The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1910-05-24
E GUARDED CASH.

The Millions Piled Up in the Mint at
Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia mint always con-
tains coin and bullion which fuc-
tuates in value each day between a
half and three-quarters of a billion
dollars. One hundred millions of dol
lars of this amount is in silver dollars
stored for several years in a room by
itself 100 by IS feet in area. About
$300,000,000 is in gold coin, ready to
be put in circulation or to be stored
in the national treasury at Washing
ton against the issue of a correspond
ing number Of gold certificates. A
million or two is in bronze and nickel
coins. Finally an amount of bullion
varying from a small uantity to sew
eral hundred millions of dollars
worth occupies the four massive
vaults designed for the uncoined
metal.
Now, how is this vast hoard pro-
tected?
First of all, the whole mint is en-
bedded in q solid concrete foundation
about three feet deep. Concrete, as
every one knows, is one of the strong
est of all known substances and the
most ~impervious to drilling or wear.
Then on the interior, where the vaults
are placed, within this concrete pro-
lection, comes a solid armor Of bat
tleship steel six inches thick, so
strong that an expert working on it
week could scarcely make an i'm
preston, much less penetrate it by
hand tools.
The vaults themselves are sunken
below the ground. Descend
ing several flights of stairs and pass
ing by doors guarded by a fearsome
array Of rifles for use by the night
guards, a long, fairly wide corridor Of
solid concrete masonry shows the en-
trance to the six vaults, one for the
silver already referred to, one for all
kinds of coinage, but mostly for gold,
and the remaining four for the gold,
silver and nickel bullion. The bronze
bullion-lies in another room by itself,
but as a few dollars worth Of this
makes an uncomfortably
heavy load it is not thought necessary
to surround it with the minute safe
guards used in the case of the pre-
cious metals.
The vaults themselves have a dou-
bic combination. That to the outer
door is known by the cashier only
and that to the inner door by the GUS
todian of the vaults only. To enter
a vault both men have to be togeth-
er, and it is a rule of the department
both shall stay together till the
or other objects for which
the huge safe is opened is accomplish
ed. -:
Entering n Of these great cages
after five minutes working at the
combination, one finds himself in a
huge room p%artitioned off in fifteen
compartments by steel gratings of
the strongest kind. A straight pas
six feet wide and the height of
The chamber goes down the length of
he room from the door. At the en-
trance are stored the bronze coins,
he cents, about $4,000 worth of
hem, but the amount varies from day
% day. Next come the more precious
lickel coins of which the value usu-
lily totals about $30O,OO0 !
Beyond these storage places a steel
door in the passage itself has
be opened and then still another to
get complete to the end of the room.
Ali along the length of this passage
way, from the entrance to the vault to
end, are the compartments for the
coins, separated from the passageway
exactly the same kind of gratings
as those which divide the way itself
nto sections.
The bottom, the sides and the top
IF this vault are lined with steel
and about the entire vault is ,
he three foot protection of concrete.
the vault itself are the sep
compartments, each locked.
These compartments T examined
after the end of the fiscal year
ire then sealed by the examiners, so
hat any entrance to them would be