Williams news., 1912-01-06

guard his treasure, he was finally compelled to build five more large vaults, which have just been com pleted, in addition to the eight i'm mense vaults containing billions of dollars in gold, silver. greenbacks and securities. and several smaller safe-vaults in use in the treasury for years past.
 These five new vaults were con- structed on the west side of the treasury building. The old steep roadway was removed and lowered at the same time to permit of the handling of all kinds Of money In bulk, direct from the treasure wagons to the vaults.
 The new vaults are wonderful fin their intricate construction. They are surrounded by thousands of highly charged electric wires fmbedded in solid concrete, any one of which will give an alarm instantly if touched by any person not intrusted with the secret combination. One of the new money vaults has been built in the sub-b basement. and the other four in the basement itself. Each vault Is about twenty-five feet wide by thir- ty feet long. and all five are built of reinforced concrete four and half feet thick and strong in proportion. The vaults are as nearly burglar proof as human ingenuity can make them.
 All the money vaults in the treas ury are under the direct control of Lee McClung, the treasurer of the United States. MT. McClung succeed ed Charles H. Treat in 1908. Frank J. F. Thiel is private secretary to the treasurer, and is MT. McClung's right-hand man. He has been with the government for the past six years and during this time made a thor ough study of the government finances The writer is much in debted to MT. Thiel for valuable data collected by him for use in this story.
 The financial transactions of the government are conducted on a scale of such magnitude as to seem almost incredible. For instance. during the period of 13 years from 1897 to June 30, 1910. the accounts settled in the office of the auditor for the treasury department aggregated the immense sum of S6S.1S1 100000, an average of nearly s5.25O,O00.OOO a year. This vast sum embraces the income and ex- penditure of the government. the is- sue, redemption and exchange of cur rency. accounts of hints and assay offices. customs and those relating to the postal service, the revenues Of which for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1909 amounted to $203. .562. .383. or, and the expenditures s221 1,OO4. .102 .S9 It is not generally known that the United States today holds the largest stock of gold of any nation in the world. The amount of gold in the United States is more than three times as large as that of Grea; Britain and France, Great Britain Russia combined.
 If the country's stock of 4,6O4,7 silver dollars were loaded into freight cars of 60.000 pounds, or 30 tons ca pacity. 1t would require more than 555 cars to carry them If these same silver dollars could be laid fiat. one on top of the other, they would make a monument S35 miles high If placed end to end they would make hand some necklace" 13,35O miles in length. Or they would make a bel, that would extend more than half- way around the world.
 One thousand dollars in new gold coins weighs 3.6S pounds Uncle Sam's stock of gold, therefore, Is equivalent to about 3,0O9 tons. which would require train of 100 cars to carry 1t, each car having carrying capacity of more than 60.O0O pounds,