, 1873-08-27
ABOUT VAULTS.
Insecurity Against Robbery Of Many
Chicago Vaults,
The Lesson Of tho Attempt to Rob
the Marine Bank.
Description Of a Few Real Fire and
BurgIar-Proof Vaults.
THE City Infested by Three Mobs
of fBa1l11-Robbers.

of Bank-Robbers.
moro afluHion to tho provcrbiAl dread Of fro
entertained by II younggter mho las experienced
its effects ia quito sufficient Introduction to tho
subject of tho proHont arsicle-yaults. Tho
Bplondid efforts at cremation exhibited by tho
Great Fro in it8 effoctB upon safes was sui1l-
ciont to furco upon tho ownora Of valuable prop
erty dostruotiblo by leat tho absolute necessity
for providing sono means Of protection for their
porislab1o goods. Ono docs not need to tako q
horse and carriage anl inspect the rising monll-
ment roarod by m approciativo city to tho uae-
losancBs Of Safes to be reminded Of tho whole
Balo disgust produced upon baulore, real estate
loalors, brokers, and others, by tho discovery
that their grccubacka aud papers bad been
reduced to oshcs, though safely imbeddod III
steel and comont. The record Of their diHap-
rroval Gun easily DO read In tho thousands OF
imperial buildings which lavo boon raised With
In the past twonty months. a reporter whose
duty 1t was to noto down tle thon rising or pro-
jocted palaces Of commerce during tho grent
Chicago Renaissance, grew tired, i'll hia weary
rounds, of the monotonous announcement,
"vaults on ovory noor." There was not a build
ing but had vaults. They ranged from oil aizcB'
md woro built with ono object in Wow, and TINT
object waB to defy tho hamea of a second possi-
bic contlagration. Bittor experience taught tho
folly OF relying for protection against :" tho
1lend III Ordinary so-calloa hec-
proof aafos." And tho lesson thus
unplcaeantly impressed was emphasized most
forcil,,y bv tin occaaional mnun oP mnsonrv
.p-o'uy ~ ~ o,s"a'n"a n,ao, 'nesoy
Standing efeee ID noap OF 1uposn' anu oe"r1hG
On Its doorlcaB face tho evidence Of its former
Tl.to Ar.3
Tint a,,o drcaf1ed f,ro. nn5 n vn,,1t a1one con1d
sa.o - ,,or ,1,o ,nonov I'D t,,o ,,a,,ora
7a'e ~ no' tuo monos Hnu tno pApe1''
sAFETy FROM FIRE
WAS the only consideration, "Cheap1y, too, must
ye have this safoty.n was tho maxim Of the
au,t,.,1;,,e ,,,t ao,Tt1ooa .,,o,, ,r .o,,,, ~
se"s o"' o1 - w. 41D.n. 1ao
clty' ihoy muS1 nave nre-proo1 doors as "etl Ha
1itt,o a. possible. There is nothing to fcar
sron, o,,,,1,;,, b,,+ Gro ti,o,,S+ +1,o,,
~ n11.. ,.o"ao'9 ,,,4 ~
ean ns"S n4oa "hs'o'nauoou' ~ "u' no
haVe Ill tue odds against ua IN conna-
grafton. Among those who wore guided by this
principle Was tho eroat and good eoutleman who
l,oa ,ono,t1v co,no boforo tho ,n,hIio for o,rr.-
ae 4' Ao-' s' w.. te.uo ~ p'"P"-
would not have dono 80 but for wicked mon.
They must DO wicked mon indoed who would
sh,t their oyoa to tho sterling worth Of that do
vout benefaotor to mankind, aud attempt a rob-
bory OH Elder scanu1on.
ct Of lis follow-eitEens, erected a vory hand
Some building on the corner Of Lake and La-
galle stroots, and, that the "poor and lowly''
might havo' a place to deposit their money,
moved to that bnitding tho Marine Banls. The
haudsono building waa constructed like {,
thousand other handsome buildings In Chicago,
etrong enough to stand for conturios. 1t Inns Its
vaults, nntl fts vaultp woro Aro-proof, and thus
the digninod pl,ilanthropist lmag ined himself
secure The error Of his faith VAS Illustrated On
Saturday. 1Io had laid up his treasure whero
neither moth nor rust could corrupt, and he nc
coYdint}v HppDaed tint thioveH cflllld mt oven
If thoy impio.lsly wished It, break in and steal,
But tie morning papers announced lis mistake.
The danger which Nr. scammon ran of suffering
nt The lands OF q gang Of experienced and
detorn,inoI crackslnol,. IL ono Which tLroatcus
tloprco. W.,;e tho nrpetice Of virtue s ronularly
suppogctl to cngross tlo attention of y coiupara-
tiye1y limited number of mon outside tho ccri-
chi nyofessiou. ordinary peonle will loaru with
euyprlso l tnat ' f0t' ''@@ ~ "''@'
THE PRACTICE OF CRIME
ia tho bread md butter of a very large number,
Kpngory M ip quiet WY H. Of cou1ue, anticipated,
but tat an especial.brarrh of criminal business
should employ the full time brai1s, md oxor-
tion OF a largo number seems astonishing to
tl,uHo whose fI1nilinr;ty with = crooked monn in
limited to tho;r knowledge Of tho doealogue.
Bm,k-robbory is one of thoso PRACTICES which
studied with caro-. The ynluo Of tic booty an-
ticpatcl las It's equivalent in tho
Difficulty OF reaching it. cnd, though
vefy fow Of tho "crooked men," and not 10
oral hundred Thousand dollnrs, if they could tic
diNicuItos arc 50 groat that q few gangs III tho
country have o monopoly Of tho bIsinesa. So
re1nunerntiye a venture wncn it tloos succeed,
viii learn Without astonishnleit, thcrofore that
nearly every largo building IN Chicago ig, in tlo
details Of its construetion thoroughly mapped
out and arrarucl for the bouelit OF these very
uASK-uoBpEus.
1t ia probable TINT tho vulnerable points Of each
arc known, aud That tho fratorality aro ready at
my moment to mako descent upon any
ono particular vault. Their enaaariea