The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-05-25
Fire and Burglar Proof Vaults Which
WIN Hold the Wealth OF
the Nation.


doubtless wondered at the extern
sive excavations which have been
going on adioiring the building of
the Pacific Hardware Company on
Fort street, and at the massive pile
of rock going up on the left hand
side. This work is all being done
for the foundations of the new Safe
Deposit building, of which, through
the courtesy of Mr.. G. B. Ripley,
the architect, under whose super
vision the building is being erected,
The following description has been
obtained.
The building will be two stories
in height, with cellar. The front
will be of cut stone taken from the
quarry near the Kamehameha
schools, and will be unlike any
thing of the kind in Honolulu.
While it will conform to no partic-
ular style of architecture, it may
be described as similar to the mod
ern German. The feature of the
front will be an immense bay win
dow in the second story, % feet
wide, covered with FURNISHED cop
per, which will be quite novelty.
The building proper will be
of brick, 40 #. 8 in. in
width, 80 #. in height from
the sidewalk to the top of the
coping, and extends to a depth of
go feet. The basement is Z fit. in.
in the clear, and will be occupied
by Levers & Cooke, an entrance
being made from the present base
ment of their own store, while light
and air will be obtained from glass
and iron gratings at the sidewalk
and rear.
The openings to the first story
from the street will be entirely of
plate glass and iron, as will be the
window looking from the counting
room to the safe deposit vault.
This window will be of the heaviest
pfaJe glass manufactured, 96X132
inches, and is the largest single
piece of glass ever used in
the islands. Behind this i'm
mense piece of glass will be
the vault, consisting of two separate
and distinct steel fire and burglar
proof structures, each over Z feet
square, and each provided with
separate time locks. These vaults
are lined with solid steel Z inches
thick, and are the very best that
can be made by the Hall Safe and
Lock Company. The steel casing
is to be further protected with
covering of friedrich 90 inches
thick. One of these vaults is for
the use of the bank itself, and will
be entered from behind the main
counter, and is fitted up especially
for banking purposes. The other
is the safe-deposit vault, containing
250 separate boxes for use of de-
positors. Each of these is fitted
with a double combination lock,
and the depositor himself cannot
open his own box until clerk has
first unlocked it with the banks
master key. No two of these locks
are alike, and as, after business
hours, the main door will be closed
and the time lock put on, these
receptacles for the deposit of money,
jewels, papers, ETC., will be as safe
as the ingenuity of man can make
them.
The main counting room will be
26x43. Passing through this and
around the semi-circular wire
screened counter, the customer
enters the safe deposit room in
which two screened alcoves will be
arranged for depositors who wish
to open their boxes in complete
privacy, while on the other side is
directors room 14x20. In the
corner adjoining the Pacific Hard
ware Co. will be a handsome office
room, Is feet square, which will
be for rent. The height of the
ceilings of the first floor are Is
feet, while the flooring throughout
the building will be of matched
Oregon pine.
A handsome and capacious
staircase entirely separate from
the bank ascends to the second
floor, which is divided into five
offices, which have already been
rented. The two front ones are
each 17x2O and will be beyond
doubt the finest in the city, taking
in as they do the immense bay
window before mentioned. One of
the others is 14x2O, and the other
two 12x15 each. The height
of the ceilings on this floor is Is
feet. Every room in the building
is fitted with stationary wash
stands, and each occupant will
have his own toilet room. There
are patent sliding blinds, new to
this country, to every window, and
in all the minor arrangements no
expense has been spared to add to
the comfort of the inmates.