Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1894-01-12
BURGLARS AT WORK.
LATEST DEVICES OF THE SAFE
CRACKING FRATERNITY
What Nitro-Giyccrinc VIII DO ana
How 1t is Used-Nothing Yet
Made Can Resist lt-Blow-
Ing OF n Steel Door.
HHE resistance of steel bank
safes at present to n burglars
ottacl, ~ relatively similar to


against projectiles, the modern burg
lar and guns being considerably in the
lead, according to writer in the
American Machinist Bank safes are
ordinarily built up to any desired thick
ness of chrome steel plates of half
inch in thickness, and are fitted with
either square or round doors. Tho
square doors is held in position when
closed ordinarily by eight round bolts
of about one and half inchesin diam
ster These bolts are thrown from be-
hind the door across the joint to tho
rear of the jnmb of the door, and tho
strength of these eight bolts, OF the
strength of the door jamb to resist be-
ing torn out, is the maximum strength
of the safe to resist burglars meth
DDS, and it goes without saying that
the door fnstenings are much the weak
est link in the chain of the safes re-
sistance.
ROM doors are built up of similar
plates as the body of the safe, and gen
orally have coarse thread cut on the
periphery, the door being screwed into
the safe. This gives II stronger fasten.
ing rs against internal pressure then
the bolts of the square door furnish,
but neither the square nor round door
furnishes any obstacle whatever to the
modern burglar and his invincible as
sistant-nitro- glycerine.
The burglar Of by-gone days opened
many safes with what was known as
''meal powder. His plan WINS to putty
up the entire joint between the door
and snfe, except n short space Mt the
top and the bottom. He then applied
all cir pump at the top, exhausting the
air partially in the safe, and fed the
powder to the opening at the bottom,
the ingoing air carrying the powder
into the safe. This was all possible
and i'll many cases is yet-owing to tho
want of actual contact between the
door and the jamb This method was,
however, headed off by the introduce
ton of felt, cement, rubber packing,
or rubber tube.
Since, however, tho burglar has
called to his assistance the powerful
and convenient agent nitro glycerine,
no steel safe hns been able to hold its
head up and assert its integrity for
even one hour. Nitro glycerine will
penetrate crack ono-thousandth of
an inch. An opening SO much finer
than is possible to make between
square door and the safe that the
operation of opening safe is an ex.
ceedingly short one
The writer has seen two plates Of
steel about foot square and an inch
thick planed off, and the two planed
surfaces placed together and held in
that position by five iive-eight inch
riyets. The plates were then PLACED
on edge, and II teaspoonful of nitro
glycerine poured along the joint be.
tween the two plates. In very few
minutes sufficient quantity has en-
tered the crack, so that when exploded
the plates were blown apart.
In opening modern bank safe, the
burglar putties up the entire joint or
crack between the door and safe, ex
cept space of about one inch ut top
and bottom. well hole of putty is
constructed, large enough to hold
two and half or three ounces of nitro
glycerine, which is then poured into
this well hole. IT the snfe is not pro.
tected by felt, rubber, etc, it; will re-
qure but three or four minutes TO,
the glycerine to distribute itself owe,
the entire joint of the door and driu
out Mt the bottom, which is then
closed with putty An ordinary deto.
mating cap: such as farmers buy at
hardware stores for exploding dyna-
mite, ETC., in blowing up strmps. is
inserted in the putty we'll hole, which
IS pressed down on it. The fuse of the
cap is then lit, and when the explos.
Ion occurs the door comes out.
actually there is very little distur
bnnce. When the operations occurs
on safe within vault, inasmuch as
the explosion is inside the safe. which
is itself inside the vault, the door or
which ID closed, no noise is heard fiftv
feet away.
When the door is protected by felt
rubber, etc, the operation is the same
rs to purifying the door crack ND. "A
small quantity of nitro glycerine il
then run in and exploded. which de-
ssroys the felt, rubber, etc., when the
maj charge lsintroduced and the doc,
blown out.
The burglar does not carry nitro.
glycerine with him. He goes to
hardware store and buys few pounds
OF dynamite, 'rend rock" or "eiant
powder" all of which have nitro
giycerlne as base, and which arc
kept IN stock for the farmer and stone
quarry man. Breaking the dynamite
up IN any convenient Vessel, MS wash
basin, he covers it with alcohol, which
cuts the glycerine and combines with
1t. The alcohol and glycerine are then
poured of, and an amount of water
equal to the alcohol poured in. The
water and alcohol combine, and the
nitro -glycerine sinks to the bottom.
and is ready for uoe when the water
and alcohol are poured of.