The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-08
THE BIG TREASURE BOX OF THE NATION Contains Most Money Ever
 Gathered Together LAW REQUIRES S1OO,OOO,OOO Andrew Jackson Selected Site for Present Treasury Buidlne-EIab- crate System By Which Money
 Is Guarded.
LAW REQUlRES$1OO
BY FREDERIC j. HAsKlN.

BY fHEDERlC J. HASHlN
 Andrew Jackson was President of the United States. He walked out from the White House one day and came upon group of gentlemen engaged in a heated argument He listened in silence for space, then push ed his hickory stick into the soft earth and said: Build 1t here" And thus was selected the site for the United States treasury building which has had the honor to hold greater sum of money than was ever gathered together in any other house, or in any other na- tion, since the first worker in brass invented coined money.
 This great building. added to since the days of Old Hickory Is one of the most beautiful of the public edifices of the capital. It's noble porticos at the north and south,. with their i'm mense monollthio columns, It's grand colonnade on the east, and its impos- ing facade looking toward the White House on the west, are worthy of their trust as the four sides of the treasure box of the richest of peoples.
 Within these walls there is always at least $1O0, 100000 in gold to sustain the credit of the United States. For so the law decrees. This is usually only fractional part of the amount really kept there, for one fall day two years ago there lay in the vaults the greatest sum of money ever accumu- lated at one time.
 Each morning heavy van, drawn by three horses and guarded by sev- eral keen-eyed men with rifles, swings up to the east door and delivers to the treaury an average of $1,000,0 900 in currency that was printed the day be- fore at the bureau of printing and engraving. Every day at 1 o'clock three treasury officials an done man. representing the people destroy in a great macerator the old bills sent in for redemption. the amount destroyed tallying always with the amount of new bills sent out, million dollars or more every day.
 In this building 2000 people are em- ployed, but they are only a small part of the force enrolled on the books of
 
 employs 25,000 men and women, who with the families they support, would fill a city larger than Columbus, o.
 This gr treasure hoN is yell guarded, though representing this Sigi- lance to the casual observer there are only a few quiet men in uniform who stand at this door or that, who courte- ously give any information desired Yet there is a body of watchmen, old soldiers or men of the navy. divided into three watches, which patrols the building day and night, reporting to the captain of the watch every half hour in the day time, and communca ting with him every fifteen minutes during the night by an elaborate sys- tenn of electric bells. over the door way of the captains office is an inn mense gong. When this is rung it means that something indeed has hap pened. The captain is supposed to rush fully armed into the presence of the treasurer prepared to deal summary justice to robbers, bomb throwers or would-be assassins. The gong has been rung but twice in the past few years. Once the captain reported post-haste to find two timid women tourists ring ing for messenger in ignorance of the great importance of the button they pressed. The other time the cap tain declares he knew it was a test ring and so wandered calmly in un- armed, except for a cigar, to find that the secretary of the treasury the treasurer and the comptroller were try ing his signaling apparatus.
 In the captains office and in others throughout the building are stored most capable looking Kragg- -Jorgen sens and revolvers, enough to equip for battle a thousand men. From his of flee the captain may summon help from the police station or from the gar rison at Fort Myer on short notice. In all it's history however the building has never been attacked in any way only once was the guard increased in apprehension of difficulty, and that was when Dennis Kearney and his follow CTS came across the continent from the sand lots of San Francisco to enlist the sympathy of the east. John Sher- man was then secretary of the treas ury.
 The building has been the scene of many historic incidents. President Joh nson made his headquarters for the first few weeks after his inauguration in the offices of the director of the mint, Mrs. Lincoln having brought about an embarrassing situation by declining to leave the White House. On the first floor near the treasurers office is sealed door in the wall, showing where Secretary of State Se- ward arranged for additional privacy when he had room fitted up in the treasury and often slipped over from his own office to finish ap great af- fairs of state and work out problems undisturbed. President Grants first inaugural ball was held in this build ing and in the various bureaus men or note have had heir day and contribu- ted to the nations greatness.
 It is interesting to compare one of the oldest annual reports of the treasury de- partment with present conditions. In 1921, for instance, when James Monroe was President, Daniel Tompkins vice presi dent and William II. Crawford Secretary of the Treasury, there were, only three branches of the service. the treasury proper. the customs, and internal revenue and the general land office. The expendi- lures for salary ranged from H.06 all lowed a revenue collector in New Jersey, to the secretary'> salary of $60O0 and the force employed was less than 1000. Today the treasury department includes a supervision of all government build ings erected in the United States, a pu rean of navigation. a lighthouse board, life-saving service. the public health and marine hospital service, steamboat in- spection and customs and internal reve- nue. in addition to all the minutae sur rounding the ooining, printing and preser- vation of moneys.
 Only F pages of the report were needed in 1921 to set forth the entire workings of the department. Now a book as pom derous as an unabridged dictionary is re-