The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-08
TO COUNT 1900 TONS of'coHl9
4 GREAT TASK IN PROSPECT AT
THE SUR-TREiSEHY.

eu, ue b&1S,OOSs,sNU IN ute Veuita
Must he unted-The Task May Take
Two Menths-How the Work Is Done.
On account Of the death Of Assistant
United States Treasurer Conrad N. Jordan
there will soon be under way a recount
Of the S275 600 900 which was In the vaults
OF the Sub-Treasury on the day he died.
The magnitude Of the task may be judged
from the fact that when Mr.. Jordan was
re-appointed In 1897, it took more than two
months to finish the count. ''' 's""'i
II Is well for the business efficiency Of
the institution that this inventory 81 treas
ure is taken only at long intervals. II IL
undertaken only when new Assistant
Treasurer takes charge. y"
The count In made by a committee oon1
sisting Of representative Of the retiring
officer, a representative Of the incoming
officer and an expert who Is present In the
interests OF the Secretary OF the Treasury.
While thousands Of bags Of coin are gons
over II seldom happens that a variation
from the book figures is found. The Assist
ant Treasurer Is under bond Of 500 COO =.
The committee has working force of
about ten skilled clerks and twelve or four
teen laborers. These men are selected
with great care as they are in daily contsce
with millions Of dollars. and the stealing
OF the smallest coin would destroy the
value Of the count. ..'.
The clerks do the figuring and the laborers
do the manual labor, which is perhaps
the hardest part Of the task, since the NOV
ing Of more than 1850 tons Of coin Ia in
volved. Each bag Of coin, be it silver
or gold has TO he handled three times; obce
In its removal from it's compartment to
the scales, then from the scales to the pliers,
and from the pliers back to its compartment.
q The first step toward tho count 10 the
sealing Of the vaults and the making Of
an inventory Of the money exposed, or in
the telers' hands. In the present instance
this was done on the day Assistant Treas /.
urer Jordan's death was announced. United
States Treasurer Roberts came On from
Washington to take charge Of the work,
and the interests of the Jordan estate yers
in the hands. Of Edward WseHale. Deputy
Assistant Treasurer under appointment
by Mr. Jordan. The count Of the money
in the sealed vaults win be madesas soos
as President Roosevelt appoints, IN Assis.
tant Treasurer. - ~.
The bills, OF which there are soma
: 10, 900, Co., are counted by hand, II It
happens thst We majority.of thSss sre Or !,
small denomination little tiAne Is obnsunSed
in going over them. ThtSr il usually the
case, ana the committee figures On finish
ing this part Of the work In two days.,
The gold, silver and minor coins, nickes
and coppers, are cast up differently. In
the gold the committee selects
a bag OF coin which has been tested as to
condition and amount. and this is put
against all others in the vaults. 1t Ii neces-
sary that the condition OF the coins In the
est bag be examined carefully, and weighed =
on the most exact scales, as small amount
Of abrasion brings bag under weight
This test bag contains exactly 5000.
It is taken down TO the vaults and put on
one pan Of an expensive pair OF ecales,
and the real work then begins. ,,
The gold vaults are divided into com
partments, each holding ten bags Of COIN
or $500 600, whether these be double eagiet.
eagles. half-eagles OF the small ss'6e ptecee.-.
The standard weight. the weight Of tfe
test bag, il exactly 5,37S pennyweghts.
A bag is allowed 20 vary fr0h this
TO 5.S4s pennyweights. but no mors-
and each in turn is made TO undergo com
parison with the test bag;
Although this Is inquest ionably quicker
method than hand counting, It u stu ~
As there IN about t1W!tpsVW n
gold in the vaults there Is entaned the penn-
ling Of approximately 400 tons N eoid.
which must be done carefully or costly
will result. 49,. -. -
The weighing. too, must he done aceu-
-ately. All in all. the commhtee n satss.s
fed II II counts some 3fo.nD. 600 IN gosai
ZACH day. At this rate twenty days. VII :.
IN used 10 cover the present store Of that
metal
While the method OF counting the silver
,oin il the same, the work 10 much more
aborious. The silver compartments hold
rom 81 500 900 TO 90 900 900 each. depending III
IN the size OF the coin. The bags contain
,nly 81 ODO each, y =:
There il about Ss7 600 900 In silver In tho
ralu,s Just now, and since the experts figure
II 600 90 in silver 20 weigh 80 tons, come
hing more than 1000 tons OF thf metal