The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-08-11
The Way Millions on Millions Of Dol
lars Ia Checks Change Holders In .
Fsw Minutes Ia the Daily Balancing
or Accounts Between Banks.

fmpress upon the mind. One Is more
apt8to wonder whether the gray haired
messenger in tile blue serge suit would
succeed in disorganizing the line II he
gave the wrong envelope to bank NO.
40 and, IL SO, whether he would be CON
demned forever by his associates. But
no mi seems to make a mistake. and
the visitor has no reason to worry
about the possibility Of misplacing $2S,-
100000 even for half a second. The
machinery of the clearing house Is al
most too perfect to slip a cog.
The clearing house begins to show
signs of activity as early as $50 o'clock,
when the vanguard Of bank q
makes its appearance. They travel IN
pairs and are mostly young men, al
though the veterans have not all re
tired. Their badge Of Office is q bag.
any sort of bag, suit case, telescope,
kit bag, canvas bag. Sometimes 1t has
the name Of the bank it anne from
printed across the end. More often It
bears no distinguishing mark.
Further, its identity is frequently
hidden behind an exceedingly shabby
exterior. That is perhaps q virtue. At
all events, it is not considered good
form in banking circles to be ostenta-
uous. a. strong bag even though It be
old and chafed is just as good 9 vehicle
for q fortune as a new n and is less
likely to produce burnings in the heart
of a. thug. So this is the reason why
the young men who sweep up the mar
BILE stairs look as If they were carrying
bags filed with their own clothing In
stead Of other persons checks. Self
conscious they are not despite the loads
they carry. and one might well imagine
they were going upstairs to change
their garments for gymnasium suits.
But when the visitor reaches the floor
above and climbs to the little gallery
at one end he realizes that not basket
ball, but another game, is to be played.
Already the players are preparing to
take their positions. At the side walls
are benches on which delivery clerks
are sitting, their bags at their sides,
and opposite is a solid counter divided
into about seventeen compartments, to
the front of which are affixed, If occu-
pied, the name plates Of different
banks. Beyond the first is a second
counter and between the two a rack for
hats and %overcoats. A broad aisle with
more benches and hatracks separates
the two rows of counters from dupli-
Gates on the opposite side of the room.
Settling clerks, who take their places
on high stools behind the outer rows
Of counters, face the walls. Those al
the inner counters face the center aisle
At the elbows Of the settling clerks
stand their assistants, who are re
quired to sign the exchange slips pre-
scented with each package of checks.
As the clock nears 10 n glances
from the high DOME, with Its row q
electric lights, to the scene below. Thu
clerks at the compartments have made
themselves comfortable. The messen
gers standing at ease before then
have slung their bags and are ready
A minute passes. A man appears a
the rostrum In the gallery and rings I
gong twice. Eyes below are upliftet
Il f9 AO 5AIuhO6 0A& AOAANOAAOA AOOA
out Of town banks that will hereafte
clear through different correspondents
That is not OF particular interest, blu
he pauses briefly and then utters tn
magic word, "Clearingv!'
The messenger for bank No. ! crosse
the room at one end Of the counter
and takes the place of No. 81, who hn
moved down a pace. ~Simultaneousl,
fifty other men have taken a step for
ward, and the tramping and scrapini
Of feet come regularly. No. ] ha
slapped an envelope down before tn
clerk at No. 97's compartment, droppe'
a ticket into a slot, offered an exchang
slip for signing and passed on to NJ
96 without uttering a word. Each 9
No. Us fifty associates has duplicate
his performance in every detail, an
SO the exchanges, as they are called
have been fairly started. sd
In the meantime the settling clerk
are doing their share Of the worl
Long sheets Of paper in front of the1
are being allied out with the tots
amounts of the checks presented b
the men who are circling about th
: counters, making monotonous but NJ
unpleasant sounds with their fee
Suddenly, when you are just beginnin
to understand what it is all about,
halt Is called. No n says anythin,
! but every one stops. You ask VIII;
9 and some one says the exchanges hay
been completed. You ask how $500
100000 can change hands In exact
fifteen minutes by the clock. and Il
same person looks at you with a pit
ing smile and remarks, why, you
just seen it done" }
There Is marked silence for q m
ment after the feet have stopped mo
J. Ing. The crowd in the room begins
thin out, for the delivery clerks a
going, taking with them the packag
3 of checks which have been deposit'
! with the settling clerks. The latt
: still have work to do. Their assistan
rescue the little tickets from the COZ
partments into which they were dro
n ped, and the settling clerks scan Il
amount of them to see IL they agr
n with the totals on the exchange slips.
When first he entered the room Il
settling clerk gave the proof clerk
the managers gallery the amount
the checks he brought with him. No
g he ascertains the total of the amoul
IT anpaoifod NTH him Soon hn Is ~