Semi-weekly herald., 1910-04-04
HOW AMERICAN GOLD IS SENT TO
EUROPE STORED IN THE BIG
OCEAN STEAMERS.
Harper,s Weekly.

'Aaa 30 "
One would naturally think ms~t to
safeguard the treasure which the va
rious countries are constantly sending
each other by the mig liners there
would be required the vigilance OF
many men. This. however. is not gem
orally the case, for. once the gold il
stored away In the rooms set apart
for that purpose on the big ships. and
the vessel is well out to sea, no armed
guards are deemed necessary.
Taking the specific case of one liner
sailing under the German flag, We
find that It has two strong rooms. the
smaller of the two being in close prox-
unity to the captains office. This
one compartment has no doubt shelter
ed gold enough to pay for the cost of
the liner many times over. The walls.
roof and ceiling are lined with two
inch steel plate. and the room con
tains nothing in the way of fixtures.
save shelving The locks. of the double
variety, are rendered still more Sc
cure by steel basps covering the key
holes. and they are provided with mas
sive padlocks.
The strong rooms. being in the most
frequented portion of the vessel where
persons are constantly passing them
at all hours of the day and night, thus
receive the best protection, after all.
There are two sets OF keys, one of
which is retained by the agent in
charge Of the consignment and the
other OF which remains with the cap
tain.
In the case of the German vessel
mentioned. there is another and larger
specie room, situated next to the pro
vision department. This is about
twelve feet in length by four in width
1t frequently happens that both strong
rooms are filled to their utmost ca
pacity, and on one occasion this liner
carried some 100000 900 in gold bull
lion. packed in small kegs bound with
steel hoops
Gold is usually brought to vessel
~ ls w b' ohIPpNh iil'i way
before the date OF sailing. and is care
fully stored away before passengers
embark. 1t arrives al the dock in
ordinary trucks, under the guard of
two armed men.
The customary method of getting the
gold on board is to haul the kegs up
an inclined chute 10 the deck by means
OF a hoisting engine, but this method
is not invariably followed. Sometimes
each keg is placed in a sling and car
ried on board by men detailed for this
service
The receipts given by the steam
ship company set forth that so many
kegs have been received for shipment,
not for any stated amount of gold to
he value of so much. The kegs bear
The government seal in many instances
and in such cases, when they have
been safely put in the strong rooms,
he iron doors thereof are also sealed
with government wax, the impression
being broken only when the official on
the oIneT size comes 10 receive The
gold. The kegs are checked thrice
when they are taken from the trucks,
when they reach the gangway. and
when they are placed in the strong
rooms.
Although, as stated above. no armed
guard stands by the strongroom, two
men are constantly watching the
rooms as long as the ship is in sight
OF land. As matter OF fact there is
little danger of anyone stealing gold in
transit on a ship II would be neces-
sary that he should shoulder keg
weighing some 200 pounds and vanish
with 1t without being seen Masters
of vessels declare that gold is the
safest cargo of any to handle.
The total weight of one consign-
ment of gold shipped by the German
vessel in question amounted to some
Thing like $4,000 pounds, or sixteen
tons, and the freight charges foot up
some $4,000, or, roughly speaking,
one-eighih of one per cent. Specie
thus shipped is insured at its value.