The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22
Gold Taken From a Banks
Vaults Just as Flames
Reached the Place.
DRIVEN away TO SAFETY.
Officials Had to Wait Unit the
Time Lock Released II Be.
fore They Could Get Il.

Close Call to Get at $500 goo I'm the Inter-
national Banking COrporatisn's OnlOo
Money Put IN q Wagon and q Dass
Through the Streets FOIlows-CrockeF
Bank Moved Some Money 20 the b.
Francis Hotel, which Wa Burned
Afterward-Most OF the Bank Wants
Unharmed-Banks VIII BE Able 10
Pay Out Small Sums In o Few Days.
OAKLAND, CAL; April 21.-It Is probable
that most of the bank vaults are intact and
that the money and securities in those places
are safe. Some of the banks, however,
succeeded in removing most OF their treas
ures while the fire was raging.
William H. High; manager Of the San
Francisco branch Of the International
Banking Corporation, which has its head.
quarters at 90 Wall street, New York;
was awakened by the earthquake In his
home in Oakland. across the bay, at Sis
o'clock on Wednesday, and Immediately
hurried over to San Francisco to size up
the situation.
Arriving upon the ground at Sansome
and Pine streets in San Francisco, he was
joined by other employees of the bank and
they Immediately planned to get the books;
papers, securities, and even gold, out of
the vaults. The books that were merely
in safes without time locks were quickly
removed, but it was difficult to get the
gold out until the time lock would permit
the opening Of the vaults at 0 o'clock in the
morning.
Then Manager High, procuring a horse
and wagon, with the aid Of several soldiers
to guard the treasure, removed $500, 900 in
gold to the nearest safe deposit vaults
that were then we'll outside Of the zone where
the fire was raging. His first thought was
to drive the treasure to Oakland, but so
many of the streets leading to the ferry
were blocked by crumbling walls that it was
found impossible to take the coin outside
of San Francisco, and it was placed in safe
deposit vaults within a few blocks Of his
bank.
The Crocker-Woolworth Bank near by also
thought it safe to remove its gold and trans
port it to the st. Francis Hotel, upon Union
Square, which was then supposed to be far
removed from danger. In the case Of the
Crocker-Woolworth Eank it is not known
whether the gold was subsequently re-
moved to a place Of safety.
The strange part of the Crocker-Wool-
worth transfer was that, although the
whole upper part Of the Crocker-Woolworth
building was Quilted, the bank vaults from
which the gold was originally removed
were undisturbed in the basement.
The Wells Fargo, the Nevada, the Cali
f~ornia, the First National and all the larger
banks Jared equally well. Either the
securities and bullion we're left In vaults
in the basement, where they are perfectly
safe, or else they were transferred to safe
deposit vaults that were known to be sure
proof against even earthquakes.
Representatives Of all the San Francisco
banks will have another meeting in Oak
land on Monday morning to arrange
details. They will probably all open
temporary banks in Oakland and supply
all their depositors with limited sums until
they can reach the vaults OF The San
Francisco banks that are now safely buried
beneath the debris. They are prepared to
meet all reasonable demands and supply
funds in small amounts-probably for the
first few days not exceeding S25 at a time
to each depositor.
The only bank in the huge ruined district
that escaped destruction was the Market
Street Bank, at the corner OF Seventh and
Market streets. 1t il in the Quilted Grand
building, but the firemen, with heroic efforts,
money just as soon as 1t hears from the
Clearing House officers.
The State banks and banks Of the United
States in general have telegraphed guar
anteeing support to local financial institu-
tons, and arrangements have already been
made whereby 1t can be stated every de-
positor will be paid in full.
The big steel vaults Of the various banks
and deposit companies look like weird
spectres looming up amid the ashes and
ruins Of the destroyed buildings in which
they were housed. Some OF them are 80
hot from their p~rotracted contact with the
sea OF raging flames that it is said it will
take at least forty-eight hours for them
to cool sufficiently to be accessible.
President Lynch Of the First National
Bank was at the head Of the committee
which examined all the vaults in the ruins
and reported yesterday that they were all
intact. Gov. Pardee followed up the report
of the bankers by issuing a proclamation