Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 169, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1913 — UNCLE SAM'S TREASURE VAULTS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

UNCLE SAM'S TREASURE VAULTS

UNCLE SAM’S treasury building at Washington covers two entire city blocks. In this build- j ing there are thirteen immense | vaults, and several smaller safe vaults, in which are safely packed away billions of dollars in gold, silver, greenbacks and securities. ' The vaultß are wonderful In their intricate construction. They are surrounded by thousands of highly charged wires embedded in solid concrete, any one of which will give an alarm instantly if touched by any person not intrusted with the secret combination. Each vault is about twentyfive feet wide by thirty feet long, and are built of reinforced concrete four and a half feet thick and strong in proportion. The vaults are as nearly burglar-proof as human ingenuity can make them. Doors Are Strong. Electricity, applied by the most modern method, protects the treasure. Each of the vaults is completely surrounded by a network of electric wires placed two inches apart. The doors of the vaults being sufficiently strong to resist any attempt to enter them, It is absolutely impossible for anyone to gain entrance to this treasure house without giving an alarm that will bring out instantly the captain of the watch and his entire force of guards, for the minute an electric wire is cut or even touched the alarm is sounded, and the guardians of Uncle Sam’s treasure at once get busy. The financial transactions of the government are conducted on a scale of such magnitude as to seem almost incredible. For instance, during the period of thirteen years from 1897 to June 30, 1910, the accounts settled in the office of the auditor for the treasury department aggregated the Immense sum of $68,181,000,000, an average of nearly $5,250,000,000 a year. This vast sum embraces the income and expenditure of the government, the issue, redemption and exchange of currency, accounts of mints and assay offices, customs, internal revenue, etc. It does not, however, Include transactions relating to the postal service, the revenues of which for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1909,; amounted to $203,562,383.07, and the I expenditures $221,004,102.89. It is not generally known that tbe United States today holds the largest stock of gold of any nation In the world. The amount of gold in the United States is more than three times as large as that of Great Britain. It more than equals that of Great Britain and France, Great Britain and Germany, or Great Britain and Russia combined. A number of Interesting facts regarding the silver dollar were discovered during the writer's investigation of this subject. For Instance, 1,000 new standard dollars will weigh exactly 58.92 pounds. If the oountry’s stock of 664,604,719 silver dollars were loaded Into freight cars of 60.000 pounds or thirty ton’s capacity, it would require more than 655 cars to carry them. I if these same silver dollars could be laid flat, one on top of another, they would make a monument 835 miles high. If placed end to end they would make a handsome “necklace’’ 13,350 miles In length. Or they would make • belt that would extend more than Half way around the world. One thousand dollars In new gold coins weighs 8.68 pounds. Uncle Barn’s stock of gold, therefore, la

equivalent to about 3,009 tons, which would require a train of 100 cars toi carry it, each car having a carrying capacity of more than 60,000 pounds. Another interesting fact in connection with paper money is that a million crisp, new $1 paper bills, if placed one on top of another, would make a column about 260 feet in height, pr nearly half as high as the Washington monument. United States -paper currency is issued in denominations of sl, $2, ss,' $lO, S2O, SSO, SIOO, SSOO, SI,OOO, $6,000 and SIO,OOO. The notes are put up in packages containing $4,000 of each denomination. So while a package of 4,000 $1 silver certificates, about seven inches square, contains but $4,000, yet a similar size package of SIO,OOO gold certificates contains the equivalent of $40,000,000. y The nucleus of Uie present building was authorized by act of congress July 4, 1836. The building was completed in 1842. It extended along Fifteenth street and was 340 feet long by 170 feet wide. By the act of March 3, 1855, the continuation of the building was authorized. The south wing was completed and occupied in 1861. Operations were suspended during the Civil war for a while, but in 1864 the west wing was completed. Immediately adjoining this wing at the north end of the east wall was the west end of the old state department building. In November. 1866, this building was vacated by the department, and it was immediately demolished. The work of laying the north wing of the building became necessary in May, 1867. In 1869 this finished, thus completing the bunding as it stands today. The dimensions of the building today are 468 by 264 feet. The treasury of the United States in a broad sense embraces the treasury at Washington as well as subtreasuries located in many principal cities; thirteen mints and assay offices,. and about 2,000 national banks, in all parts 'of the coutnry, designated as depositaries. The treasurer of the United States is charged with the receipt and disbursement of all public moneys deI posited in the treasury at Washington | and 1l the various sub-treasuries and | national bank depositaries. He is also ! redemption agent for national bank notes, and trustee for bonds held to secure national bank circulation and public deposits in national banks, as well gaent for the payment of interest on the public debt. He is a bonded official, and the financial responsibilities attached to his office are tremendous.