Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-09-26
WHERE THEY SHOVEL GOLD
Men and Mechanical Devices Protect
Treasures.

Men and Mechanical Devices Protect
Treasures.
Not even the Bank Of England is
more rigidly guarded than the sub
treasury, despite the fact that there
are no armed sentries in front Of the
old Greek building 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 citi-
zens' clothes who stand at intervals
the only men in the building 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, it is well not to
be to hurried in passing through. An
eminently respectable citizen, who
was late for an appointment one day
recently. thought he would take a
shortcut through the sub treasury
corridor, and, after climbing the
high fight Of steps from Wall street,
started to run between the lines Of
cages.
In an instant two men had stopped
him In his tracks. He barely escaped
being roughly handled before he
Identified himself, and when the
guards were satisfied that he was all
right, they advised him grimly never
to try to run through the sub-treas-
ury again.
Were always on the lookout for
people who lounge around and who
rum" they said. I'VE don't take any
chances here"
Why should they? There is. rough
ly speaking, from s250,000,000 to
$500, ,000,0 900 in cash in the sub
treasury all the time, great part Of
it in gold. Down in the vaults, the
gold is stacked up like coal, and for
the sake of convenience the men who
handle 1t 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-
tically 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 q whole troop of
armed guards. Over the steel door
there are crescent-shaped openings.
They are the mouths of automatic
which send out clouds Of
live steam the minute any unskilled
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 i'm
preston upon the shining steel sur
fac of the treasure house. Quite a
large part Of the $3.50. .000,000 Of
specie belonging to the New York
banks and trust companies is in the
clearing house vaults.
Furthermore, even the approach
of the burglars would be communi-
Gated to the guards, no matter how
they came or from what
side, from above or from below. 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 go
ing on around them.
These precautions are typical OF
those taken by every institution in
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
placed upon the shoul-
ders Of one man. There is always a
squad on duty, heavily armed, and
assisted by the most elaborate cleo
trio protective and telephone system
possessed by any city in the world.
New York Evening Post.