Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1910-05-18
WELL GUARDED Cash
The Millions Piled Up In the Mint
at Philadelphia.
STORED IN ARMoRED VAULTS.

The Whole Building 10 Embedded In q
Solid Concrete Foundation. and the
Underground Strong Rooms Are In
presnabis-TheN Night Watch.
The Philadelphia mint always con-
tains coin and bullion which auctuates
In value each day between half and
three-quarters OF billion dollars One
hundred millions OF dollars OF this
amount Is I'm silver dollars stored for
several years In a room by itself 100
by % feet In area. About $500. 000. 900
Is In gold coin. ready TO be put I'm cir
culation or TO be stored I'm the national
treasury at Washington against the-is-
sue OF a corresponding number of gold
certificates. A million or two Is I'm
bronze and nickel coins. Finally an
amount OF bullion varying from
small quantity TO several hundred nil-
lions OF dollars worth occupies the
four massive vaults designed for the
uncolned metal.
Now, how Is this vast hoard pro-
tected7
First OF all. the whole mint is en-
bedded I'm n solid concrete foundation
about three feet deep. Concrete. as
every one knows. Is one OF the strong
est Of all known substances and tb,
most impervious TO drilling or wear.
Then on the interior. where the vaults
are placed. within this concrete protec-
ton. comes a solid armor of battleshin
steel six inches thick. SO strong that
an expert working on II n week could
scarcely make an impression. much
less penetrate IL by hand tools.
The vaults themselves are sunken
deeply below the ground. Descending
several flights of stairs and passing
by doors guarded 10y fearSome ar
ruy OF rides for use by the night
guards. long fairly wide corridor
or solid concrete masonry shows the
entrances To the six vaults. one for
the silver already referred to. one for
all kinds OF coinage. but mostly Il.
gold. and the remaining four for the
gold. silver and nickel bullion. The
bronze bullion lies ia another room by
this substance makes an unccmforta-
bly, heavy load IL Is not thought nee
essary TO surround II with the minute
used In the case OF the
precious metals.
The vaults themselves have n double
That to the outer door
Is known by the cashier only and that
TO the inner door by the custodian OF
the vaults only. To enter vault both
men have 10 be together. and IL Is a
rule OF the department that both shall
stay together Till the inspection or
other object for which the huge safe
Is opened Is accomplished
Entering one OF these great cages
after Eve minutes working nj the
one finds himself In a
huge room partitioned Off In fifteen
by steel i,ratings OF the
strongest kind. A straight passage
six feet wide and the height OF the
chamber goes down the length or the
room from the door At the entrance
are stored the bronze coins. the cents
about $4,000 worth OF them. but the
amount varies from day Ia day Next
come the more precious nickel coins.
Of which the value usually totals
about $4,000.
Beyond these storare places a steel
grated door I'm the passage itself has
TO be opened and then still another
to get completely TO the end Of the
room. All along the length OF this
from the entrance 10 the
vault TO the end. are the compart
ments for the coins. separated from
the passageway by exactly the same
kind OF gratings as those which divide
the way itself into sections.
The bottom. the sides and the top OF
this vault are lined with steel plates,
md about the entire vault is the three
foot protection OF concrete. Within the
vault Itself are the separate compart-
ments. each locked. These compart-
ments are examined shortly nfter the
end OF the fiscal year and are then
sealed by the examiners. 30 that any
entrance TO them would be impossible
without the breakage Of the seals In
each compartment devoted 10 the stor-
age OF gold the coin is stored first In
bags which contain $1,000 each I'm half
agles. eagles or double eagles. and
then these bags are arranged twenty
On n shelf. Each shelf has thus $780,
BOO on It. The shelves are arranged in
rows downward. ten from top to bot
tom Of the compartment, each row
having thus $1,000. 900 in gold in Il.
Electricity lights the entire section
,f each vault. and the electric current
8 so arranged that II II were possible
Tor the vaults to be tempered with the
would Immediately give no
dee outside that something was wrong.
A detachment Of guards every night
q stationed at the entrance TO the
leading to the corridor.
which gives access to the vaults them
selves. Their orders are 10 shoot down
my one attempting an entry.
For the protection OF the mint from
Ire a we'll drilled fire brigade has
'harge Of the extinguishing apparatus
There are thirty-one IRE alarm sta
Ions located In the corridors and
'ooms throughout the building.
At night every fifteen minutes thirty.
me watchmen ring n signal notifying
he watch in the telephone room that
Ill Ia well. All these men carry r.
during the night watch. II the
signal from any Waterman was not
heard at the right time an Instant