The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-09-11
The Trial Of safe. a, the Paris Exposition

v
this country, and CH,rswooD, the celebrate,
English safe maker, the only parties who accepted
the challenge for the prize Of $4,000 francs, VI
commend 20 al parties VINO desire 10 purchase
good safes
We observe that the 1irst English account states
that Mr.. HERRING did not reach 4 small iron bo!
inside OF CHATwooDs safe, in which the blocl
OF wood was to be taken from as test, it having
been left outside OF this small interior box, ant
that therefore the difference was not so great
The next morning, however, ON this fact being
called to Nh. HERRNG's notice, he proceeded, II
presence of the judges, to open the small box
which was accomplished in less than one minute
We think all parties desiring TO purchase safes
would do we'll to examine the safes OF HERRING
I Co. at the Agent In this city, Nj. JOSEPH
WALKER, No. Broad street.
! From TIE NeV York san.
We Yesterday published an interesting account
of late trial Of penetration into safes, between
those of the best English and American manufac.
ture. That account was from the London Times,
but although 1t admitted the American victory, the
narrative disparaged the effort to such an extent
| that we add herewith communication from the
| American safe makers and an American account
Of the affair.
New 4oRK, September 8, 1867.
| Editors or dte Ne,o York San:
| GENTLEMEN: AS you have given publicity to the
safe trial at Paris from an English point OF view,
we think il no moro than fair that YOU should also
publish the story as seen through American eyes.
The within correspondence is from loOker-on
who no farther interested than to hope per-
haps America might win.
| We think We are fully satisfied as we ought to
be, with the decision OF the jurors in this case,
which were composed OF two English engineers,
| two American and one French, who have awarded
the Herring safe the prize of 1900 francs $4,000 in
| gold), the amount depending on this contest.
But we would like to say further that the two
| 'nteligent Germans" which the London Times
speaks of were two workmen we sent from our fac
| tory here and who have been in our employ for
nearly twenty years.
| Mr.. Horrlng backed them all down on fre-proof
| quality, and it having become generally known
| among the safe exhibitors that our bankers safe
| intended for the Exposition had been damaged in
| trLnshipment, and left at Havre by the American
| Commissioner, our English competitors thought
they could make short work Of the only other safe
which we had on exhibition that laid any claim to
burglar r-proof quality. This was our ordinary fire.
proof safe with small bankers chest inside; and
so confident were the British sate-makers that
they had caught us on an inferior safe, that they
openly stated they would open our safe in two
hours and half, and offered to bet US ten to one
| they would win the wager. 1t was this safe, our
| third-class burglar-proof- taken from among
our stock without any especial seection--that won
the day over the best safe England could pl oduce.
The following is the American" account alluded
| to in the above. being extract from the Paris
correspondent Of the American Artisan
| Tho trial 10 the opening was public as far as
possible, being limited only by the size Of the
| building in which IL took place. Chatwood's men
attacked Herrlngs safe at 2:43 P. NJ. on the 18th,
with wedges and sledge hammers Herring's men
attacked Chatwoods safe with drilling appara-
tus. Al 3:l5 the outside or fire proof-doors Of Her
rings safe were thrown open. At $40 Herring's
men gave up the drilling and, throwing aside
| their drilling apparatus commenced with wedges
and hammers. The cheers which arose from the
| English lookers-on when the outside door Of Her
rings sale was thrown open were loud and hearty;
but they fully equalled by the cheers from the
Americans Though in numbers only as nine to
thiry-fve) when at 1856 the outside plate of steel
of Chatwood's safe was thrown aside by Herrin 6 3
| men thus exposing the outer surface of hard un-
drillabe casting. Fifteen minutes suficed to en-
tlrely remove this formidable ttc dris) material
the process being very much similar to peellng the
| bark from an oak tree.
| Taking look ut Herring's safe, we find Chat
woods men wcdging at the door, apparently with
O good prospect Of getting in-some time or other.
| We hear many spectators rcmarklnG about the
tremendous blows given by one OF Chatwoo1s
men with the sledge he handled it finely, while
| the same persons remarked that the sledge OF
| Herring's men was too heavy, and not one OF the
| party was able to use il to advantage.
At $50 il was evident that both sets OF men were
| becoming exhausted; and this being question OF
safes not men, il was d1rnled advisable to refresh
| the mep. Opera tions ore therefore stopped; and
while the nlau were refreshing themselves the COM
mttee examined both safes, and they came to the
| conclusion that as to security, the merchants and
bankers of America and England were in posi-,
ton to place tEel valuables beyond the reach OF
| ordinary burglar appliance2
| After stopping for As minutes, and each set OF
men declaring that they were ready 10 resume
operations, the signal was given, and then com,
Imenced the exciting times The inner plate and
| door framing of Chatwoods safe were soon IN q
condition TO admit. daylight, but not to admit
mans hand to take out a block of Boed % inches
by inches and inches) which was inside, and
which was duplic ate OF block in Herrings safe
each block having been placed in their respect
i've safes by Chatwood and Herring; and in order
to have no dispute as to what was meant by the
word opening 1T was previously agreed that the
production OF either block OF wood ahGDld be the
only evidence the committee would receive as
proof Of either safe having been opened
The outer part OF the burglar-proof door OF Her
rings safe now showed signs of soon coming OF,
while the inner plate Of GhatwOod's safe showed
similar Indications Neither the committee nor
the public could remain seated. Tools were in bad
condition on both sides, but no new ones could be
admitted. II Herring's men could only have had
one of the two large wedges they had brought, but
which the committee did not allow to be used,
Chatwoods safe would have been opened at once.
The room was very warm the WOrkmen were
sweating and tired; the spectators were excited ;
hundreds of hearts beating with anxiety for the
success OF the safe which represented their side
of the Atlantic for the trial had been 80 very fair
that each person in the building knew taat the
safe which held its block the lJngest would by the
public be considered the best Herring's door felt
the effect Of those tremendous blows SO vel given
by one OF the best strikers lever saw Chatwood 8
amer Plate felt very seriously tho effects OF the
remnants OF wedges and chsels.
rs P. M.-Nearly every one is looking at the
burglar-proof door Of Herring's ssre, expecting
that the ns.t minute will be ite last, the outer
plate yields and falls on the floor, followed by
tremendous cheers from its opponents. Thinking
it was the public reception Of the block which had
been placed in the custody of Herring's safe, the
mon working on Chatwoods safe stopped their
operations for moment and were going to look
at Their favorite, when they were told that the
block was yet behind the fraLLligite lining; and in
about fifteen minutes nine-tenths OF the people
who were watching the Herring door heard some-
thing which made some of them change color
and which made s,ll of them turn around hurried
"; il was the falling CT the inner plate of Chat
woods safe! The block, however, gIas yet behind
the sheet-iron inner lining, which held the FIRE
proof material. crowbar goes suddenly through
this, AID makes hole sufficiently large not only
to admit haIt and arm but to allow the ta.ine
out OF the block Of wood: which could have been
sold on the spot flew Americans ss were present
! to see it, for its weight in silver.
Cheers had been given when the fire proof dool
OF Herring's came oil; again when the outer plate
of ChstwQQds safe cap,e of; again when the outel
plate of Herring's bulglar-proof door came of
again when the inner plate Of ChslwcoQs safe fell
down but at 7.2O when the block taken from
Chatwoods safe was held up for the people to seq
there was in that English testhouse cheel
followed by other cheers which will not attemp
to describe 1--WE had no instrument for measuring
sonnd) but IT made every Amorcan--whether ia
tTe or adopted feel that it was good to be there
Let NE ncw look at Herrings safe the franklin
ito is being wedgod away from the inner plate, ant
the spectators can begin &c see the interior, bu
the opening is smaller than the block Chetwood!
men keep at work on Herrings safe, as the com
mittee decided that in order to Judge of the rela
tive merits, each block must be produced; bu
after working fol- twenty minutes more as it wal
beginning to get dark, il was decided to stop worl
until the next morning.
NeAt day, at II A. Nj. they Recommended and a
III the block was produced tue men who had OBJ
tanned it cheering loudly lhe committee now de
clded that Nj. ChatMonl Lad Thrown his hlncL il