Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1921-08-26
LINERS BRING
COLD BY TON
Millions of Precious Metal Being
Shipped to This Country
From Europe.
IS HANDLED LIKE OLD JUNK
New York Longshoremen Find Han
ding Of Millions 10 All In Days
Work--U. S. Holds Fifth Of
Worlds Supply.

New York.--Gold, tons OF II, coming
here on every large passenger liner
that plies the Atlantic Is handled by
seamen and longshoremen ms nonchn
Iantly as II II were scrap iron.
On such ships as the Olympic arrive
millions of dollars worth of the pre-
clous metal-shlpments such as would
have swamped an old gatieon sailing
the Spanish main. But the heavy, steel
bound boxes of ingots or coin stored
away In the holds of the giant liners
arouse among passengers and crew far
less interest than the presence OF an
internationally known actress or prize
winning Pomeraninn.
Ii was recently announced that the
United States snbtreasury vaults here
already held S1,500.0 100000 In gold,
one-ifth of the worlds entire supply.
Gold as Freight.
Gold IL classed ms freight and Ger.
thin rate per ton Is paid for transport
ing II, although, due to Its value. spe-
eial consideration is given to Its safe
ty In each of these big ships is
vnult-known In ship language as the
strongroom. It Is big box or cham
Der, heavily lined with armor-plate
teel and located In one of the lower
holds In such position that 1t can be
approached from but one direction, by
a passage opening from but one door
or hatch.
There Is no spnce around the strong
room for n would-be thief to work with
drill and, indeed. If he should get In,
he would probably find himself pris
oner
Delivered to the ship In European
port, the purser carefully checks the
number of boxes of gold, notes the
stated value of the contents, sees to II
that proper customs permits for ship
ment have been issued and In the name
Of the ship signs the bills Of lading.
Under his personal eye It Ii slowed In
the strongroom. where II is again
checked. The room Is locked and the
keys and combination Of the door are
retained In the pursers own care. On
several of the ships electric alarm de-
vices add to Its protection.
Trundled to Vans.
On arrival In New York the gold
shipments receive first attention after
the passengers have been discharged
A special force of longshoremen under
the eye of n trusted boss is led to the
strongroom In company with repre-
sentative of the bank or banks to
which the gold Is assigned. The boxes
are checked out, loaded OH trucks, a
certain weight to each man. and trun-
died away to waiting vans near the
ship sides.
The longshoremen who handle the
treasure make no fuss about tit Is
all In II work day Of eight hours-nnd,
gold or pigiron, 1t is the same to them.
Once In the vans, when the ship is re-
leased of responsibility, however. there
Is show Of guards.
What would happen to the gold II
the ship world meet with an accident
and go down?
ut would have to lie with the ship
unless conditions were such that II
could be removed after the lives Of oil
on board had been saved" was the an.
swer of the lines.
Like other freight, 1t Is insured, but
not even treasure must be taken into
consideration when lives are at stake.
Gold shipments which have gone
down are occupying the attention OF
scores of marine experts today. Nu-
merous devices have been patented
and many lives have been lost In at
tempts to salvage sunken treasure.
Among hundreds of others a rich re.
ward awaits the man who can salvage
the treasure lost with the Lusitania.