The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1913-10-09
WHERE THEY SHOVEL GOLD.
Men and Mechanical Devices Protect
Treasures.

Not even the Bank Of England is
more rigidly guarded that the sub
treasury, despite the fact that there
are no armed sentries at the corner OF
Nassau and Wall streets. Anybody
who strolls through the central cor
ridor, which runs from Wall street
to Pine, cannot avoid noticing the
pistol-holsters that hang on the walls
behind the doors, and the husky men
in citizens clothes who stand at in
tervals-the only men in the build
ing who are permitted to stand idle.
Those who do not come to the sub
treasury on business are quickly sent
away, but at the same time, 1t is
we'll not to be too hurried in passing
through. An eminently respectable
citizen, who was late for an appoint
ment one day recently, thought he
would take a shortcut through the
sub-treasury corridor, and, after
climbing the high flight of steps from
Wall street, started to run between
the lines of cages.
In an instant two men had stop
ped him in his tracks. He barely es-
capped being roughly handled before
he identified himself, and when the
guards were satisfied that he was all
right, they advised him grimly never
tc try to run through the sub-treas-
ury again.
Were always on the lookout for
people who lounge around and who
run" they said. I'VE don't take any
chances here"
Why should they? There is, rough
" speaking, from s250,000,00O to
s30O,O0O,00O in cash in the sub
treasury all the time, a great part
OF it in gold. Down in the waits, the
gold is stacked up like coal. and for
the sake of convenience the men who
handle it use shovels.
The clearing house, custodian OF
almost as much ready money as the
sub-treasury, is another citadel OF
Wall street. It's steel vaults, prac-
tjcally building by itself, is of the
most modern construction and is re-
garded as being burglar-proof. Like
many of the more modern vaults, 1t
is equipped with one device in par
ticular which is perhaps even more
efficacious than whole troop OF
armed guards. Over the steel door
there are crescent-shaped openings.
They are the mouths of automatic
steampipes which send out clouds 2f
live steam the minute any unskllled
hand tries to tamper with the deli
cate mechanism of the vault. The
burglar who first disposed Of the
armed guards who guard this vault
at night would be scalded to death
long before he could make any JIM
preston upon the shining steel sur
face of the treasure house. Quite a
large part of the 330,000,090 OF
specie belonging to the New York
banks and trust companies is III the
clearing house vaults.
Furthermore, even the approach
of the burglars would be conmunl-
Gated to the guards, no matter how
stealthily they came or from what
side. from above or from bel wv. For
by a series of mirrors let into the
floor of the corridor, the guards can
see on every side of them as they
walk, and know exactly what is 60
ing on around them.
The precautions are typical of
those taken by every institution III
Wall street which has much money
to protect. At nighttime, there are
more armed watchmen on duty in
the financial district than in any
other section of equal area. And
never is the responsibility of the
night-watch placed upon the shoul-
ders of one man. There is always a
squad on duty, heavily armed, and
assisted by the most elaborate elec-
trio protective and telephone sys-
tenn possessed by any city in the
world.-New York Evening Post.
cEOpcEAN COMMITS SJJCIDE.