The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-02
SECRETS OF BANK BURGLARY
Explained to a Boston Paper by a
Specialist in the Art.

shot from behind the door across the
joint to the rear of the jam of the door,
and the strength of these eight bolts or
the strength of the door jam to resist
being torn ont is the maximum strength
Of the safe 10 resist the quiet, but forCi-
bic elOquence Of the burglarious visitor
The second, or round class of doors are
built up of plates similar TO those of the
safe, and generally have a coarse thread
cut on their periphery, the door being
screwed into the safe. The square doors
are generally more open to persuasion
than the other kind. Formerly the burg
lar used very fine gunpOWder as the final
argument.
His plan 4Has to putty up the entire Joint
between the door and the safe, except a
small space on the top and bottom joints,
says the American Machinist. He then
applied an air pump at the upper unput-
tied crack or Joint, and fed the powder
into the lower one, the ingoing air carry
ing it into the safe. This was all posi-
bic, and in many cases is yet, owing to
the lack of contact between the door and
the jam This method was finally headed
of by the introduction of felt, cement or
rubber between the door and the Jam.
But nitro-glycerine will penetrate a
crack l-l000th of inch, an opening so
much finer than it is possible to make be-
tWCGu illC ST udIG OOOI anu ill6 Jam Lldt
the operation of opening such safe is
short one In apening a modern bank safe
the burglar putties up the entire Joint
crack except for about an inch at the top
and bottom.
A well of putty is then formed about
the top crack, where it Is uncovered, and
213 or three ounces of nitro -glycerine
poured into ii. If the safe is not protected
by felt or rubber it will require but three
four O1In11fnc for the rrlVphpiun n die
tribute itself over the entire joint of the
door and drip out at the lower crack. An
ordinary decorating cap, such as is used
in exploding dynamite, is inserted in the
upper well, and the fuse lit. When the
explosion occurs the door comes off.
When the operation takes place in the
vault there is rarely any noise more than
fifty feet away.
The burglar does not carry nitro
glycerine with him He goes to a hard
ware store and buys few pounds of
dynamite, which he breaks up in a CON
venient vessel, as a wash basin, covers
with alcohol, and allows it to stand until
the glycerine has all combined with it.
The alcohol and glYcerine are then poured
of, and an equal amount of water is
added the water and the alcohol com
bine, and the nitro-glycerine sinks to the
bottom, where it is ready for use. The
author of the article mentioned
above tells an anecdOte to
illustrate the knowledge which
some of the profession" possess.
A bank in a western state had it's safe
located within ten feet of the street win
dow, thus making it visible to every one
who passed. In front of the safe at night
burned an arc light, while the safe door
was arranged so that it's opening would
ring bell i'll the cashiers sleeping apart
ment bymeans of an electrical connection
After banking hours the burglar called
on the occupants of the building adjoining
the bank, representing himself as an in
spectOr of the electric light company,
thus gaining access to the top of the
building, where he short-circuited the
electrical wires, and thus prevented the
ringing of the cashiers bell.
That night after the street cars stopped
running, the burglar cut the trolly wire
at two points about 600 feet apart. Ia
king one end of the piece between the two
buildings and placing it in the Cistern, the
other end was connected to the electric
wire, thus making ground" and put
ting out the arc lights in the bank. The
safe was then opened in less than twenty
minutes with nitro-glYcerine and several
thousand dollars taken.
The chrome-steel, of which the safes
and vaults of banks are now largely built,
is easily drilled by first heating the steel
- NeA'>NCt VI WIG iANlIlilS 10 maui " CONtE
space of about six or eight inches
square, and this is wired to the side of
the safe or door. 1t is filled with char
coal, which is ignited, and fierce heat
generated by pair of bellows. In four
or five minutes the basket is removed and
the heated spot allowed to cool 1t may
then be drilled or cut like ordinary boiler
iron The author of the article states
that he has seen ahole sufficiently large to
admit mans arm cut clear through a
chrome-steel bank safe four inches thick
IN four hours. so that a mans arm was
passed through and the locking bolts dis
connected with a wrench. In little less
than two hours a similar hole was cut
through the back of the safe into the
money vault, and its contents taken out
through the hole.
The large vault door behind which the
safe is placed IS rarely blown with glycer-
inc. 1T is generally open by drilling a
two or three inch hole between the han
die and the combination lock. This cuts
off the locking bolt, and the door opens
when the handle is turned. Safes with
round doors which are .rewed in are
often opened experimentally by building
well of putty at the upper part of the joint
and exploding about u teaspoonful of
glycerine on the outside, the result being
to cup out the top of the outer plate of
metal
A large well embracing the cupped por
ton is then made, and two ounces Of
glycerine place therein, which feeds
around the threads in about ten minutes.
tearing the door and part of the frame
out when exploded. One round door is
mentioned which was found to be so
tight in the threads that glycerine would
not flow. This was opened by first cup
ping out the outside plate, as just eX-
planned. and pouring half a teaspOonful
Of glYcerine into the opening. This soon
passed down the joint between the plates
and when exploded brought off the out
side plate and some Of the screws holding
it in place.
Glycerinc being introduced into these
holes and exploded brought off the
second plate, and this process was con-
tinued until in twenty minutes the entire
door was lying on the floor in pieces The
most expeditions mode of taking out
round doors is said to be to drill an inch
hole all but through the edge of the door
and safe, and to explode glycerine in this
hole. In this way the joint between the
plates of the safe and door are opened out
SO that the explosion of few ounces of
glycerine in the creyices will bring out
the whole door at once.
CIGAR-SToRE "POMPEYS."
The Wooden Indian and Similar To-