Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-01-13
MlLLtoNs IN GOLD Thru IOWA.

Train Load Of Bullion Travsrsss STATE
ovsr Illinois Central Line.
Fort Dodgs. Jan. 13.--Eleven steel
bRSgage cars containing approximate
" $66.000.000 in gold bullion passed
thru Fort Dodge on the Illinois Cen
trail friday night about $40, bound
from the San Francisco mint for Chi
cago and New York banks. Ten Of the
cars went on to New York and one was
dropped at Chicago. The bullion
weighed about ITO tons, or about ten
tons to the car. avoirdupois. The bill
Of lading stated that the cars con-
tanned silk.
Five special government agents
were detailed to the eleven cars, which
were sealed on the sides and on each
end of the train. These men have been
riding in the cars since the consign-
ment of gold left the mint at San
Francisco. One man is detailed to
watch two cars. and with all OF them
walking their posts night and day there
il not much danger of the gold being
meddled with.
Besides the five special agents. local
Illinois Central officials were on the
train. while 1t passed over this division.
Travelling Engineer Chapman. Train
master N. p Mills of this city.
and Fred Morrison claim agent. Of
this city, rode on the bullion train
from Council Bluffs to Waterloo, where
other officials relieved the Iowa d.
vision men.
Transportation charges on the gold
bullion will amount to $16.500, or ST.
500 to the car, according to a local
railroad official. This includes all ex-
penses entailed while the consignment
is being taken to Chicago and New
York from San Francisco. Just what
share of this the Illinois Central will
receive cannot be ascertained.
The bullion train left Omaha last
night one hour behind passenger train
No. IL. When No. - reached here at
9:40 p. m. yesterday the gold special
was trailing it and was given the
right of way from here to Waterloo.
1t was said today that in some places.
where the track was good, seventy
miles an hour was made by the special.
George Thompson Of Fort Dodge was
the engineer in charge of the special
from Council Bluffs to Waterloo.
Great secrecy was maintained in
railroad circles In regard to the oper-
atoms of the train. 1t was given out
that the cars contained consignment
of silk from San Francisco, which had
come from the Orient
Although it may be assumed by
some that the transportation Of gold
bullion In this manner would be I'M
safe and liable to robbery by bandits
when the train came through the
mountains, the danger was not great.
All Of the men in the cars were armed
with powerful rifles and modern
magazine revolvers. Any attempt to
hold up the train would probably have
been frustrated, unless large gang
had wrecked the train. One fact that
made the transportation of the gold
safe was that no one but the high Off
Gals Of railroads over which the gold
Travelled and the mint heads knew OF
the time and manner in which the
gold was to be sent. Not until the
special had passed through this city
was it learned that large fortune in
gold had been here.
Besides precautions against robbery
made by putting men in the cars and
having railroad officials in caboose
on the end of the train, at every stop
agents Of the government in the
caboose walked from one end of the
train to the other, inspecting the seals
on the cars as they walked along.