BOW BULLION IS CONVEYED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10079, 14 March 1896, Page 2 (Supplement)

BOW BULLION IS CONVEYED.

FROM AUSTRALIA TO THE BANK OF

ENGLAND.

The sensational robbery of silver ingots from a Midland Railway cart has not yet faded from out- minds. Indeed, our interest about it has been kept alive by the constantly recurring newspaper bills, announcing "Another Ingot Found." Therefore a short account of the manner in which bullion is conveyed from place to place might prove of general interest. With this idea in our minds, we betook ourselves recently to one of London's great termini, and questioned an official who has much to do with regard to precious bullion. " Let me trace for you the whole journey from Melbourne, we'll say, of a consignment of gold bullion," said the official. " It is conveyed in solid bars about Sin by 3in by 1 in, and each bar is worth about £800. The bars, or ingots, are packed in strong wooden boxes bound by iron bands. Every ship that carries bullion in any quantity worth mentioning has a speciallyconstructed bullion-room, to the door of which tho ship's captain has the only key. The gold is stored in this room under the supervision of ihe captain, who checks each box containing one ingot as it is stored away. "The moment it is all safely deposited, and receipt for it signed by ilia captain, he becomes personally responsible for it. A great responsibility, indeed ; especially con sidering that the bullion will probably be worth from halt a million to a million of money. But it is infinitely safe;' upon the ocean than ii i* u;jou land. Of course, in the days of pirates this was not lhe case, but now there is nothing, or very little, for a captain in charge of bullion to fear, except the ship breaking up, and this is a remote possibility, fur vessels intrusted t.i carry half milti ms of pounds' worth of goid or silver are, I need hardly $,y, Al at Lloyd's.

''The captain never for one moment lets the key of the ir.tllion-r.ioui out of his possession during the whole journey. Ife generally carries it round his ned: by a leather strap or suing, and he sleeps with it upon him. He keeps the door of his cabin locked, and a revolver under his pillow during hi* -.lumber*, -tl.-n. The tiu-sc stringent rules are enforced upon the ship's crew; in fact, every po-niblc precaution is taken to guard Hguin.-t robbery 01 mishap, '"When the ••hip .-irn.t-i it pi.it, it is gent.rally met. by a couple ol detectives and puir.e oflicial- of the company to which the ship belong-'. The captain u:i';us the bullion-room, and the ingots in t'. 'ir b ixus are taken out one by one, checked, and put upon a trolley by which they are conveyed to the railway, The closest watch is kept, ami every ru-pieioUi-iooking person is 'jbliged ti keep ut i, -ati-facioiy distance jui ing the Un.'.adiug. At .tie s. i: ton to,; buili-in ;s put. upon a trail.; -psciaily ,• --.i-.;,.;., i [.„■ Uie |, ii[io-«:; •-very mgiu i-i-irg again necked. The bunion tiuci.s in,. Ruining extraordinary in appearance. Inu l ii..-y nj rui.ikably strong, being imed with pt.i e iron, mid secured by the tt],i<'. iti trie |j,:ks inventors have pro.iuc'jii. 41 1 lie ui'imrnt. m 11 %;:i conveyiiitr iJjg bullion start-, a t. legiaiii i- »j r ..,| t | l(J station to which n i-< riu.iiii.; ..m > ; j,j:„.-i„i» the dcpattuic, mid the trim i- met by a Custom-house olfieial, whoja duly i;, |~ i,, examine (he ingots-a mete t-.nuu'.ty - —beforo they are given over to ihe B.iuk ot England, where they are at once taken by a covered van belonging to the railway company. ' " Ves, they are checked once more "on b?ing taken from '.he bullion-trunk and put into the van, and once mote when the/ reach the Bank of England. Altogether they are checked live or six times, so that the loss of one would be noticed almost as soon as it could disappear." '•Ant do you know what becomes of them when they have been handed over to the Bank ?"

"Yes, they are stored in a bullion-room there, which is secured by a luck requiring three keys, possessed by the (jovernor, deputy governor, and the cashier, to open it. 1 have never soon this room myself; indeed, very few pur/jons have, I believe ; bub I have been told that it is the stronger strongroom in the world. It need be, considering that millions of pounds' worth of bullion is constantly stored there." bullion J"" "" tl>e clliirges for co " ve >' in "Very small indeed .compared with the responsibility and trouble. The steamship companies charge about £1 ( Qr ove £2 m worth of bullion, and the railway complies charge a little mora than half as much again/'