The New York herald., 1870-01-22
BANK BURGLARS.
How TAsy DO Their Woris Letter from tiIo
Cashier or the Gicn's Falls Bank.

How Thny DO Their Work Letter from tito
Cashier OF the Gicn's Falls Bank.
The following from the cashier OF the Gems
Fails National Bank ILLUSTRATES how bank burglars
manage TO blow open safes and successfully carry
OH their contenis:-
CT EMS FALLS. Jan. l3, 1870.
DEAR ois-hayna received iroia various oann
oincefs ana oners dnlerent IONS OF the cpuu-
Try letters oi Inquiry slnar ~ yours of the otn Inst,
IN regard 10 lhe robbery OF tnis bank on the morn
ing OF the 7th and as tcre Is yet wider ana more
puuiic interest la the nat.er take tnls meinod "
replying.
our banking house entered about midnight.
prooaoy, Dy iorcias opea Gle rear door with
.Jilily." ihe burg uL prucec Jed 10 cover
All the windows closely wltn tn,cs army blankets,
dampcned, Tor the douDe purpose OF hiding neir
usnI ad dea Gang tae relosts OF The explosions
Tue vault was protected Dy two OF Lilies
doors--,ne ouler ones OF ched uon. Two incnes IN
tnicAness, the inner OF single tnicK boiler pate.
Tue chamuer or space between the two sets
is say, eighteen lncues deep and taree feet vide.
Wcuaes were inser.ei b,,ween cue Outer doors
ullu the service suicleut To allow the pow
der tsoue 0I when was OF tue dncness OF marble
dust to be clown or otuerwise Cotton through
inIo THIS space. the crevIce then ughty
| cakeo, and ine fuse aopacd Toe explosion oro
aprt tae poits una tiie ryeted rastenings through
winch they worked, aud the doors lnro wa BACK
upon their hinges with renendous Iorce smashing
Tue casigs ana Embedding tue handles IN lie ssdid
misonfy. The inside doors were next opened py
DtihS wrencneu from the hinges with powerful
'limhi,s." large Lilies safe, with doors one and
one-aail Inches tn,ck, nov appeared The wedges
were ugain ap p3hei-tns tiue AT the iops OF lne
doors-the powder insered, and blast No. blew Lhe
/
and hoal strongnota OF tue inntis-a bacon's sieel
| safe nianuacCurej Tor us ABOUT ,ncre years ago,
ana httn2 tue inside OF tue Lane as closely ptas-
ucaDle.
| ins safe is composed OF five aIterna.e layers OF
Ton ahe steel, and Is di.ided Into an upper and
| lower compartment. eacn secured u 'GoverLu
| lock. the hrst move upon 1t uncover TIE
'spndle OF the ioeS preparatory 70 IA atienpt 20
utise Az through, ana 80 cect an opeaing; bnL LLs
| MAS presently ieiI ~ hkeo % pro.c a ''oai jcDs
and resort asliu nad to tue eaI already eia-
cicAt IN the serves o the villains Tue wedges were
introduced most effectively a. the SIDE or the lower
door nearest The handle as that side vi tue safa
shows That 1t WAS b.tay sprung uy Them. Tue pow
der was again insetted al the fuse lIshted Dug be-
iorc the explosion Tue outer vault doors were closed
| AS they How open the concussiou the SAT-
| door, weighing several hundred pounds struck ono
vi them and g,aiccd oil llilo the bLnkng rooul,
crashing ito The moor some eight eet sron where it
| started.
| As soon ~ the smoke cleared away the booty
which the roobeis sougnt became visioie as 1t VAS
IN TINS compartment tnaL the .reseryen OF lep al
| teniers was kept with s~cn prtvate papers securi-
aes &C. is nilsnt chanee 10 oe IA our possess.o On.
| lne gieenOacka, directly exposed Jney were 70
| Ia. aeuJn OF the powder, must have been badly
burned, as fragments OF u si,ooJ Din, witn many
otAeis or smaller denon.inatioas Iouua In aud
| about the sale. package o: 81 900, not much
di nased, was discovered under one OF the fallen
| doors, wnere 1t nad been blown ey the explosion.
fne uppcf section o the safe was yea intact. In TINS
were lour TIN tiiis, holding he iunas, notes, &c. In
daily Use. Two OF these rested upon the bottom Of
the conpartnlens and tue olnsr tso on an on snelf
suUdlviulg 1t. The burglars attacKed the partition
| between tue two sectons aud succeeded m partially
| prylns IL uown and IN craving one oi tue ttiis
| containing few hundred dollars III bls. AZ tnls
particular time tney must nave taken sudden leave,
| as everything else WAS undlsturUed although q
| short tlne would have sulilced clean QUIZ tho
upper compartment
| nave FUZZY detailed the facts In this matter
and as nearly as ! am enabled 10 from the closest
| scrutiny, because it Is due tne oucers aud
10 the publ,c should be known iust aal these
professional burg are anie 10 du order II pos
| sble mat some adequate security mas be provided
against tnein nat the constantly increasing cost
Ingenuity and care expended construc ion OF
/ locks and sales Is psing constantly met by cor
responding increase oi SSil the part OF .Opera-
L ilTn 1Al Iur
burglar proof" AS appiico 10 these nended pro
| tectous, seem yet To he almost 4 misnumer set
| ting ASIDE the matters oI tine ana an unaeepna
| vigilance
| II seems strange, to be sure that in a town ike
this three such blasts as tore aud scattered ye
| conDiuations VI iron ana steel as Al they
mousse, the breaking OF windows ana all tn
| unusual noises alu dstlroances aGCen laut
| the laid should nave attracted little ~
| tiat notbing was known vi the aIlair untl t.u
| entered Lie bank, amer seven O'Clock. LuL BIAS
| aud perhaps we are 10 sleeper thnn other {
ni,ies where there are banking houses with Il
| internal securiLy than ouls.
l believe with you IN the necessity aud pr
OF some carly, concentrated and earnest ac M -
regard 10 tile matter oI national banks ttlose a..
| country especially bcm Obliged Dy 10 olIsf a
| premium ou Just such operations rs tnis oil wnen
we nave Deen made ne victims. Bat FOL tue know-
edge, conipulsorly Tree alike to honest men aud
Iiieses, that sales Held SO 90 legal tender
notes, We snoud not have been loDDeJ, Deealsc tue
ordinary amount al usabe funds in tle Vault or any
couDtry bank ls nOs tndacenent enough Tor 'lrsi
cass' burglars 10 RISK their precious IN lives aud
liberty for AZ IL ~, there loss ~ tao sad
" tlls business community greater, venture "a
| say, than would have oeen entdlei upon ID .y tle
| business OF twice twenty years untram.gced by
arDurary eX1ctlons ike tnis OF grecnDacS tcserve. y
| Yours truy, WILLIAM a. MAIf. Cashier.
| To JAMES THOMSON, PRESIDENT OF Cam0sIge la..ey
Bank