New-York tribune., 1921-02-06
IL Took Uncle Sam
; Weeks to Count
Cash i'm Treasury
Special Committee of Three.
Assisted by s Account
ants and Is LaIDorers.
Took Stock i'm Vaults

just been made Tor the hrst time in
twelve years. The total approximated
thirteen billion five hundred million dol
lars, and included all cash and Sc
curities held as reserves against cur
rency outstanding.
The count was made by special
committee of three, assisted by eight
accountants and fifteen laborers, who
were used to move around the heavy
sacks of gold and silver. The men
delved into great vaults in the Treas
ury Building and took stock OF gold,
silver and paper money and securities,
many Of which had not seen The light
of day since shortly after William
Howard Taft was inaugurated Pres-
dent and new Treasurer of the
United States appointed in 1909.
The accountants in entering the
vaults passed grim-visaged guards, who
day and night "sit on the lid" TO pre-
vent any possible attempts at an unau
thorized raid on the Treasury. The
vaults themselves are supposed to be
burglar proof and are of massive con-
u
age sections are kept under seal, and
this was the first time some of them
had been opened in twelve years, for
when John Burke became Treasurer
after President Wilson WAS first in
augurated he accepted the count OF
cash in the storage sections, which
had not been opened since the previous
count in 1909.
The accountants handled money OF
\ i M
lpwly copper to $4,000 bills. Many of
the bills. particularly those Of the large
denominations, such as $1,000, were IN
sheets Of four each, and held as reserve
against currency Of smaller denomina
tions in circulation. Thousand dollar
bills in circulation are few and each
bank in the country is kept supplied
by the Treasury with list Of them,
with their numbers, so that II per
chance any are extracted from the
Treasury illegally the holder will have
extreme difficulty in realizing on them.
Count Took Three Weeks
The count just finished was made
necessary by the retirement Of John
Burke as Treasurer and was completed
in the remarkably short time Of three
counting machines. Loose coins passed
through these machines instead of be
ing counted by hand as was necessary
in the olden days, Paper currency was
counted by the piece, but stored COINS
and currency were counted by the sack
or package in cases where the wrap
pings We're unbroken and the seal on
each intact.
The main supply Of the governments
money IS stored in two large vaults,
but there are a number of smaller ones
IN ,~a,.IcIis GiJ,i Of the deDart-
ment as we'll as in the cash rooms
where cash payments are made by the
government.
Gold coins stored in the vaults were
counted by weight. The gold is kept
in sacks, sealed with the Treasurer's
wax seal and containing $4,000 each,
weighing about eighteen pounds and
seven ounces. First one sack was
weighed and then the others were ex-
amined If both the seal and covering
were found intact they were weighed /
against the first or test sack, and If
the result was the same were passed
and counted. However, If seal was
broken or the sack torn or there was
appreciable difference in weight the
contents were counted by the piece
Standard silver dollars were counted
in the same way as the gold coin. They
are stored in sacks containing l,0OO
and weighing about sixty pounds
Work on the silver coin was lessened,
officials said, by the governments
melting 1O0000000 silver dollars under
the Pittman act for sale to the British /
government to relieve the silver famine /
in India during the war.
Paper money is stored IN paper PACK /
ages, making cube OF about z
inches each way and containing 1000
notes. On each package is stamped the
amount and the denomination Of the
notes inclosed. A wax seal is at
tached. Except where a broken seal or
package necessitated an actual count
of the contents, the paper in the vaults
was counted by the package
Test Sack Used
Sealed packages of paper money are
accepted from the Bureau of Engrav-
ing and Printing as correct when the
wrappings are intact, because the issue
division OF the Treasury maintains an
office in the bureau and in reality
counts all the paper money before 1t
leaves the bureau.
Coins Of smaller denominations
quarters, dimes, nickels and coppers-
stored in sacks were counted IN the
same manner as the silver and gold,
by taking the weight Of a test sack for
each denomination and weighing the
other sacks against 1t.
Upon the completion of the count the
storage compartments of the vaults
were sealed with the seal of the special
committee and a receipt was given to
Mr.. Burke, the retiring Treasurer, by
Guy +. Allen, his successor, for the
and securities of the government held
cash in the Treasury. When he signed
the receipt the acting treasurer became
personally responsible for the safe
keeping Of all the cash and securities
in the building
The new Treasurer was represented |
on the special counting committee by
F. E. Reppert, vault clerk of the cash |
division of the Treasurer's Office. C. N. /
McGroaty, chief of the division of loans
and currency, was chairman of the com
mittee, and with John Moon, chief Of
the coupon surrender section of that
division, represented the Secretary Of
the Treasury.