Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-25

Nitro Glyoerins q Ready Key to the
Most Modern Safe.

NAtEO 0ky0Stln0 u neA0y EACy ~ thS
Most Modern Safe.
In opening . modern bank safe the bur-
giar puttiss up the entire joint or crack. ex-
cept for about an inch at the top and bot
tom. A wall Of putty is then formed about
the top crack. where 1t is uncovered. ana
two and Z half or three ounces of nitro
glycerfne poured into it. If the safe IL not
protected by felt or rubber. it will require
but three or four minutes for the glycerine
to distribute itself over the entire joint
Of the door and drip out at the lower crack.
An ordinary decorating cap. such ~ Ii used
in exploding dynamite. Ii inserted In the
upper well and the fuse lit. When the ex-
plosion occurs the door comes OF. When
the operation takes place In the vault there
is rarely any noise more than fifty feet
away.
The burglar does not carry nitrogly cerine
with him. He goes to hardware store
and buys a few pounds Of dynamite. which
he breaks up in a convenient vessel. as a
wash basin, covers with alcahol, and allows
it to stand until the glycerine has all COM
bined with it The alcohol and glycerine
are then poured of, and an equal amount
Of water is added: the water and the al
cohol combine. and the nitroglycerine sinks
to the bottom. where it is ready for Use.
bank In a western state had its safe
located within ten feet Of the street window.
thus making 1t visible to every one who
passed. In front of the safe at night bum
ed an arc light. while the safe door was ar
ranged SO that its opening would ring bell
in the cashiers sleeping apartments by
means of an electric connection. After
banking hours the burglar called on the &C.
cupants, 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 electric wires.
and thus prevented the ringing of the CASH
ters bell.
That night after the street cars stopped
running, the burglar cut the trolley wire at
two points about GOO feet apart. Taking
one end of the piece between the two build
ings and placing 1t in the cistern. the other
end was connected to the electric wire. thus
making a ground" and putting out the
arc lights in the bank. The safe was then
opened in less than twenty minutes with
nitroglycerins and several thousand dollars
taken.
The chrome steel. Of which the safe and
vaults OF banks are now largely built. is
easily drilled by first heating the steel. A
basket of wire netting Is made to cover q
space Of about six or eight inches square.
and this Is wired to the side Of the safe or
door, 1t is filled with charcoal. which is
ignited and a fierce heat generated by q
pair of bellows. In four or five minutes the
basket il removed and the heated spot al
lowed to cool 1t may then be drilled or cut
like ordinary boiler iron. Once hole sum-
GENTLY large to admit a mans arm was cut
through a chrome steel bank safefour inches
thick in four hours. so that a mans arm
was passed through and the locking bolts
disconnected with wrench. In little less
than two hours a smaller 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 glycerine.
1t is generally opened by drilling Two or
three-inch hole between the handle and the
combination lock. This cuts of the locking
bolt. and the door opens when the handle
is turned. Safes with round doors which
mentally by building a well Of putty at the
upper part Of the joint and exploding about
teaspoonful Of glycerine on the outside.
the result being to cup out the. top Of the
A large WELL embracing the cupped TOR
ton, is then made. and two ounces Of glyc-
crime placed 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 cupping out the inside
plate, as Just explained, and pouring fef
a teaspoonful of glycerine into the opening.
This soon passed down the Joint between
the plates, and when exploded brought of
the outside plate and some Of the screws
holding 1t in place.
Glycerine being introduced into these holes
and exploded brought OF the second plate,
and this process was continued until In
twenty minutes the entire door was lying
on the floor In pieces. The most expedi-
tious 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 ex-
plode glycerine in this hole. In this way
he joints between the plates Of the safe and
door are opened out so that the explosion
of a few ounces of glycerine In the crevices
will bring out the whole door at once.