The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1906-09-17
MONEY OF NATION.
AL At some TINE DUMPED ON
TREASURY BUILDING BLOCK.
ons Object Of lutsrezt ir Washington
Which Hss Seen oseriooked ~
those ~ho Have Written
Up the Capital

See that building asked a Wash
lngroR correspondent OF a visiting
friend 10 whom he vas showing The
sights OF the capital They were
standing On the east side Of Fifteenth
street. near ?.
Yes. replied the visitor. and Il Is
the treasury building"
The untold miIroas Of dollars n
notes. gold and silver which the gran
ite walls Of that structure has hidden
would make ROckefeller's pile looS
ike 80 cents"
Very true know that" rei0ined
the visitor
And that building and is money
and its associations. and everything
else connected with il. have been
written up about a million times and
in a million different ways" addes the
Washingtonian-
4 know that. too. replied bis
friend.
Nevertheless. there is one thing or
object connected with that historic
pile Of stone which has thus far es-
capped fame"
Impossible" exclaimed the tourist.
incredulously 4 thought that Wash
{ ington was annually raked with a
hne-tooth comb by writer's"
IT is acquiesced the correspond
snt. ~and then Il Is reraked by still
others. Yet there Is one object which
we viii now make famous. which. as
have said. has escaped. Do you OBJ
serve that low block. or platform. Of
heavy irOn-jointed beams Of wood
close to the curb opposite the base
ment entrance on the Fifteenth street
side. almost directly opposite from
where we are standing"
Yes" said the visitor. interestedly
THAT block is the one thing in
town that hasn't been written up,
from the president 10 the frescOes in
the congressional library. Fer a quar-
ter Of a century those heavy wooden
planks have had the distinction Of re
ceiylng every cent Of the hundreds Of
billions OF gold coin. silver coin. gold
bullion, silver bullion and gold and
silver certificates, treasury md bank
notes which have entered and have
afterwaTd been dispatched from the
treasury building The grand total Of
this wealth is scarcely susceptible Of
estimation: Il is simply fabulous. Do
you note that covered dray backed up
to the block and drawn by three big
white horses2 II Is filled with govern
ment notes which await only the seal
OF the government to make them legal
tenders. AS such they will afterward
leave the treasury for distribution.
when that load is emptied an
other vehicle will back up to the
block, perhaps an express wagon,
from which viii be dumped a million
dollars in coin or bullion. Then more
millions done up in securely sealed
packages Of notes will be carried out
OF the building. deposited upon the
block and thrown into still another
wagon, covered van or wire-netted ex
press wagon. And thus the continu-
gus performance OF handling the
wealth of the nation in the public
streets of the capital goes on day by
lay, year after year. unaoticed by the
public at large. And it all. from bags
Of dimes to packages Of notes rrac
tically without limit as to amount. as
well as all Of The bullion. lands at one
time or another upon that old wooden
block"
Il should think some eaterprising
thief might try to make a raid some
day" suggested the visitor
That's what the men whose duty
It is to handle all this great wealth
think too. so they are at all times pre-
pared to welcome any gentleman
whose enterprise might prompt sncf
an action" replied the correspondent
And the funny part Of it Is this; Al
this great accumulation Of money
which passes over that block at inter
vals during the day is handled by poo
men who work for moderate wages
, perhaps not over SIS a month. This
would seem TO prove that a mar
hasn't got to be rich to handle bis
money after all"