New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-11-26
THE NEW BANKING ROOM
THE MAMMOTH VAULT
THE SAFE DEPOSIT COMPANY

As the new banking room of the LOuisi-
ana Savings Bank will to-day be thrown
open to the public, we have taken pains to
collect such facts regarding it and the great
vault as would be interesting to our readers.
The building is different from anything in
the city, and has been erected from designs
by Mr.. James Freret, architect in charge.
The front is highly ornamental, succeed, of
light brown color, and of style Dor
rowed from the French and Italian. En-
tering a large and imposing doorway, We
come into % banking room that, for comfort
and elegance, is unsurpassed IN the South.
The ceiling is twenty-five feet in height,
with grained arches and heavy cornice run
ming around the whole. The centre is sur
mounted by lofty dome, from the middle of
which pours down food of light over the
whole room. The .ornamentation is in ex-
quisite taste, and the general effect Of all is
chastc beyond description. The banking
department is fitted with desks, etc, all Of
solid black walnut, and in the highest style
of the cabinet-maker's art. All the glass
used is heavy plate. But the most striking
object is the great vault, which has at
tr;.cted 80 much interest during the past
three months, and been visited by thousands
from every section OF the country. This
vault occupies nearly the entire width of
the building. and is eighteen feet wide by
twenty deep, and thirteen feet high in the
centre. 1t is strictly fire and burglar proof.
To give some idea Of its size, the largest Of
the safes made for mercantile Or bank pur-
poses weigh from ten to fifteen tons, and
cost from three to eight thousand dollars,
while this weighs nearly two hundred and
fifty tons, and cost fifty thousand dollars.
When it was decided to construct this
great work. Mr.. Van NOrden, the Vice
President of the company, visited various
Northern cities, and after careful inspec-
ton Of the different vaults and safe work at
the North, reported in favor of Halls Safe
and Lock Company, Of Cincinnati. 4 con-
| tract was accordingly made, and ten months
, allowed in which to complete the structure
| and the whole has been done to the salts
| faction of the officers of the company and
| the thousands of our best citizens who have
| watched the progress OF the work.
The vault is placed on a solid brick foun-
| datiOn. laid in concrete cement, four feet
below the surface. The outside casing ia
| made OF heavy plate iron, the joints being
! covered with wide iron bars, which
| panels on all sides. Between this and the
| inner casing or burglarproof is a space ten
| and one-half inches thick on bottom, top
| and all sides, filed with concrete, fre-proof
! cement nearly as hard as granite.
| Then comes the burglar-proof, made of
| alternate plates of wrought iron and drill
proof crystal steel, five in number. These
are fastened together by countersunk ma
| chine screws, each screw passing through
LOTT nd hall MT fha hur
not through it, making one solid, impenetra-
| bic wall. The plates are additionally Sc
| cured by Halls patent cOnical welded iron
and steel arbors, which pass through the
whole series of plates, and are securely
fastened on the inside.
! The inside of the vault contains thirty
five hundred small safes, of various dimen-
! sions, from the size of an ordinary bank box
| up to two feet square, and nearly as deep.
Twenty-Five hundred of these safes are fitted
each with three-tumbler combination lock,
| and the remainder with brass tumbler key
locks.
| The main entrance is secured by pair OF
massive burglar-proof doors, secured by two
combination locks of the largest size and
finest workmanship, one Of them being what
| is known as the ''chrOnOmeter'' lock. Out
| side of these are two enormous tire-prOOt
doors, with another combination lock of the
same description. One of these locks is ca
pable of four hundred thousand changes. and
| all together of tifty-three million changes.
| The corners of the vault, the burglar
proof doors, and the frame surrounding
them, are made upon the neY principle
patented by the Hall Company, OF dove
failing the plates composing the body OF the
safe. A continuous line of ''dove-tails" and
corresponding sockets run along the edges
of doors and doorway, and system of al
terpate lemons and corresponding grooves
maHlng it all absolutely '.wedge-proof."
The burglar-prOOf doors are secured by
thirty-twO extra heavy movable bolts
which are in turn secured to the doors by
massive wrought-iron frames, with conical
| welded iron and steel arbOrs, passing
through them, and through the combined
| plates of the doors. Each piece Of the
material used in the construction of thi:
monster place of deposit, was carefully
selected and separately put to every test
known to science, and under the immediate
supervision of gentlemen who have devoted
their whole attention to this department..
No chrOnOmeter could be put together
| with more care. The material is equal t,
the design, and the design to the improved
mechanism and enlarged requirements o
| modern times. The locks of the patent
used have never been picked. though
famous lock-picker, with all the tools an,
appliances of the most skilled safe burglars
worked twenty-five hours, extendin:
through eight days; and a noted expert trie,
in vain to pick the Chronometer' lock
acith the combination before him, not KNOWN:
the peculiar features that no other loci
possesses.
The work of setting up and putting to
gether this vault has taken a gang of skillc,
workmen from the factory, with thei- fore
man, nearly three months and nearly eigh
months time of all the men that could b.
operated upon it was consumed in its con
struction in Cincinnati.
1t reqnired sixteen freight cars for it
| transportation hither in sections ant
nearly two hundred and fifty barrels ce
ment were used in the iire-proOf. The tota
weight is about 100000 pounds. The door
and front are relieved from an appearance
Of heaviness by the rich and elaborate
character of their mouldings and design
the whole being finished with paintin.
beautiful and artistic.
The directors are Messrs. j. S. Copes
Henry Peychaud, John 5. Walton, w. II
Thomas, David Wallace, w. II. Holcomb'
and w. Van Norden. Mr.. Van NOrden wa
the originator of the enterprise, in conneo
ton with the late A. u. Grief and Mr.
John 8. Walton. The company starts un
der fattering auspices, and every prospec
| of a successful career.
The Collector Of Customs at Eastport
| Maine writea to the Treasury Departmen