The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1907-03-29
UNCLE SANS 0UTCO,
Attempt to snow What a Billion
Dollars Looks Like.
FREAKS OF A FIGURE SHARP.
@ oilvsr ~ otacls Would 30 Hun
6rsd md Ninety -sevsn Miles High.
DIll4 Ms@fd Asach Four Times
Aro1ad ~ Garth and Then Some.

Aro1nd ~ Earth and Then Some.
4 billion A0fl4ts 81. .Ooo.OU', 700!
Very nearly this much was nppropri
anod By the congress of the Unifnl
states at the session Just endc.l for the
running expenses Of the government
0uring tho fiscal year 1908. OF course
Ut all Of this generous allowance will
u spent h the twelvemontl. but the
appropriation constitutes nevertheless
: charge upon the revenues, as the
wise folks at the capitol call 1t, and
must b charged to the expenditure
ercount Tor the period In question.
But ! billion Of dollars-a thousand
q millioas! The figures mean 80 very
netie to most people, says the Wash
htAcn Star. Tho average mind isn't
C . caliber that can reach out and
mentally surround the idea Of billion
o4 anytAing. Even the genial head OF
t1se house Of Rockefeller confesses to
possessions nggrcgating loss than one
third OF this amount. and Il Is safe to
assume that even he hasn't the faintest
t1ea OF what the sum would look like
n real money.
Up at the treasury department, where
nen handle money with shovel, some
eaashematicaI sharp occasionally turns
hbmself loose In the realm of figures
onA comparisons In an effort to get
oo1ne idea OF what such vast sum as
1 HILTON would look like in cash. This
sHAs the case tho other day just after
congress adjourned.
1magine, II you please, column
nade OF I bilf1on silver dollars piled
en- on the other skyward. The Wash
1neton monument, although the tallcst
nhucture OF its kind In the world,
would seem hike darning needle at
~ foot OF such slender silver shaft.
rho nOnnnent Ia b55 feet high.
Ehe c0lumA OF dollars would rise 107
tKnes N the air!
Lad side by side, just touching, the
Qollar would make silver streak $500
ntlee long.
tust suppose tho billion Is in one dol
hf bilh. Laid end to end the line Of
snSeenbacks would make a riband OF
wealth 1854 miles In length, a riband
1png enough to 60 four times around
~ earth al The equator. with nearly
enough left for fifth turn. II m am
t0kious citizen started out right now to
oollow the greenback path to the end
And walked faithfully and persistantly
ree nifles an hour. eight hours day,
otsxy saay In the year. he couldn't pos
p1bly finish the journey before sonl'
Nns In ieCA.
1t would take even the fastest rail
toad train, running sixty miles nm
buA ANonty-lenr hours q day, nearly
Aroe months continuous speeding to
1nse 1s0sA one end Or the green band
T. tha ether.
These same billion bills II piled emo
n the other would reach, ns thin as
hey are. to a height of nearly six
niles. Joined at all four edges, tho
1uDsultins hrea would be almost big
enough 10 carpet every square foot Of
!eround embraced within the boundar
~ OF the city Of Washington.
INT nuppOgc, for instance, that any
enc man had I billion dollars, drawing
- intorest at all. and that he decided
= rot rid OF the principal before he
Aisd. Spreading 1t the rate Of $1,000 a
.Aay-and there are not great many
men whD spend any more year In and
year put- be would have to postpone
NJ 0omine tOt 2,777 years In order to
get rid OF his wealth. OF course II hr
had the librar1 habit or tho education
= fund fad hs might be able to dc
crease this term Of existence by few
hundred years. But not materially.
This Ii great big country, and 1t is
far cry from Washington to Helena.
Hont, but billion silver dollars laid
side b. side would extend from one
city to the other. The billion In ten
dollar bills plnced end to end would
reach from washington to Calcutta,
VIA London. and there would still be
eaOugh left to circle the latter city
many times. In twenty dollar gold
csftjArdtes the yellow chain would