The Sun.
London, England, 1866-11-05 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Slll,—Our notice has been drawn to an article
under the above heading in The Sun of the 29th
ultimo, in which the scientific reputation of our firm
is somewhat depreciated. We feel sure that you
will under such circumstances, on the principle of
hearing both sides, permit us to offer such corrections
as will place your observations in a right light

the memorable lock controversy of 1851 ; but as
the public are our customers, sir, as well
as yours, you will readily understand how
anxious we are that they should not be misled.
In that part of your article referring to the picking
of the great Bramah lock in 1851, you say that Mr.
Hobbs, " after a tough fight that lasted sixteen
days, proved victorious."

1 his was not so. We have before us the award
of the arbitrators on that occasion, and an extract
or two from it will at once show you how you have
committed the error of " sixteen days," and, at the
same time, will rectify it.
Paragraph 5 says :—" On July 24, Mr. Hobbs
commenced his operations, and, on August 23, Mr.
Hobbs exhibited the lock opened to Dr. Black and
Professor Cowper (Mr. Rennie being out of town).
Dr. Black and Mr. Cowper then called in Mr.
Edward Bramah and Mr. Bazalgette, and showed
them the lock opened ; they then withdrew (the
two last-named) and Mr. Hobbs locked and un-
locked the padlock in presence of Dr. Black and
Mr. Cowper. Between July 24 and August 23
Mr. Hobbs's operations were for a time suspended ;
so that the number of days occupied by Mr. Hobbs
was 16, and the number of hours he was actually in
the room was 51."

You will see now, sir, that when the " tough
fight that lasted 16 days" is crucibled down to 51
hours the matter assumes a very different com-
plexion indeed. But that is not all. Mr. Hobbs
repeatedly, in the presence of the arbitrators and
other gentlemen, Mr. Edward Bramah included,
locked and unlocked the lock ; and, on one occa-
sion, by means of the same picking instruments, he
locked and unlocked it three times in one hour. We
feel sure, sir, that had you been aware of these facts
you would have published them in your article.
With respect to the " detector" principle of lock
security, Mr. Hobbs also exposed its fallacy in the
presence of eleven gentlemp well known in the
scientific world, who drew up a certificate and signed
it to that effect. On the 22d of July, 1851, he
picked a detector six lever lock on the strong round
door of an office in Great George-street, Westmin-
ster. He did it in 25 minutes, and, after taking his
picks out, re-inserted them and locked the lock again
in seven minutes. This was the picking that so
much alarmed the mercantile community of the
metropolis, and took place two days before the
Bramah challenge was signed. As we have no de-
sire to throw stones at our neighbours' windows we
will not mention names, unless when it is necessary
to take care of ourselves—that we must do.

Reverting for a moment to the picked Bramah
lock, we are desirous of reminding you that that
lock was a test lock, specially prepared for a chal-
lenge, according to the best skill and workmanship
of the justly celebrated firm whose name it bore.

The pressure on the slider springs was between
301bs. and 401bs. ; that is, that in pushing the key
in to open it in the ordinary way you would have to
exert a force equal to the removal of the weight here
mentioned. It had also eighteen sliders with false
notches upon them. We need hardly add that such
a lock was not an article of commerce, because no
one would care to push about two and a half
stones weight from the end of his key every time he
wanted to open his padlock ! Iu all locks upon the
principle here spoken of the ordinary number of
sliders ranges from four to seven or eight, in rare
cases to nine. When they are made with more than
these they pass from the ordinary every-day com-
mercial element into that of the test and scientific.

Mr. Hobbs, having proved the utter worthless-
ness of the detector system, invented that of the
"protector," with which was aftewards coupled the
preventive. This system has not, as yet, been over-
thrown. This " protector" lock was the first fruit
of the great lock controversy of 1851, and has main-
tained its ground unchallenged to the present hour.
It consists of a " protector" attached to the back of
the bolt, completely removed from the front action
of the lock, and cannot be touched by any pick-lock
instrument whateVer. When any picking pressure
is applied to the bolt this protector bites down and
prevents the levers being bound, so that the thief
has no feeling index, as it were, to guide him as to
whether any particular leYer is free of the stump or

not. This is the whole " open sesame" of the modern
lock picker. Any maker—we do not speak of
ourselves more than other manufacturers—who can
prevent his levers being " tickled" will frustrate the
skill and cunning of the thief. We have every rea-
son to believe that, by the preventor in the key-
hole and the protector behind the bolt, we have
produced, at a comparatively cheap cost, an effec-
tual security against the fraudulent opening of
locks. We do not say that other people may not
have done the same thing in another way—we only
speak for ourselves.
The science of lock-picking as well as that of
invention, no doubt progresses; at least we have
assumed that it does, and have taken measures ac-
cordingly, We have provided for every possible
contingency in the fraudulent tampering with locks,
and have introduced in our new patents such im-
provements as to place our new " protector" as much
is advance of the old, as that one was in advance of
the system it superseded.

In the Great International Exhibition of 1862 we
had a standing advertisement-challenge running the
whole period the building was open. We offered
the handsome reward of 300 guineas, and 30 days
to win it in, to the mechanician who could pick this
" protector" lock; yet, in the face of all this, we did
not meet with one single response. It is somewhat
remarkable that, notwithstanding the undoubted
excellence of many similar specimens of mechanical
ingenuity in that " world's fair," Hobbs's and Co.'s
lock, with their " protector," was the only one
exhibited under actual challenge to pick, in such a
positive manner, or for such a lengthened period.
The enormous production of locks alluded to by you
is really a marvel. What becomes of the thousands
and tens of thousands that are yearly sent away
from our manufactory is a wonder to ourselves.--
We have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient
servants, HOBBS, HART, and Co.
76, Cheapside, Nov. 2,1.86 G.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE—This Day.