The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-10-19
SECRETS OF SAFES.
simple Means by which An Export Can
6aaster Anv C-onabinaaioa Lock.

Prom the Denver News.
The question az to the bu~rRlar-proof
qualities of locks and safes il Of fairly
general interest, and with n view Of OBJ
tanning some information OH this point
w. r. Ensign, who, during the past week,
in conjunction with 'Spike" Hennessey,
has nightly burglarisinR n safe in the
melodrama 1.-THE Stowaway," was inter
viewed. Ensign il q man Of medium
stature, slight figure. nervous manner
with q passion for mechanics, and has
made many inventions, some of which
arc In general use. He H. modest and un-
assuming, but speaks with u confidence
apparently derived from q full knowledge.
He seems to he an authority ON safes and
locks, and has innumerable certificates
from banks and state officials throughout
opening Of safes whose combinations had
~ have been," said Ensign, "a safe and
and have BEEN on the Pacific slope during
the past 20 years. My business consists
i'm the testing Of safes and locks in various
picEsb asp Saaiisie sae OF lo oaH .'1 i can , .sy 1 sR.t
up to the time I went 70 the Pacific coast I
had picked every combination lock made,
and hat without injuring then}Ock. And
through my having shown mat certain
locks could. he picked. many have been
fnr fssS ~. as,a oce en%' National sa / San ahs in n" Ss.
lar Schinborne. Two officials only
S St che .n ss"h tho k"s amount sss stolen; ss !
was -$75O,OOO; suspicion fell upon those
who knew the combination as the lock
offered to pick the lock and did 30; there
were 300 lumber on h dial. and ! did
not injure the lock one particle. told
the lock was S~chinborne, but he got away
10 Europe. A box wa sent to the chief OF
police in Which was SaoO.ooo IN rsRisss n;
borne was not a nechan nor a lock ex-
pert, yet he had learned how to open that
1 guaranteed to plea any combination
lock then i'm use within forty-ffve minutes.
I got nothing for proving that the conn
the bank officers from suspicion. I was a
fool to trust to their generosity.
I" A bank in Bennington, VT. was robbed
the combination being the presidents son,
who was thus suspected. went there
and picked the c1mbinasion iesk b Hnd was
that be had spent a month at the hotel
he picked about the country do not
know, but he got away after doing these
unpickable combination locks: l consider
non-lockout timers ! consider worthless.
OF the present combination locks now IN
use three or four of the makes are no bet
ter than the one that was used ON n
Ocean National bank i'm 1879. A combine
ton lock consists of a series of tuInblers
worked by a spindle anu ar.~1Ss o wneg,.
ment, and many of them, apart from their
nickel plating, are very crude and no bet
md 0uaiity OF many of these combination
locks In due to the careless indifference of
the makers. who take the chances OF not
more thsn one in Soo OF their safes being
what Ia the micrometer proof attach
msnt -us,., 3. ,,,.cd
70 prevent the use Of the micrometer All
INSTRUMENT with indexa arrows which can
which arrows will show the thickness and
variations OF the tumblers. The one l
have IL the most perfect of it's kind. A
try to furnish good work, but h majority
dc not. Some OF the combination locks
have q sound like the chime of a bell, and
the combinations themselves frequently
run in grooves, SO that l can pick some
You Consider that safe burglary. is a reeu
.ss.ler: men are s.ssssa rags. . SSs
combisa.ion locks and a really strong
safe. There il a weak point in almost
ssysry :.is and md. ! Is. can n,a find 81 i . ssrY i :oe sS.
soon discover this. The burglar knows &
TO 90 .s a@a that in tryi IN to pick a lock i use !
physician's stethoscopc. The material in .
burglar proof safe In too heavy; ther,
IN nO ne1se6BIty VI w octuk ~
GOOD material il put in. And all tn
heavy bolt work which you see about TIN
inside doors of n safe IL useless apar
from the two bolts which are in the sides
The rest catches the eye, but does no
make the safe any stronger. ! can drill
through anything with my drills. ! vii
10 through two average steel plates u
thirty minutes; with some IL will TAX
longer. I have q secret process OF TEN
DeriuR my drills which / discovered b.
studying a Kit Of burglar tools, SO tina
some Of the burglars know II, too. It's
s.Burnlars get their information con
corning safes by visiting safe factorie
ami studying the makes OF safes, pretend
ing to he purchasers. and i know OF a
least one Instance where they bought
safe for $500. drilled IL all over tn discove
is weak points, and within . short tim
ave banks which had these safes wer
robbed. .
bank burglars are, / can tell you the TO
lowing: Several of them had planned Z
rob . bank i'm Kingston, N. Y. and bride
the Waterman for the key. He. &C
scared and they gave it bock Z
him. They knew he had informe
the police authorities and that th
bank was 10 he guarded the night OF th
robbery. But they determined TO carr
out their scheme-they got into the ban
as intended, gaRRed the watchman, robbie