Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-09-27
TOBAFFLE BURGLARS
BUSINESS OF A FAMOUS FIRM
OF LOCK-MAKERS.
MARVELLOUS AND ELABORATE
MECHANISM TURNED OUT.
The Locks That Protect the Bank of
England-A Disarrangement of
Them Occasions No End Of Trouble
Locks Controlled by Chrome
graphs.

London Answers: While the writer
was being conducted over the premises
OF the greatest firm of lock-makers in
the world he acquired much interesting
information concerning those wOndrous
pieces of mechanism which protect the
vast riches Of the palaces, banks and
Synonymous, and which render it alb
soiutely impossible for thieves to
break in.
Perhaps the most interesting depart
ment was that one in which an exhibit
ton of the highest form of the bur-
glars craft was being given. Skilled
wOrkmen were seated before locked
safes and were using the almost ire
SiStible fuSing apparatus on the door
in order to reach the lock, or were
forcing gunpowder through the key
holes by means of a tiny pair of bel
lows.
Others We're squirting corrosive
chemicals into the locks and noting the
! effect, while sturdy artisans We're using
the drill and the wedge with a scienti-
fic force and skill that showed they
could be dangerous enemies to society
if they were criminally inclined.
The fusing apparatus consists of a
cylinder of compressed oxygen gas,
which supplies a short section of pipe
terminating in an iron cup. The latter
is pressed firmly against the door after
q oh In M
of flame issues from the end of the
pipe in it's bottom. So fierce is this
flame that it melts the metal in the
safe door and eats a jagged hole
through it in remarkably short space
of time. 1--WE turn out about 2SS.000
locks every year." remarked the man
ager of the works, land they range in
weight from quarter of an ounce Gn-
Guiding key to 22S pounds, the respec-
tive values of these extremes being u
cents and $1,000. Foremost among
those locks which protect enormous
wealth come those on the treasury
doors of the Bank of England The
making Of each of these marvels of
mechanism occupies three men for six
weeks, and costs 1915. Those little
futed pieces of steel in the head of
the key technically called 'steps0 are
rinC in number. and are capable Of
&c.. $50 combinations. If a banker
whose safe was fitted with this lock
should chance to lose his key, or if he
had reason to suppose that wax i'm
preston of it had been made, all that
would be necessary in order to battle
burg;arious designs would be to unlock
the safe with the duplicate key. I'M
screw the head and change the position
of the steps. and then relock the safe
or strong room.
THE mechanism of the lock would
instantly adapt itself to the changed
combination. and could never be I'M
locked by the former key. This, how
ever. is not an unmiXed blessing. One
afternoon a certain city merchant was
amusing himself by unscrewing the
steps of both his keys. when it sud
denly occurred to him that he had for
gotten the combination. AS the Keys in
question were capable of thousands
Of combina tons, there was nothing for
Il y
numbered tables and tick off each COM
binatiOn as it was tried.
"'But that may take MONTHS OBJ
iected the merchant ruefully. Well, as
the only other alternative was to build
a furnace round the door of the safe.
it was decided to try the combination.
We sent to two men and an apprentice
with the printed tables-great sheets
Of paper several yards long-and after
niue days labor, during which about
1900 different combinations were ar
ranged and tried, the right one was
hit upon by accident and the safe
opened. Needless to say there was a
pretty big bill against the customer
who gave us all this trouble.
Somewhat similar was the case Of
a diamond dealer of Amsterdam, who
had a lock specially designed for his
Golfer safe last year, the chief feature
of the mechanism being that 1t would
at once become hopeleSsly impossible
if anyone tried to taTnper with it. One
day the dealer thought it was working
somewhat stiff1y, so he injected some
81
levers and gratings with a piece Of
wire, the result being that the lock was
thrown out Of gear.
"The safe contained 100000 worth
of Burmese rubies and diamonds in the
rough; therefore two men were de-
puted to convey it to London at once
and get it opened. But before this de-
sirable consummation was brought
about the unfortunate men spent many !,
anxious hours in the dark hold of a |
channel steamer and on open railway
trucks, never losing sight of their
precious charge for single moment. I
THE treasury doors of the Bank of
England measure seven feet by three, {
and weigh about 2 ID tons. Besides
being fitted with the above mentioned
changeable locks. they have violence
locks five feet long. each Of which
weighs 200 pounds, the gunpowder-
proof locks, having blow holes on
every side, even through the massive
bolt These blow holes allow the gun
powder pumped in to escape and re-
duce the force Of a possible explosion
to mere harmless puff It is worthy
Of note that there are more than TO-
300 locks fitted in the Bank of Eng
land. Then comes the Savoy hotel
with 1900 controlled by one master
KEY. The manager Of each of the six