The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-01-18
GUARDS HIS MONEY CLOSELY
Uncle San Takes Precautions by Robbery
.lphia Cor. Chicago Inter
ocean,

Philadelphia Cor. Chicago Inter
ocean,
Philadelphia safes and
the most modern styles Of vaults serve
pretty vel for the treasures OF our
best banks and trust companies 50
Efficient. indeed, are those now con-
structed that the old-fsshi0ned bank
robber has gone quite out Of existence.
The job demands nowadays z set Of
qua Iffcatfons which have passed far
beyond MS powers But though TIE
usual modern methods in vogue for the
protection Of coin and jewels are in the
highest degree efficient, they are jet
insufficient 70 suit the government IN
its protection Of the wealth OF the nr-
ticn. The modern American devices
TO bank protection are. to be sure.
vastly ahead OF those in the greatest
government vaults IN Europe but good
as they are they are not good enough
10 suit Uncle sam For him pr0tec-
tons unhesrd Of in any other time aDs
place have been devised TO safeguard
the treasures Of the nation
The mint. 81 Sixteenth and Spring
Garden streets. always contains coin
ana bullion. which fuctuates in value
each day between $50. 009. 900 and s15D.-
0O0, 900. On hundred millions Of this
amount Is n silver dollars stored for
several years IN q room By Itself. 1og
by IS feet in area. About $500 e0o, geo is
In gold coin, ready to be put in cireu-
lation OF 70 be stored in the nstionai
treasury At Washington against the
issue Of q corresponding number Of gold
certificates A million OF two is III
bronze and nickel coins- Finally. an
amount Of bullion varying from small
quantity 70 several hundred millions o
dollars worth occupies the four MAJ
sive vaults designed for the unco:nec
metal
Now. how i this vast hoard-a hoard
as great as that which Alexander Ire
Great is said TO have found in the
treasury Of the Persian kings when ne
destroyed their eupire-protected
Walls Of Greatest Strength.
First Of all the whole mint is en-
beddcd in a solid concrete foundation
about three feet deep. Concrete. a.
every one knows. is one Of the strong
est Of al known substances, and the
most imperviOus to drilling OF wear.
Then on the interior where the vaults
are placed. within this concrete protee-
ton, comes Z solid arnOr Of battle
ship steel six inches thick, 50 strong
that an expert working on il a wee
much less penetrate it by hand tooIs-
The vaults themselves are sunEen
deeply below the ground. Descending
several fights OF stairs and passing by
doors guarded by fearsome array o.
Mauser ana Remington rifles. for use
by the night guards, q long, fairly vide
corridor Of solid concrete masonry
shows the entrances to the six vaults
one for the silver already referred To-
one for all kinds Of coinage. but most
~ FOR gold, and the remaining four Tor
the gold. silver and nickel bullion. The
bronze bullion lies in another room by
itself. but as a few dollars worth or
this substance makes an uncoTnTort-
ably heavy load. II is not thought nee
essary 70 surround i with the minute
safeguards used IN the case Of the
precious metals.
The vaults themselves have a do57f5-s
emington-Shermsn combination. Thar
10 the outer door Is known BY TIE
cashier only. Joseph D. Murphy. that
70 the inner door By the custodian OF
the vaults only. r. Lsmberson. To en-
ter & vault both men have TO be 70
getheT. and II is a rule Of the depart
nlent that both shall stay together tn
the inspection OF other object for
which the huge safe is opened be sv-
compliShed
Where Wealth Is iosF6eo.
Entering one Of these great cages
after five minutes working at the COM
binztion. one finds himself in q hug.
room partitiOned of in fifteen CON-
partments by steel gratings OF the
strongest kind A straight passage ssx
feet wide and the height OF the cham
Der goes down the length Of the rvos.
from the door At the entrance are
stored the bronze coins the cents
about $4,000 worth Of them but the
amount various from day TO day. Next
come the more precious nickel coins, OF
which the value usually totals about
500. e00.
Beyond these storage places a steel
grated door in the passage itself has to
be opened. and then stu another 70
get completely 10 the end Of the room.
Ali along the length or this passage
way. from the entrance to the varev
to the end. are the compartments Tor
the coins. separated from the passage
way by exactly the same kind Of graf
ings as those which divide the way
itself into sections.
The bottom, the sides and the top o.