Madison Times

SECRETS OF SAFE DEPOSITS.

The Masses of Wealth and Where it is Stored.

A Half Million Dollars Found in Fifteen Years.—Where Moth nor Rust Doth not Corrupt, nor Thieves Break Through and Steal.

St. Louis Sunday Sayings.

With the approach of hot weather and the consequent exodus of the wealthy and fashionable from the city comes the accumulation of valuables, such as silver plate, jewelry, valuable papers, etc., which the owners do not desire to carry with them, in the vaults of the safe deposit companies.

"We have," said Secretary Hayward, of the Safe Deposit Company, of St. Louis "about two thousand five hundred 'special' safes for our customers and about five hundred other depositors. By 'specials' I mean safes which are rented especially to customers. Other depositors are such as have valuables of any kind deposited with us in the general vaults and for which we receipt.

"Our deposits of valuables, in the way of plate, family articles and personal papers, largely increase during the heated season when people get away as much as possible from the heated city.

"Could I estimate the value of the deposits deposited with us? No, that would be next to impossible. You see people who

LEAVE THEIR VALUABLES

in our possession very rarely assess them at their full value as they are absolutely sure of their safety and charges depend more or less upon the amount of our liability. So while we could give you very nearly the amount, or, in fact exactly the amount at which the deposits have been valued by the depositors that would not approximate the amount of real value.

"We have a most perfect system of identification. We take age, height, weight, color of hair and everything in fact which would serve to identify an individual. After we have as complete a description as it is possible to get we require depositors to sign their names. Should any doubt arise even then as to the identity of the party, we require that they bring some one whom we know and who can identify them as the proper persons."

"Have you

EVER LOST ANYTHING

through sneak thieves or confidence men?"

"During our fifteen years of business we have been especially favored in this respect. We have never lost a dollar's worth in any manner or form.

"The loss of many kinds of securities is irreparable. Such are the coupon bonds of the United States, of the several states, counties, towns and school districts, and of railroads and other corporations. If lost or destroyed these cannot be replaced. The loser has no recourse against the government or other party issuing them any more than for lost greenbacks or bank bills. If stolen, securities of this kind may be put at once upon the market and the law will protect the innocent holder in his possession against the claims of the original owner.

"THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY

has given public notice that the government cannot protect, and will not undertake to protect the owners of lost bonds and notes. He says: 'Hereafter, all bonds, notes and coupons, payable to 'bearer,' and treasury notes issued and remaining in blank, will be paid to the party presenting them, in pursuance of the regulations of the department, in the course of regular business, and no attention will be paid to caveats filed for the purpose of preventing such payments.'

"The company occupy this entire building, which is, in its materials and construction, as thoroughly fire proof as any building in St. Louis while, from its position, it is exceptionally secure from risk of fire from without. Warned, however, by the indiscriminate destruction of buildings during the great fires of Chicago and Boston the vaults are so constructed that they insure absolute and perfect protection against fire as well as burglars. It would be, for obvious reasons

MOST UNWISE TO PUBLISH

the details of their construction. The protection against an organized mob is equally as good. It would take, at least, twelve hours of steady skilled labor to get at any portion where valuables are kept and, at least, three days work, night and day, by skilled workers in iron and steel to loot the building. You see from this that an attack from a mob would amount to nothing. Before they could break through the iron gates and get into the building our safe doors would be closed and bolted and then we wouldn't care for any mob.

Adjoining these vaults are commodious apartments, fitted up with small offices and desks for the examination of papers with a separate room for the use of ladies. Committees, and officers of banks and other corporations are also provided with an office.

"Perhaps it would be interesting for you to know that the findings on the desks, tables and floors during the past fifteen years amount to a

HALF MILLION OF DOLLARS.

"Depositors come in and remove their boxes to secure some article from them, or to examine the contents, lock them up and leave some valuable article or articles lying out. People are terribly careless. We make a list of these articles as you see hanging here in the receiving office and as I said we have restored to owners something over half a million dollars. We have at present unidentified articles worth perhaps $6,000, you see the list at the bottom

MARKED 'UNCLAIMED.'

In the company's building watchmen patrol night and day, fully armed, and their faithful performance of their duty is insured by detectors and electric time clocks. In a thousand and one unlooked for and unexpected places, alarms, police calls and apparatus for severely punishing those imprudent enough to lay their hands where they should not be, are hidden.

Note	$2,500.00
Note	$426.95
Diamond	No value assigned
Envelope, containing coupons	$1,800.00
Ring	No value assigned.
Certificate	44
Lincoln County coupon	44
Ear Ring	44
Gold Locket	44
Pair of Eye Glasses	44
Gold Bear	44