The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-03-01
CORRESPONDENCE.
a Proper Receptacle for the Land
Records of the Town of Bennington
Naxu Co ta mr. NOt

ga New Safe or NOt.o
To The Editor of The Bdnner.-DEAR
SIR:-The 18th article of the warning is
sued by the Selectmen for our annual
March meeting reads as follows
ITO see if the town will vote to au-
thorize the Selectmen to purchase suit.
able safe for the preservation of the
books and records in the Town Clerks
office"
Some facts in regard 10 that subject
would not perhaps he inoppertune, for
there are many in the town who are not
acquainted with the precarious and dis
graceful condition of the matter. II it
were not so, the voters and especially
property holders would long ago have
seen to it that our valuable records
(some Of the earliest, If not the very
earliest and most valuable in the State,)
were surrounded with proper safe
guards We cannot imagine the real
loss if they were destroyed by fire or
otherwise, for when it takes years and
thousands of dollars to establis in
court, titles or boundary lines, with free
access to the records how would 1t be
without these records; litigation would
drive us all out and the lawyers would
take our places. Pardon this slight di-
erosion, we will now mention some
facts in the case.
1st. In the seven years of my connec-
ton with the Town Clerks office, the
safe has not been once locked; that is to
say, the five bolts in one door could not
be moved into their corresponding re-
ceptacles in the other door on account
of the warping Of the doors out of true
and the next best thing is done which is
the locking up of the key hole, and is
done by hinged rap or bar Of iron
fastened to the record door and by its
hinge allowing it to be placed over the
KEY hole in the first door, and also over
a staple which prOtrudes enough to lock
it in place by the use of a paddock, thus
doing what some thirty five years ago,
the makers OF the safe intended, merely
locking up the key hole, after the safe
was properly locked, but now left IN
locked.
Cd. When both doors are closed as
tight as may be, one can easily insert
silver half dollar in the crevice over and
at the side of the doors, resembling in
this respect somewhat the penny toy
safes as it is easier to put material IN
than to get 1t out, making it dangerous
to direct a stream OF water on the safe.
for it would fill the safe with water as
the doors jam at the bottom.
81. To get into the safe after unlock
ing the key hole, the first door is pried
open by the use Of an axe and helve,
then said axe, in connection with block
of wood which is placed against the bot
tom of the second door, to prevent mar
ing this beautiful safe by the terrible
and repeated blows through said axe,
welded by the clerk, in order to jar the
bolts enough to allow of feeble spring
in said door, throwing the bolts back and
unlocking the door
4th. The doors being opened there is
exposed to view a space not large
enough by one half, much valuable mat
ter representing hundreds Of dollars
being in consequence left out and in my
humble opinion much safer out than in.
also exposing large rust eaten holes in
the door jams and large rents in the
should be solid frame of both doors,
through which and out, nearly one half
the packing has ratified, making it utter
y useless against fire, and as equally