he
likes an "eye-opener;" before dinner
he Graves cocktail; after dinner he
looks gentauy upon The red vine and
white before retiring 10 rest he loves
a spicy ''nIghtcap.' and in between"
he sometimes drinks a bit Of everything.
During the last fiscal year. for ex-
ample, Uncle Sam drank nearly eighty
million gallons Of domestic whisky,
mainly good old rye; in addition. he
imbibed rather more than Eve million
gallons Of Scotch, Irish. and Canadian
whisky. and if one considers the other
things he drank his appetite for alcohol
seems weiI-nigh marvellous
In taxes alone he received more than
$4,000. 600 from beer. and in buying this
vast quantity Of malt back again in
mugs. stems. and pitchers. he spent
rather more than $500. 900 900. In all,
his beverage bill must have been nearly
half q billion dollars-about the same
sum it cost him to run all Of the de-
partments Of his gigantic household
Belgium the Hardest Topper.
This is not TO be taken as an attempt
TO convict Uncle sam Of being the
worlds champion winebibber Far from
IT, In Europe there are gentlemen who
drink a great deal more earnestly ana
deeply The average Belgian, Tor in
stance. consumes 2I9 liters OF beer q
year. and nine liters Of schnapps. He
is the king topper Of them ali. for even
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-11

dust that may fall from that same fy's
feet.
The Government never keeps much gold
cu hand at the Treasury Department in
Washington Most of the yellow metal
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-11

would be made known on the teH-taIe
dial
The exquisite smaller scale viii only
weigh d maximum of 500 ounces. But it
VIII register a minimum down 10 the
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-11

there with the rudy flames Of forges
and the rich coIors of classic costumes
worn by their attendants. the FORCES and
workers being those Of Rome in the time
OF the Caesars.
They appear here in huge mosaic
pictures faithfully reproduced from orig
fnals unearthed in Pompeif only half a
dozen years ago. Enough OF them are
given TO show the whole process Of coin
age as it was practced in ancient Rome.
The pictures have an archaeological as
yell as an art value They were placed
here by Tinany's masters of modern
mosaic.
In the weighing room into which come
all the gold and silver that are ground
up into money, there are two pairs Of
scales, which are kept IN constant use,
They are the most perfect it is possible
to fashion. The larger one is as high as
the ceiling, the more delicate parts Of.
its mechanism being incased in glass.
How Uncle Sam Weighs Money.
1t will weigh up to 10000 ounces and
down to one-tenth Of a grain, being cap
able Of indicating accurately any weight
uD to considerably more than quarter
Of a ton Yet should the feeblest fly
a1ight on one of The balanced scoops I'll
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-11

IS TO be found in the smelling room at
Spring Garden Street There is no place
Ike the Philadelphia mint TO see crude
masses Of gold pilei up like so many
bricks, waiting the Christmas time.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-11

In no instance is our employee told Of
the combination By which any locked
out safe is opened. It is his business 70
find that cut. By a system of duplicate
letters we can certainly detect any man
fraudulentIy representing himself TO be
one OF our employees in order 20 gain ae-
cess TO the vault. We never ind it neg
essary TO use photographs.
Precautions Against Loss.
Another thing. fer their own protee-
ton, our employees never 90 into vault
unaceompanied by an official Of the bank.
Strange charges Of theft have been
made. IT makes no difference what sort
of safe we are called upon 10 open
we look upon all safes much as an in
suranee underwater looks upon al
buildings. and We charge for the amount
Of work or risk incurred. And this leads
10 a point I should like to emphasize
It is the height Of folly for any person
to lock money or securities IN an ordi-
nary fre-proof safe, These safes wers
never intended for any such purpose. A
three-sixtsenths plate OF iron Is no pro-
lection against burglars. It is only
tempting thieves when one puts money
in such safes
Tie Tools.
1t is always interesting TO me- IS con-
rfaued the sarebreaker. 10 read IN the
newspapers that a bank burglar was
e. ht by the police with "a full set CT
tools Man alive. a 'fuu' set
of tools necessary 10 open a burglar
proof safe. properly constructed. would
require d two-horse wagon TO carry
them. We have tools in our business
that no burglar ever saw. Here. for in
stance, is one erin that we have in fire.
quent use. but one man has all he could
dc TO carry it. and none could escape
-s..h 1T If detected at work by the police.
yet no one has ever seen such a bur
gIar's-tool in a kit captured by the Do-
lice. I cannot give you the cost of it, for
such = piece Of mechanism represents
years OF experiment. But It is altogeth-
er too intricate and expensive Tor a burg
lar. Here is diamond driu thar YOU
could put in your pocket. but il costs
SI05 10 make g.
Tools Kept Secret
y have no doubt craftsmen could i'm
tate our tools. concluded the profess
sionaI safe breaker iii they once see
them. But they never 40 see them. a
burglar who cracks q safe for its con-
tents does not care how much he de-
stroys the safe so long as he gets away
with the goods We do care. FOR all dam
ages we make TO the safe must be re-
paired without additional cost 30 its
owners
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-11

when it Is necessary to take them 10
the coming presses.
Here are tons and tons Of it. Bags
upon bags, boxes upon boxes. crowded
into every available corner: some OF
them musty with age and others brand
new, and all surrounded with every safe
guard that heavy iron doors. steel
sheathed walls. partition after partition
Of strong iron ratings and a secret sys-
TEN Of alarm bells can give them A
thief who tried to get away with any
thing out of the mint would have a
troublesome time OF It.
Valuable Dust.
Once a week the floor OF the smelling
room is picked up. piece by piece, and
the smooth underlying metal is given
a thorough sweeping. the floor itself be-
ing formed Of an octagouaI grating. re-
sembling an immense honeycomb, the
cells Of which are no bigger than the top
Of your thumb. arranged in sections
about a foot in diameter
These sweep rngs are ne7er thrown
away No. Indeed. No dtst pile ever
receives so precious e treasure. In less
than twelve months these sWeepings of
dirt amount to over $4,000. Eaneyt
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-11

Our charges for attending to a balky
safe vary from $50 to as many hundreds.
That does not, OF course, include tray-
cling expenses. We are obliged to be
extremely careful in The selection Of our
men We have use for only the highest
class Of skilled mechanics. and men who
are specialists In the work thai we
shall have for them to do. There is not
a safe made today. burglar proof OF any
other kind of proof that VII not yield
to the proper mechanical appliances.
The System
The strietest inquiry must be made
into the antecedeuts and acquaintanees
of men who come TO work with US. Am
pie means are made for the identihca-
ton OF the CompaHy-s employees. or by
those who n, ve charge Of the work to be
Inspected. especially II II Is a bank case
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-11
No Protection

OF course, there are safes and safes.
Some CT them, by. no means cheap. look
Quite formidable. and are very Drettily
painted But it is "a matter of knowledge
to the dremen and the police that they
offer as little protection for money or Sc
curi5ies IS the average sin cash box that
can Dc bought for one dollar, BUT the
modern ume-loek safes that guard the
millions OF great corporations and hank
ing institutions are quite another thing.
No burglar or gang Of burglars would
ever think Of lacking for instance the
Storage vaults OF the New York Clearing
House. Ba, the Textbook gear and com
binatlon protection in these vaults are
just as likely 10 90 askew some morning,