New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-08-07
A Monster Safe.

A l10nstcf Safes
J. At No. 81 Camp street. where the Louisi-
ana Savings Bank and Safe Deposit Com
pany, is to be located, there is now in process
| of erection an iron safe, which, when fin
ished, will be one Of the largest safes in the
country, if not the very largest. The walls
| will be eighteen feet long by twenty feet
broad and ten feet in height, with an arched
roof thirteen feet high in the center. The
weight of the whole structure will be one
hundred and seventy-tive tons, and it will
cost fifty thousand dollars. The safe is de-
signed to be proof against fire and burglars;
and no one can examine the material and the
workmanship without being convinced that
it is all that it claims to be. The foundation
is laid in concrete cement four feet beneath
the surface of the ground, upon which
floor composed Of plates Of heavy iron is
laid. over which are girders of wrought iron
filled in with concrete cement.
The girders are connected together by
steel plates six inches in length, and upon
this the upper floor is fastened. This floor
is composed of plates of wrought iron and
steel, five in thickness, each plate being a
quarter Of an inch thick. This main floor
alone weighs 19, 800 pounds.
being fre-proof and the inside burglar-proof
The outside wall, however, though claiming
only to be 6re-prOof, would undoubtedly
give burglar considerable trouble to get
through it. 1t ia composed of heavy pan
nelled plates of wrought iron, securely fast
ened to a rim connected with the floor
The inner or burglar proof wall is. like the
floor, composed OF plates Of quarter inch
iron and steel, five thick. These plates are
fastened not only by rivets. but the main
fastening is cOnical steel "arbor." the
effect of all of which is to Join the plates
together as if they were originally of one
piece, the fasteniugs for each plate num-
bering sixty-ive. Between the outer Tor
tireproof) and inner Tor burglar proof walls,
the space-nine inches-will be filled in with
concrete cement, which of itself becomes
SO hard that it is no trife to penetrate it.
The wall, when complete, will be eleven
and half inches thick, Of which two and
half inches will be wrought iron and steel.
The door of the safe, which is the only
opening, is composed OF very massive iron
and steel plates, SO fastened together as to
make them the same as one piece.
1t is made fast by a species of dovetail
patent, very difficult to comprehend and
more difficult still to unfasten. The princi-
pie appears to be that the more YOU want it
the more it won't, the harder you try to
loosen it the more Obstinately it remains
shut. The safe will contain upward Of
three thousand boxes 70 hold cash or valua-
bles. Twenty-Five hundred of these will be
secured by combination lock of peculiar
structure, the other five hundred having
key locks with two keys apiece. each Of
which will be different from all the others.
The main door, among a multiplicity of tas
Jennings, is secured by patent .chronOme-
ter lock- This lock costs two hundred and
fifty dollars, and its security from being
opened by the wrong man is owing to its
capacity for countless changes-numbering
so the manufacturers say. SASS, So, 664-
eight billions four hundred and eighty
three millions five hundred and eighty
seven thousand six hundred and sixty-fOur !!
This monster safe was manufactured by
Mr.. Hall. of Connecticut. the celebrated
manufacturer of safes, for the sale of which
Messrs Folger & Co., OF New Orleans, are
the agents. 1t was brought here. and is
being pat up under the superintendent OF
Mr.. c. +. Hesser. 1t viii take about a
month vet to finish it. the work being done
by Mr.. Halls own wOrkmen. who came with
the safe for the purpose.
To open this safe 10y violence will be one
of the inpossibihties for no agency or com
bination of means could suffice TO enter it
in any one night-it might be safe TO say in
any one week-even if understood