The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-02-28
oPENEp BY NIrRooLYcERIN.


annular iron ring screwed into the iron
frame hinged on the front Of the safe. They
were used TO screw up and unscrew the
door.
THE object Of the test was to remove
plate after plate and effect an entrance
First, one one-hundredth Of an ounce OF
nitroglycerin was introduced, and plate l,
the least securely fastened, WAS removed.
Then the amount Of explosive was increased
as the fastenings became stronger till one
fourth Of an ounce was used upon the inner
plates. The 10 plates were all removed and
access TO the contents of the safe obtained
in $50 minutes.
AS an example Of the opening Of the or
binary square door, the attack was upon a
safe which was built for the Mercantile
National bank Of New York city. II wss
delivered to the commission locked and
sealed as il came from the bank. IL was
feet inches high, 2 feet 81 inches wide and
. feet 2 inches deep on the outside. Il was
found TO consist Of six plates. The first
outer plate was of wrought iron one-half
inch thick the second wrought iron one
quarter inch thick. The third was one
half inch thick Of three and five ply lami-
mated welded steel aud iron strips. presuma-
bly, chrome steel, with turned corners, each
plate being inches wide The fourth
plate was OF franklinite Il inches thick.
cast in double basket work. one-quarter
inch wrought iron rods laid ia sections,
with solid turned corners. The fifth WAS
one-Quarter inch wrought iron. The sixth.
one-half inch wrought iron. The construc-
tion was excellent The door was a fine
specimen ~ its kind, being provided with
tongue and groove and rubber packing.
The boiling and locking was a beautiful
piece Of workmanship the most elaborate
and most approved kind. IL was feet
wide and feet high.
THE attack was begun by making a
putty well az he edge of tie door and pour
ing into the creHice between the door and
the jamb - ounces of uitrOglycern. The
explosive ran iu rapidly. Notwithstanding
the fit WAS very close. No wedge was nee
essary. Eight minutes after operations
began the charge was fired Tie safe he'd
been placed ia rough shed, and when all
was ready everybody walked away 10 a dis
lance of 30 feet So slight was the report
for which we were listening that the COM
missioners would scarcely believe any work
had been done. We found that the whole
jamb Of the door WAS blown out and under
the door "a space left sufficient To admit the
whole hand and arm into tile safe
The plate Of franhliniic was shattered
into fragments The under door 81 the
lower compartment was blown iu, the di-
viding shelf between the lower and middle
compartment. was blown upward, The first
three plates ~ the iamb were torn cut
down 10 the ffaukliuite. aud the first plate
Of the three--ixteenths uf AN inch was en-
tirely stripped OIL In eight minutes full
access had been gained. hy means easily at
"a burglars command. into this large safe
constructed for a metropolitan bank rs
burglar proof This WAS but a type 81
many experiments. which demonstrated'
conclusivcly that with the ordinary safe 81
square construction, sometimes c,lled the
standard IL IS perfectly easy 10 gain ac-
cess hy small amounts Of easily obtained
and sufel used explosives"