Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-12-06
HOW BURGLARS WORK,
They Bring to Their Aid the incest Sci
ence.

They Bring to Their Aid the incest Sci
How to burgle bank is discussed
in an apparently practical manner in
recent issue OF that usually well-be-
having journal, the American Ma
chinlst The professor who furnishes
the advice classes all bank safes ac-
cording to the kind of door with which
they are provided. The square door
is generally held in position whe n
closed by eight round bolts of about
- inches in diameter. These are
shot from behind the door across the
joint TO the rear Of the jamb of the
door, and the strength of these eight
bolts or the strength of the door
jamb to resist being torn out is the
maximum strength of the safe to re-
sist the quiet but forcible eloouence
OF the burglarious visitor. The sec.
ond or round class of doors are built
or plates similar to those OF the safe,
and generally have coarse thread
cut on their periphery, the door be-
in screwed into the safe. The square
doors are generally more open to per-
SuaSiOn than the other kind. For
merly the burglar used very fine gun
powder rs the final argument His
plan was to putty up the entire Joint
between the door and the safe, ex-
cept small space on the top and
bottom joints. He then applied an
air pump at the upper unputtied
crack or joint, and fed the powder
into the lower one. the ingOing air
carrying it into the safe. This was
all possible and in many cases is vet,
owing to lack of contact between
the door and the jamb. This method
was finally headed off by the intro.
ductiOn Of felt cement, or rubber be-
tween the door and the jamh But
nitro glycerine will penetrate crack
1-lOOOth of an inch, an opening so
much finer than it was possible to
make between the square door and
the jamp that the operation of open
ing a safe is short one. In opening
modern bank safe the bLrglar put
ties up the entire joint of crack ex-
cept for about an inch at the top and
bottom. A we'll of putty is then
formed about the top crack where it
is uncovered and two and a half or
three ounces of nitro-glycerine poured
into 1t. If the safe is not protected
by felt or rubber it will require but
three or four minutes for the glycer-
inc to distribute itself over the en-
tire joint OF the door and drip out at
the lower crack. An ordinary de-
tonatlng cap, such as is used in ex-
ploding dynamite. is inserted in the
upper we'll and the fuse lit. When
the explosion occurs the door comes
of. When the operation takes place
in vault there is rarely any noise
more than fifty feet away owing to
the safe inside which the explosion
occurs being itself within solidly
built enclosure. The burglar does
not carry nitro-glycerIne with him.
He goes to hardware store and buys
a few pounds Of dynamite, which he
breaks up in convenient vessel, as a
wash basin, covers with alcohol, and
allows to stand until the glycerine
has all combined with it, The alco-
hOl and glycerine are then poured off
and an equal amount of water added;
the water and the alcohol combine,
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
Western State had its safe located
within ten feet of the street window,
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 its
opening would ring bell in the
cashiers sleeping apartment by
means of an electrical connection.
After banking hours the burglar
called on the occupants of the building
adjoining the bank, representing
himself as an inspector for the cleo
trio light company, thus gaining &C
cess 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 cals stopped running,
the burglar cut the trolley wire at
two points about 600 feet apart
Taking 6ne end of the piece between
the two buildings and placing it in a
cistern, the other end was connected
to the electric light wire, thus max
ing ground" and putting out the
arc light in the bank. The safe was
then opened in less THAI twenty min
utes with nitro-gls cerine and several
thousand dollars taken.
One Inv One His Geese Sank