Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-08-03
GERMANY STORES
GOLD ON ISLAND.
100000 in Famous Julius
Tower Saved for MobiIiza-
ton Expense.

BERLIN. Aug. 3..The German
Government has 12o,OO0.00O marks
about $4,000, O00) stored away in its
war chest" in the famous Julius
Tower at spandau, an island at the
confluence of the Spree and Havel
rivers. It is a secret horde. known In
Baedeker as the imperial military
reserve fund of six million sterling.
Early last year it was reported from
Berlin, which is only eight miles from
Spandau. that the German war pro-
gram contemplated TRIPPING the
treasure. but If such a move was
made it has not been announced.
The Julius Tower has been shrouded
In mystery. 1t was first used by Fred
erick the Great as the Prussian war
chest" and then turned over to the
empire for the storage of the 100000
600 which was a part of the billion dol
lar indemnity paid by France after
the Franco-German war. Although
it has been estimated that the money
would be exhausted in a day and a
half in case of actual war. the fund
has been reserved for the expenses of
d quick mobilization of the Germao
army, to pay for horses and supplies
already contracted for an emergency.
The tower of Spandau stands in the
midst of a citadel surrounded by bar
racks and officers quarters, not far
from the great German arsenals and
manufactures of war implements. 1t
is cylindrical, built of heavy, mas
sive masonry, about forty feet high
and almost as thick. The tower is
guarded by three steel doors at its
only entrance, each opened by a sys-
tenn of simultaneous keys held by diff
ferent persons. The chancellor of the
empire holds one set and the presi-
dent of the committee for debts of the
empire another. The treasure is pro-
tected by constantly changing SEN
tries, under a guardian who was made
curator by a decree in 1874.
The treasure itself, made up of
twenty frank gold pieces, the same
that was paid by the French, is stored
IN bags in dozen small cabinets built
in the walls in various levels reached
by spiral stairway The guard is
usually made up of twenty -four men,
eight of them on duty constantly,
changing every two hours. A
patrol is made about the base of the
tower, inside and on top. Once
year the gold is weighed in bulk for
an official account. The amount of
the treasure never changes.
There was one attempt at robbery
on the part or drunken cobbler. who
got into the tower in some mysterious
fashion, but fell when he was half
way up the staircase and broke his
neck. Only one American has been
known to have a glimpse of the in
terror of the Julius Tower. He was
Robert W. Poindexter. of Los An
geles. Poindexter, according to the
story, asked the sentinel to see the
commander and then slipped into the
tower when the sentry turned his
back. He got into serious trouble with
the Spandau authorities for going too
near the treasure, but finally con-
WINGED them of the innocence of his
purpose. The tower has excited
great curiosity on the part of German
tourists, but sightseers are not well
coined on the island of Spandau.
Other nations have considered it a
waste of money for Germany to keep
the treasure stored at Spandau, be-
cause it was known that it could last
only about a day and half il used in
case of war 1t was often said that
il Germany had invested the money
at per cent. she could have increased
the principal so that the aggregate
fund might last as long as week in
time of war.