The copper era., 1908-09-24
GUARDING OUR MONEY
WATCHERS DAY AND NIGHT,
How the Treasury Vaults at Washington
Are Protected.

W dS tut lllAlC hAdi LII LII Oc1hiOO nav
his plans about perfected. This was
back in the eighties, and the plan
was to get into the building by
means of the great sewer which runs
under and near the treasury and is
known as the Fifteenth street sewer
and which grows larger as it enters
the Potomac about three-quarters of
a mile from the White House.
Broadfoot's plan, as developed
after his arrest, was to get into the
building, crack the afes and place
the money in large rubber bags and
float them down the sewer to the
Potomac, where his pals would be in
waiting. These bags were found in
his room when he was arrested, and
secret service men had often seen
him walking along the shores of the
Potomac near where the big sewer
empties. This sewer is about nine
feet in diameter where it passes the
treasury. A man could easily make
his way up the sewer through a
stream of water which under nor
NAL conditions is only about twelve
inches deep. By entering the sewer
tunnel at the river the journey to the
treasury could be made by keeping a
sharp lookout. When the man or
men in the sewer reached the Fiji
teenth street sewer nothing would
separate them from the gold coin
and bullion except about eighteen
feet of earth and not too secure
stone wall. 1t was Broadfoot's
scheme to dig his way through this
obstruction and to let the earth float
or wash down the sewer. 1t would
not have taken one man more than
have made an opening large enough
for a man to crawl through. Of
course Broadfoot knew the exact
! location of the vaults, and when he
once reached them he would have
had no trouble in getting the gold
coin and bullion. 1t was evidently
his purpose to fill the rubber bags
with the precious stuff and float
them down the sewer TO the river,
where they would be looked after by
really well laid plot ever made to
loot the treasury, and just why
Broadfoot was never given a trial
has never been known to the public.
He was an intelligent man, and
suspicion was first aroused against
him by his frequent visits to the
money and vaults and by questions
he asked watchmen and messengers
as to the hours of duty, when the
time locks closed and what time they
opened, and all such questions. That
he could have successfully carried
out his plans so far as getting into
the building and the vaults are con-
J cerned there is no question, for men
have been in the sewer and conduits
who say that it would have been easy
work. The most difficult part of the
| job would have been in getting away
with the money and bullion, for it
would have required hard work to
secure it and get away. About the
only chance would have been to bury
it somewhere in Virginia, for il it
had been placed on boats it would
have been easy to recover it.
1t is the opinion of the secret
service men that many celebrated
cracksmen have from time to time
contemplated the conversion of a
few million treasury notes to their
own use, but after careful STUDY they
have decided that the undertaking
was too colossal in character. Secre-
tary Folger when he assumed his
duties was not slow in deciding that
the treasury was not properly and
safely guarded. There was not an
electric alarm in the building, the
watchmen were isolated and had no
facilities for calling help, and the
safes were of the old time lock and
key sort, scattered almost all oyer
the big building. The secretary
went to work to bring about a proper
condition of affairs. He had the
watch system completely changed
and reorganized, putting them under
the strictest discipline. Elaborate
and extensive alarm systems were
installed. The old safes were re-
! placed by modern steel affairs with
time locks and intricate cOmbin-
ations. The gold and silver vaults
were fitted with steel castings and
time locks, different parts of the
combinations being distributed among
various officials, so that the vault
could be opened only with the con-
certed action of all of them, and
then only at the stroke of the hour
for which the time locks had been
set. But without a perfect system
Of watchmen to guard the safes the
treasury could be easily robbed, for
the most perfect safe ever made is
not proof against the professionals.
The watch force of the treasury is
perfectly organized and the least in
fraction of rules means a layoff or
discharge. The men seem to realize
the heavy responsibilities resting
upon them, and they are careful al
most to fault. The watch is
divided into three reliefs, the tour of
duty lasting for eight hours. How
ever the watch does not antiCiDate