The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-08-13
Will Store Billion in Bullion
in New Assay Vaults; Could
Hold Worlds Gold Supply

ing the war proved to the assay Of
rec II all other evidence had been
lacking, the patriotism of our women.
Even engagement rings were sacri-
hced that the war department might
make use Of the platinum. We re-
celVed $500 separate deposits of plat
mum. running from a hundredth of
an ounce in weight to a pound. The
deposits came in the form of rings.
lockets. bracelets and false teeth. We
also received and assayed many tons
OF the trinket fund collected by the
Red Cross.
Nearly all of our small deposits,
and many of our larger ones. in peace
as well as war times, bring with them
their own story of lifes tragedies and
comedies, of loved ones gone and
should be loved ones forgotten. Di-
'vorced- women included their castoff
wedding rings with their deposits.
= "A much married woman sent in
three wedding rings, with two en-
gagen1ent rings and a miscellaneous
assortment of faddish table and bou
doir silver, the style and workman
ship of which fairly dated her several
marriages. We get silver and gold
plate in beautifully wrought designs,
the work alone being worth more
than the intrinsic value of the metals,
but Il all has to be melted down and
reduced TO its component parts, for
the government recognizes nothing
but the metal itself. Loving cups
come in by the score, and many a
package has in it little silver cup.
hammered by hard usage and denied
all over with the tiny marks of baby
teeth
We also sell gold" said Mr. Bowie,
and there was less awe and pride in
his tone than there is in that of the
vegetable man when he talks of the
potatoes he sells from his wagon.
If man wants to buy gold in
amounts not less than 5000 he comes
to us and is supplied. We sell millions
of dollars worth of. gold annually,
most of it to manufacturers of arts,
and jewelry."
Asked why SO much vault room had
b en- planned for the new building,
Mr.. Bowie said that the United states
reasury department was building
for the future.
sooner or later we shall have need
OF 1t all, he said. Since the year the
New York Office was opened. in 1854,
the deposits have grown from 50, ooo,-
600 annually to sSo000000 monthly,
or ssbo,0oo.00o year. We must have
the right sort of facilities for safe
guarding this great quantity of prec-
Ious metals, and 1t is the governments
purpose to provide us with these IA
cllities. When our new building is
finished we shall have not only the
greatest vaults. but the finest and
safest storage house in the world.
Everything that comes in here has
to go through the melting pot. for the
n ~ -.
lions. During the year before we went
into the war We melted down $780,
100000 OF French money in franc
pieces and more than $500. 900 600 in
English sovereigns. which. looked at
from the standpoint of international
economics, would seem rather
wasteful process. but there was moth
ing else to do with these coins
The growing needs of the allies
during the four years of conflict
could be traced through the records
OF our office. In the first year we
shipped through Canada to the Brit
lsh government some S4o.ooo.0o0
worth of bullion. AS the war pro-
crossed we began to get this gold
back from England. At first we re-
ceiyed only the identical bars we had
shipped to Canada. Then we began to
see bars we had shipped to England
two, four. even ten years earlier.
The end Of this supply was marked
by the receipt OF our first shipment
Of English bars. French bullion fol-
lowed, then Russian. then the gold
sovereigns, which, we had to melt
down into bars for our own use. Then
came the first shipment Of French 20
franc pieces. which had to be sim
Harry treated, and after this we be-
gan TO get in a condemnation OF
coins from all parts of the world ex-
cept India.
India keeps all the gold that comes
within her borders. Her princes want
1t to make jewelry for themselves.
their household and the women of
their harems."
The visitor to the New York assay
office notes something queer and old
fashioned about the various desks
which he is at first at loss to ac-
count for. FINALLY it dawns upon him
that what he feels Is the absence of
women secretaries. clerks, stenog-
raphers and telephone operators. EN-
cept for the charwoman who scrubs
up in the evening there's not a wo-
man employed there.
Il don't know why there are no
women here" said MIR. Bowie, except
that they never have been. Our en-
ployes are ell Civil Service appointees.
with the exception OF the superin-
tendent, who is appointed by the
president OF the United States. and
his secretary. whom he selects HIM
self
AFTER WORLD's SERIES