Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-05-01
HOW SAFES ARE BROKEN.
An Authority in Burglary Gives 8 Few In-
 structive Points.

 burglars art:
 Taere 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, I 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 1.-the finest mechanics and inventive geniuses of the world. A full kit of the most approved modern safe-worker's, tools costs about $5, GOO. The modern safe burglar is an exceeding ly keen, intelligent man. He can open a safe having all the modern improvements in from ten minutes to two hours without the aid of explosives, and by only slightly defaclng 1t. Sometimes he leaves scarcely a mark.
 A first class modern safe, whether large or small, generally has double outside and inside doors, with a steel chest Ill the bot tom, forming really 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 conical bolts, having left hand threads, after which the heads of the bolts are cut off, leaving what is virtually a solid piece of steel, which no drill can pen citrate. The best locks are of the com bination type, with time-lock attachment. h 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 guardian which in cities is either an electric protective bureau or central po- cfofin rl months, are spent in putting up job of magnitude, and often number of smaller jobs are done to carry out one where the proceeds may run up in to 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 a 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 arc 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 favorable night.
 Then the bank burglar proper appears. He has usually three assistants. The gang never appears until the night of the rob- bery, 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- CT him. A ''crow'' is next planted outside, or in an upper window, if there be one, to give notlce, by means of signals or 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. It 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 a spreading force of many tons. This tool, "the persuader," is | inserted ID the most minute crack or drill hole, and, properly blocked at the right | time, will force the strongest safe door open l with sound no louder than an ordinary | tire-cracker will make. The outer and | inner doors open, if there be a time lock on | the chest, small dynamite cartridge is | placed opposite, a detonating fuse lighted | and the outer door closed. The jarring | caused by the explosion, which makes a | noise scarcely as loud as pistol shot, dis 1 arrange the works of the time lock. which runs down and is useless, the clock running 2 down with exactly clocks sound when it is doing the same. The heavy outer door of the vault being closed, scarcely an audible sound reaches the street.
 When drilling is necessary a light, com. pact machine, which fits the combination | dial plate, and which rapidly drills a small l hole above the water rim of the combination 1 dial plate, is used. A small steel broach is | 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 OK. 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 ''crow'' looks like the bar which holds the "manhole'' plate of steam boiler in place, and is | worked on precisely the same principle.
 Should it be necessary to ''wedge' safe open, modified form of the old ''drag" is used. It is a light but rigid Gnd 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 a screw-threaded bolt, with 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 section-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'
 in place, the result is but question of time Walter Scott's Works.
 Never was there more healthful anC
 health ministering literature than tha
 which Scott gave to the world, says An
 drew D. White ln Scribners Magazine. TC
 go back to it from Flaubert, and Daudet
 and Tolstoi is like listening to the song o1 the lark after the shrieking passion of the