Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1914-01-13
$55,00O,000 IN
GOLD IN THIS CITY
With That Amount Of Gold in Town
the Financial Stringency
Not Relieved.

In spite of the fact that short
time ago there was $55,00O,OO
worth of gold bullion in Webster
City the local financial stringency
was not materially relieved.
Eleven steel baggage cars contain
ing that value of bullion passed
through Webster City Saturday
night on the Illinois Central rail
road, bound to Chicago and New
York from San Francisco. The bull
lion weighed about hundred and
ten tons, or ten tons to the car. The
bill of lading stated that the cars
contained silk.
Five special government agents
were detailed to the eleven cars,
which were sealed on the sides and
on each end. 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 is not much danger of the gold
being meddled with.
Besides the five special agents,
Illinois Central officials were on the
train, while it passed over this di
vision Travelling Engineer Chap
man, Trainmaster N. P. Mills and
Fred Morrison, claim agent, all of
Fort Dodge, rode on the bullion
train from Council Bluffs to Water
loo, where other officials relieved the
Iowa division men.
Transportation charges on the
gold bullion amounted to $16,50O,
of 81, 500 to the car, according to a
railroad official. This includes all
expenses entailed while the consign-
ment is being taken to Chicago and
New York from San Francisco. Just
what share of this the Illinois Cen
trail will receive cannot be ascertain
ed.
The bullion train left Omaha one
hour behind passenger train No. II.
When No. IL reached Fort Dodge at
$40 p. M the gold special was trail
ing it and was given the right of
way to Waterloo. 1t was said that
in some places, where the track was
good, seventy miles an hour was
made by the special. George Thomp-
son of Fort Dodge was the engineer
in charge of the special from Coun-
ell Bluffs to Waterloo.
Great secrecy was maintained in
railroad circles in regard to the op-
erations of the train. It was given
out that the cars contained a con-
signment 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 un-
safe and liable to robbery by ban
dts 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. un-
less large gang had wrecked the
train. One fact that made the
transportation of the gold safe was
that no one but the high officials Of
railroads over which the gold trav-
eled 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 a
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.