Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-03-17
SAFETY DEPOSIT VAULTS.
WHERE vALUABLES ARE LOCKED
AND HOW THEY ARE MANAGED.

tL Is Impossible FOR Stranger TO Oh,
tain Admittance to a Private Box
January and June Busy Times With
Bondholders.
About ninety valuts containing
safety deposit boxes are doing bust
ness on large scale in the downtown
district These vaults are located
under skyscrapers and Office buildings
In some instances the owners of the
building farm out the right to manage
the boxes to another company, and in
other cases the vaults are used as a
means to bring an income by the man
ayers of the building themselves. DIFF
ferent methods of discipline prevail
being very strict or lax according TIC
the notions of the management
1t would be absolutely impossible for
a stranger to obtain admittanca to a
private box, when he must first be
recognized by the guardian at the door,
then sign his name in the subscribers
book, after giving the password, and
at last present his key to the custodian
who throws the bolt with a master
key before unlocking the box with
the private key. In many establish
ments personal identification by the
guardian and the custodian, with pos
session of the key, admits the box
owner. The possession of the key is
sufficient sometimes, or the spoken
number of the box, which is not regis,
tered on the key, may be enough.
The small rooms insure privacy in
many of the vaults, and the gentleman
ly Guardians, who are men of impeach-
able honesty and an honorable record
in the past add to the sense of conf.
dence. Many of these custodians have
seen better days, and out of business
hours are able to tell exciting tales
of the ups and downs of fortune in
Chicago. Vaults in which the en-
ployes are under strict discipline es-
tablish themselves in favor among
business men. Just as soon as the dis,
cipline of the force becomes lax mis-.
chief enters the strong room.
'Depositors are to blame for good
many things" said custodian at his
home the other evening. Sometimes
it is out-and-out carelessness. They
tell their friends too much. At other
times, and quite often, too, it is alb.
sent-mindedness. Not a day passes
but we'll known business man rushes
out of the vault without his keys. Be-
fore we can catch him he has pushed
his box into the right hold and is off
like streak We usually lock it, tag
the keys, and wait till he comes back.
Once in while he is in a great state
of mind and thinks he has lost the
bunch, but usually he recalls the cir
cumstance as soon as he has finished
the pressing business in hand Now,
if we had a dishonest man in the vault
he could help himself to the bonds or
jewels in the boz.
January and June are busy times
with bondholde?s An old gentleman
whose whole fortune is in bonds comes
in here and clips coupons for a day
at time. He is an orderly person,
and one afternoon when he was hot
and tired and had gone over a lot of
old papers, destroying many, he be-
gan clipping coupons. | know this, for
he called me to bring him the scissors.
When done he cleaned up his desk
and filled a wastepaper basket.
According to the rule of the Office,
went over the stuff after he had gone,
and from the heap of torn papers fish
ed out seventy-four coupons which he
had clipped and then swept into the
basket. He was the last man there,
and | knew they were his. but l seal
ed them in an envelope, reported the
find at the desk, saved the torn papers
in the waste basket and waited devel-
opments. Sure enough, in he came the
next day, half frantic and wanting to
know if we emptied our waste paper
baskets every night.
Another old gentleman we know
came in and took his box into one of
the private rooms. After he had left
went in to turn out the electric light.
On the floor l saw roll of white It's
sue paper. 1t was almost out of sight
behind the table leg. l took it to the
desk, and inside was fifteen $1,000
bills. We sealed it up, and put it in
our vault. Three months passed, and
no one came to the box. Presently we
saw that the man had died in New
York, and shortly after his daughter,
dressed in deep mourning, came to the
Office. They seemed to be in deep
trouble after examining the contents
of the box. We were almost certain
the bills belonged to the old man, but
we thought better to be sure about it
and wait for questions.
The following day the daughter came
in again with their lawyer. He went
over the contents of the box, and fin
ally called me in and asked if | re-
membered the last visit of their father.
said that did and told the hour and
length of time that he was mere.
then asked if all was right in the box,
and one of the daughters said that her
fathers notebook showed that he had
sold $4,000 worth of bonds that day
and deposited the money in the box
but it was not to be found, and as his
mind was unsettled at the time. they
feared the money HAD been lost. OF
course, tuned the envelope over,
and there was joy in that family.
Now and then an attempt is made
at robbery. Just yesterday a young
fellow came rushing in and presented
key. His face was familiar, but |
wasn't sure. I asked for his name
and signature. which he gave. but on
comparison found that it was not the
same signature on our books. He
tried to explain that he was the son of
that man, and insisted that he must
have certain papers as once. Just
then a second man stepped in aid
identified him. but we did not know
the second. though he gave familiar
name. We were firm in refusing en-
trance to both. though the second Of
fered TO rent a box, and our suspicion
is that something was wrong there.
Friends. brothers, and cousins try 10