Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-05-08
HOW SAFES ARE BROKEN.
An Authority In Burglary Gives q Few In
atructiRa Points.

The Boston Herald gives an interesting
account by Pittsburgh authority in the
burglars art:
There are in this country just about an
even score Of men whom no bank vault or
safe, however strong, can resist. To reas-
sure society, 1 will say that more than half
of these are safe behind prison bars. Safe
breakers have more than kept pace with
improvements in safes, including time locks
chilled steel chests of eight or nine thick
nesses and electric protective attachments.
Their tools are made by some of the finest
mechanics and inventive geniuses of the
world A full kit of the most approved
modern safe-worker's. tools costs sbout
$1,000
The modern safe burglar is an exceeding
~ keen, intelligent man. He can open q
safe having all the modern improvements
In from ten minutes to two hours without
the aid OF explosives, and by only slightly
oelacing IL. Sometimes he leaves scarcely
mark.
A first class modern safe, whether largo
or small. generally has double outside and
inside DOORS with a steel chest In the bot
tom, forming really a safe within safe,
the INSIDE one being the stronger. The
outside door is usually either stuffed - or
skeleton" The inside one is made OF
eight or nine sheets, of different temper, Of
the finest steel. These sheets are bolted
together with conicaI bolts, having left
hand threads, after which the heads Of the
bolts are cut OF, leaving what is virtually
solld piece of steel, which no drill can
penetrate. The best locks are Of the COM
blnation type, with time-lock attachment
In both cities and towns safes containing
the most valuables have an electric alarm
attached. Any tampering with it will COM
municate the fact to the owners or the
safes lardlan, which in cities is either an
electric protective bureau or a central po-
nee station. Weeks, and sometimes even
montns, are spent in putting up job Of
magnitude, and often a number Of smaller
JOBS are done to carry out one where the
proceeds may run up into the tens OF thou
sands of dollars.
Keys are fitted to every door which stands
between the street and the bank vault by
means OF thin sheet of brass, as near as
possible the same size as the keyhole, and
covered with thin coat of carbon, which
may be applied with match. A dozen en-
frances may have to be made to the bank
before it Is finally robbed. A key is fitted
first to the outer door. This course is
continued until keys are had Of every
door leading to the vault. Having the
watchman and officials of the bank down
fine, one of the last things to do is to select
a favorable night.
Then the bank burglar proper appears.
He has usually three assistants. The gang
never appears until the night of the rob-
berry, and then not till eleven or twelve
O'Clock. If there is a watchman, his habits
and disposition have been carefully noted,
and, having access to the bank by keys, it
is an easy matter to surprise and overpow-
er him. A ''crow'' is next planted outside.
or in an upper window, if there be one, to
give notice, by means of signals or a cord
reaching to the workers, of the approach of
patrolmen or chance passers- by. A regu-
lar code OF signals Is used, telling when to
cease operations and seek cover, and when
to resume work.
Next is brought into use the simplest and
yet strongest and most complete tool for
the purpose. 1t is six inches in length and
two inches in diameter at one end, tapering
to nothing at the other. It is pear shaped,
and thread extends from end to end It
is made of Muchet's tool steel, the best in
the world. A second wedge-shaped tap
works inside this tool. When this tap is
screwed home it exerts spreading force Of
many tons. This tool, "the persuader," is
inserted lu the most minute crack or drill
hole, and, properly blocked at the right
time, will force the strongest safe door open
with sound no louder than an ordinary
fre-cracker will make The outer and
inner doors open, if there be a time lock on
the chest, 9 small dynamite cartridge is
placed opposite, a detonating fuse lighted
and the outer door closed. The jarring
caused by the explosion, which makes q
noise scarcely as loud as pistol shot, dis
arrange the works of the time lock. which
runs down and is useless, the clock running
down with exactly clocks sound when it
IL 60in the 10 a.,
the vault being closed, scarcely an audible
sound reaches the street.
When drilling is necessary q light, com.
pact machine, which fits the combination
dial plate, and which rapidly drills q small
hole above the water rim Of the combination
dial plate, is used. A small steel broach il
then inserted and the combination knob
turned until the tumblers are brought into
position, thus permitting the "dog" or bar
to drop. A turn of the handle shoots the
bolts back and the door swings open
If the operators find on entering the vault
that the steel chest is an improved one, they
then proceed to 'strip' it. Sheet after
sheet is taken of until the works are ex-
posed. This is done by using ''crow,"
which is sectional-that is, it may be ex-
tended or contracted, as may be necessary.
To an ordinary observer the t'crow'' looks
like the bar which holds the .'manhole''
plate of a steam boiler in place, and u
worked on precisely the same principle.
Should it be necessary to t'wedge" q safe
open, a modified form of the old Hdragp Is
1sed. 1t is light but rigid and strong
steel bar, sectional, as to suit different
sized safes, and for ease in transportation,
which clamps the outer side Of the safe.
Through the bar is run q screw-threaded
bolt, with a ball JOINT at one end for re-
ceiving wedge. On the other end is worked
railroad wrench, used by track hands for
Tightening rails, and which can be procured
from any railroad -sction-house With
wedging and blocking, no door can resist
this instrument. Sometimes miniature
railroad ''jack,' such as engineers carry, is
substituted. A heavy cleat is firmly fast
ened in proper position and placed on the
floor. The wedge in the crack, the "jack'