Semi-weekly herald., 1910-05-09
UNCLE SANS BIG SAFE.

Up-to-date safes and the most mod
ern styles of vaults serve pretty well
for the treasures OF our best banks
and trust companies. SO efficient in.
deed are these now constructed that
the old-fashioned bank robber has gone
quite out of existence The job de.
mands nowadays "a set of qualiiica-
tions which have passed far beyond
his powers. But though The usual mod.
ern methods in vogue for the protec.
ton of coin and jewels are in the
highest degree efficient, they are yet
Insufficient to suit The government in
nation. The modern American devices
for 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
TO suit Uncle Sam. For him protec.
tions unheard of in any other time and
place have been devised TO safeguard
the treasures of the nation. The Phil
adclphia Record declares that the mint
in that city always contains coin and
bullion which fluctuates in value each
day between a half and three quarters
of a billion dollars. One hundred mil
ions of dollars of this amount is in
silver dollars stored for several years
in room by itself, 100 by 90 feet in
is in gold coin, ready to be put in
circulation or to be stored in the ma
tional treasury at Washington against
the issue of corresponding number
OF gold certificates. million or two
rs In bronze and nickel coins. Finally
an amount of bullion varying from a
small quantity to several hundred mil
lions of dollars worth occupies the
four massive vaults designed for the
uncoined metal
Now how is this vast hoard-a hoard
as great as that which Alexander the
Great is said 10 have found in the
treasury of the Persian kings when
he destroyed their empire-protected 3?
First of all, the whole mine is EN-
bedded in solid concrete foundation
about three feet deep. Concrete, as
| every one now knows, is one of the
| strongest of all known substances, and
the most impervious to drilling OF
wear. Then on the interior, where the
vaults are placed, within this con
crete protection, comes a solid armoI
of battleship steel six inches thick
80 strong that an expert working on II
a week could scarcely make an i'm
preston. much less penetrate II by
hand tools.
The vaults themselves are sunken
deeply below the ground. Descending
several flights of stairs and passing
by doors guarded by fearsome array
of Mauser and Remington rifles. foI
use by the night guards, long, fair
| ~ wide corridor of solid concrete ma
sonry shows the entrances TO the six
vaults, one for the silver already re.
| fcrred to. one for all kinds of coinage
pu' iuoo'iS ipi Eolh. iut
ing four for the gold, silver and nickel
bullion. The bronze bullion lies in
another room by itself. but as few
dollars worth of this substance makes
an uncomfortably heavy load. it Is
not thought necessary to surround It
with the minute safeguards used in
the case OF precious metals.
The vaults themselves have n dou.
BILE Remingt Sherman combination.
That TO tho outer door is known by
the cashier only, Joseph d. Murphy !:
that to the inner door by the custodian
of the vaults only. F. Lamberson. To
Aenter vault both men have TO be to-
gether, and 1t is rule of the de-