The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-05-16
WITH BURGLARS TOOLS.
Evolution Of the Art Of Safe Crack
ing.
Needed-How Two Noted Bank Rob-
berries Were Accomplished.
Hartford Courant. /


The evolution of the safe cracker in
these closing years of the nineteenth GEN.
fury is probably not a favorite study with
learned professors, but it is a subject
fraught with deep interest to large
class of men whose business it is to
thwart burglars as well as other wrong
doors. Few men of no calling stand so
ready and eager as do the burglars to
wall themselves of discoveries and new
appliances in mechanics, science or any
department of knowledge that will help
them to their ill-gotten gains.
Consequently the art of cracking safes
has been revolutionized within the last
fifteen years. just as more powerful
guns have to be made if one wants to
smash the latest improved armor plate,
SO the safe burglar is compelled to use
far different tools to break the burglar
proof safes of today than he used in the
days of the Manhattan bank burglary in
New York in 1878. Strange to5say, the
accomplished burglar carries very much
simpler and smaller tools than in those
days, though the safes are now made
larger and thicker than ever. But more
scientific methods have not, unfortu-
natelys for the burglar, lessened the I'M
pleasantly dangerous risks connected
with the business.
Though the saying sit takes thief to
catch thief is by no means true, the
detective and the safe-builder of today
must learn the methods of a burglar to
meet him on his own ground. 1t may
have been for the dissemination, of such
information that a prominent lawyer of
Hartford, now dead. wrote book sever
al years ago on the subject of crime and
criminals, which was not completed at
his death. For purposes of illustration
the author chose, as a representative set
of tools, the kit left behind by the bur-
glars at the Manhattan Savings institu-
ton in New York, which was robbed on
Sunday, Oct. 81, 1878. Such an elaborate
set of safe opening appliances was never
seen before by even the New York po-
lice. There were over thirty different
tools, big and little, aggregating in
weight 800 pounds. The tools are now
kept in the rogues' museum at the CEN
trail police station in New York city.
Officer Walter Smith of this city went
to New York at the request of the law
yer, measured carefully the originals of
this famous "kit'' and afterward made
of wood at his leisure a complete set cor
responding in size and appearance with
the originals. These were to be photo
graphed for cuts to be used in the forth
coming book. A few days ago the officer
discovered in his garnet several big wood
en- jimmies of the size of crowbars which
he furnished up and hung in room at
the police station as curiosities. They
are odd looking affairs, calculated to be
taken apart for convenience in transpor-
ton, but fashioned in manner to do
great execution if applied to crack I'M
der an old-time safe door.
Safe doors, however, were not made
even then with cracks under them. The
cracks had first to be made. To open
crack between the outside door and the
iamb thin wedges of the finest annealed
steel were driven lin by blows from a
sledge hammer. The smallest wedge
long and thin, was followed by another
placed beside it, of slightly larger cali
Der, and then another still larger. The
points of these wedges. driven to the first
step-in of the safe door by heavy blows,
would turn the CORNER and the mass of
steel thus wedged between the door and
the jamb would force out the door ever
so little SO that crack was made, in
which the edge Of a big jimmy could be
inserted. Then the plates of the door
were pried off until the lock was reached
at the back. A first class bank burglar
knows all about combination locks and
is often able to master the point of the
time and Combination. Thus he is en-
abled to manipulate the lock and slide
back the bolts.
Inside the first door is second, which
must be attacked differently. To break
this the ssdrag' or ripper" was used,
powerful but simple machine. A hole
two and a half inches in diameter was
first bored in the inner door with bit in
which were set two blades that could be
changed. A long narrow nut with hole
in it was put inside and turned. Through
the nut, which rested against the inner
side of the door, was turned a long
powerful screw till it struck the back Of
the safe. A moderate force applied to
the lever of the screw outside would then
force out the door. .
To tear away the parts that were not
already loose, another part of the drag
was utilized. One end of a strong hori-
zontal steel bar was fastened to plate
screwed into the. floor. Through the
0luh 0uu tuIueu Inc long screw ABOVE
mentioned, striking the back Of the safe.
A powerful steel hook set in hole bored
in the part to be torn out was fastened
to the horizontal bar and with a long
jimmy for lever at the end of the screw
such tremendous power could be
brought to bear by two men that any
door, no matter how powerful, would be
literally torn out.
Beside these tools there were used
wrenches, sledge hammers and great
variety of instruments, the use of which
made a great deal of noise.
But that didn't matter when the burg
lars were in league with the Waterman
and even the policemen on the beat, as
they were at the Manhattan burglary. 1t
is said the policeman got on the force
and got assigned to that beat for the sole
purpose of aiding in the robbery. The
plans for the robbery were three years
maturing and gang of six burglars did
the job.
1t was the biggest robbery this country
ever saw. nearly S3,o0o,0o0 worth Of
bonds, securities and other valuables be-
ing carried off. BY the help of the state
and national governments the actual loss