Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-20

that win successfully resist under these
conditions. To the ordinary idea of tools
should De added SUCH quantities of ex-
plosives as will not arouse the neighbor
hood.
"A safe which shall successfully resist a
mob must meet the other conditions that
mob has ample time, carries tools such as
can De secured at machine shops, and is
READY 10 use charges of explosives which
may produce loud reports, but yet will not
90 serious damage to the buildings Con-
structions of large dimensions intended to
be burglar and mob-proof have been used
for the storage of Securities and the nre-
clous metals in the treasury and subtreas-
urieS OF the government. The attention
Oh secretary Window having been called
10 the weakness of these vaults, he sug-
sested that commission of mechanical
experts OF note be appointed to inquire into
the dlnerent modes Of safe and vault con-
s sstss ms In this country. and report
tion OF Congress commissioners were ap-
pointed as follows: Prof. Robert H. Thurs
ton, director Of Sibley College of Engineer
Ing, Cornell University; Theodore N. Ely,
master Of construction, Pennsylvania rail-
road. who built the famous Johnstown
bridge after the disaster there. and Fran
els A. Pratt a noted manufacturer of
| standards and all sorts Of fine mechanical
tools. They made an inspection of various
works for the manufacture of safes. Of
which there are great number.
What a Burglar Can Do.
|
they showed that IN burglars time and
with tools at a burglars command 1t was
entirely possible to take off the laminae
constituting the doors and walls Of ordin-
airy safes, and with drills and blow pipes
to cut holes four inches in diameter
| through 1-2 inches Of the best metals
Franklinite and other high resistants
"Then by experiments which conducted
1t was proved possible by attacks with
illuminate of mercury, nitro-glycerine, dyna-
mite all articles of ordinary commerce, to
open any Of the safes Of square construc-
ton in less than an hour. often In few
minutes, and by use Of charges so small
as to do no serious damage to the building
or even to the contents of the safe and
without producing sufficient report to at
tract attention In the immediate neighbor-
hood.
''The first method Of attack was by the
door, The common square, most generally
used. and the circular. known as the
screw door. but also Of laminated or sheet
construction, were found to yield quickly to
a small quantity of nitro-giycerine poured
IT. to the crack. which always exists In such
construction between the door and the
1amb. A casual Investigation by anyone
will show how considerable these crevices
are In many cases a silver dime may be
placed on top of the door and the door
closed; IN some instances silver dollar
will not prevent closing the door. Conse-
quently a liquid like nitro-glycerine which
Is quite fluid, can be easily poured into the
ipterstice and can be fired by the trail of
fluid left in pouring, set of by a decorating
cap. The burglar to be out of all danger
simply crouches behind the safe till the ex-
plosion has occurred.
Forcing a Crevice.
when the construction Of the door is
more careful and a nice mechanical fit
has been secured, it is simple thing, by
wedges which the burglar employs, to
force q crevice so as to give admission to
the explosive fluid.
In some instances attempts have been
made to prevent the introduction Of explo-
sives by placing a rubber strip In the
crevice. This is applied under the mistaken
notion that the explosive must be pro-
jected through the door into the SAFE
While shis is true with low explosive. as
gunpowder or gas. 1t Is not true with a
high explosive, as nitro-glycerine. Indeed.
in the latter case, this rubber packing Is
rather an aid, for it is an advantage in this
case to have the surfaces against which
the explosive is to act as close together as
possible.
I'm one of my experiments a safe taken
from bank was attacked. 1t had a screw
door. The safe was two feet five inches
cube, built up of eight alternate layers of
iron and steel approximately one-half inch
each in thickness and at the back about four
and three-quarters inches through. The
screw door was composed Of ten one-half
inch plates. The first and second plates
were OF iron. the third of steel, the fourth
of steel, and then alternating till the tenth.
1t was built in five steps, the diameter of
the first being fifteen inches and then each
one inch smaller till the ninth and tenth,
the last was twelve inches in diameter.