New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-08
LOST SAFE COMBINATIONS

81 am going to PROFOUND to You c0nun-
drum" SAID TRIBUNE reporter casually TO safe man.
Wealh Which receive weekly should purchase from
you your safes and in the furry and agitation OF
INV nerves consequent upon getting unexpected n-
crease should throw the lock of the combination what
should l. could l. ought to do ~ Ine manufacture
melOdionsly for half minute Then nc bFoSe out mo
sarcasm 10 t1nE taS ypp h re TRInrsE
Well we'll that beats ALL NY friend rom THE ThiBUNF
eonbm natl You see that safe there You see that
dal.pate which twiddle round to set the c0nOlha
ton and the knob which acts the number aud wcI is
in technical phrase end of the spindle or arboT as y
often called. Now. II Colonel Paine wanted 70 do such
a thing he could II there was room enough. put his
cable round that spindle and twist 1t as his
sheavcs are tweIed. and it. would not produce any
effect upon the combination" "Oh indeed" retorte1
he reporter perhaps YOU win kindly listen 10
In real hfe reported by live newspaper In POugn-
beepsic giving names aud facts with Journalistic eX-
Mr. Yarick Of the Poughkcepsie National Bank has
been in the employ OF the concern as teer for many
Years auu went recently holiday Before lie lett the
bank he explained the ssy Of turning the lock 10
ii fbe combinations The cashier, Mr. George CornWel
and the other employees or the banG presumed lIiek
understood me combination thorouShy any Woui ,
have difficulty III opening the 5aIt nj. CorhWSii
with confident air and qlck step rusheo to TAG sdle
grasped the handle OF the lOck WIN suuieh IsIh an
TWIST but the safe door refused To badge GA NJ knees
be IL to examine INTO tle inricacs Of the thing
a. There there" said the manufacturer, pteOusly,
"don't read any more OF that stuff"
''Why not e asked the repOricr Of TIE TRIBUNE tins
m Il equine a0'"S"U 'i oa ,''' mon 80 ,'o
",
ana fabrication. don't know the circumstance OF IIs
case but you MAY rely upon That tho tSumIJI5 teller
went of his vacation NltIOut communicating
TO any oae the comb nation ana theJ had 10 sem
Tor some one tear the SAFE 10 pieces For thats al
thai can b. done under INC circuD stances VIII mr.,
explain 20 YOU Wdta CON llhdloh - an i, WIN 80
YOU AN incident In real iiio somewhat similar to yunr
POUghkeepsic lcgcnd, but thoroughly authentic III al! us
This Il one of our safesa Butler burglar proof On
the dial plate surrounding the kuoo of the spindle ar
numOcr5 from one 10 IA hundred. TINS j. ou-t amber
ock To open this IT will be Necessary Tor re 10 know
numbers there lockout must 80 al .tiln KNOW tae
secret OF The movement Tor mat We Will SET this az ID.
70, 80, 81 and bolL t"ri ne diai plate rounl Hyo
lines 10 the efs and bring IL TO H. tAel set l. 20 10;
Itwil II four to the right ard bnn; il u - and
10 so aud set it Inov wirl twice to tue wgnt and bng
il TO and set IT, Now the tumbtr are all otck, but tie
poIf remains tWlr il 10 the left and tAJt thrOvs
back the lockbol' and the tiug is done Sow come time
ago in the Cy of Reading the cashier o. tic krystOne
National Bank thought II would b. prudent tdiug
change the numbers 81 the c0lnbinauou. suspicious
characters had been noticed about the bank. and he
Thought there was remote possibility that be might
nave been watched setting TIE combination or tnat
burglar spy might have seen him writing down the
Geposited tue bit OF paper in his desk, which he locked
securely and then huraed the memorandum IN the
they were sufficiently strong to make MIN change tn
numbers: but unfortunately he did not write them
he found that he mixing Inc Old nlmbcTs with Tie
new ones. lie went home dreaifuly distube4, cheer
inc himself however with the belief that his brain
would be all clear IN the morning ana tDI tAa hures
would come to his recollection. In TINS he was mis-
were teegraphed TO- and sent down an expert with an
assistant wueu he reached the scene OF action he saw
actrers left soft spot IN our saIes Tor Just slcn
emergencies, and thai We could open tHe safe ~ the
yyukuug oil an eye. our explained 10 the a2iiate1
president that ddnt do anything OF the kind, or oar
antagonists, the burglars would soon MAKE shorG worh
ulacures Then ne wanted our man to guess the com
binaon, but the expert soon convinced nun i4at the
nos,ible number OF combinations considerably
100 OOO 0O0 and the presidn concluded that ne was
TOO shOr and the bank ~ TOO great hurry tJfls FUNDS
f1sa ne
so here was nothing left but for man to turn
brrsis NJ He was assisted by Mr. Heckendorf the
sperJDtendent OF the Wilhelm Machine Works, OF Road
inp Who ironght with him seven strappng fellows with
se1ees and drills Theu began the contest between
safe and Ten men, which is famous In Reading and will
Diafe with short punch feeling for soft spots but did
not find any They then began TO dfll squarey IN the
eSnsructed OF alternate plates Of vepy aud soft iron,
for the reason that the burglar by using bloW-ppe
upon steel could take an tne temper o9G o. IT. 9s tnS
thai the soft takes OF the biowppe heat ana keeps
IT. being good conductor of heat and the steel remains
maltered Five-ply is combination OF thin plates OF
IRON aud chrome steelbree Of the former two OF the
hnreIars When Heckendorf and our expert commenced
drilling the latter was by no means so ssngune OF sue
Ss @nsIfies of chrome steel which is past ques-
ton the hardest and toughest metal known 10
science For sixteen hours they drilled away at the
naie without being able penetrate tine first section Of
nye pIy. They we're never able 10 go through the
Chrome steel The safe grinned at them through the
cafs npon It's front where they had drilled so vany.
"Then Mr. Hsckend0rt sat down TO thlnk u over. Az
last he jnnped up and said the anxious president
can do H. but IL will take time The safe IA TOO much for
Sos acfno,y edge We can do nothing with the out
SIDE that 10 clear. But If take long punches and
hammers and pound upon the dosr the continual
vibration Viii at last shstter the steel bolts ana they
viii drop on inside And that will be better for you
because you viii then only need new lock 70 your SAFE
The president said, Go ahead FOR Geds sake -
Then the battle renewed. The braWny men
worked spells OF fifteen minutes each at tne sedges ana
pounded on the door for forty bours aud then the bolts
dropped inside being completely dlsnteated aud un-
laninzted by the continuous shocks ~ was Just the
came az the Wearing out steel rail- by the continuous
pressure OF car wheels which In time crystszss even
the best steel We begged them TO let Us have the sae
Offering 10 give them new one but the President was
not wiling He let us have the external plate though'
and here IL L."