The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1894-08-13
BATTLING BURGLARS
SAFES AND LOCKS WHICH ARE PROOF
AGAINST TAMPERERS.

Each Bank of England Lock Costs 1878
| and Has 362, $50 Different Combinations.
Elaborate Mechanism to Protect Treasure
Vaults.
There is no denying the fact that the
burglar of today, who aims at high
game displays amazing ingenuity IN
the manufacture of scientific tools and
apparatus and also III the practical work
ing of the same.
But he is completely out of the run
ming when pitted against our safemak-
ers and locllsmiths, even though he peri
odically buys their wares for expert
Z. mental purposes.
While the present writer was being
personally conducted" over the prem
Uses of the greatest firm Of lockmakers
in the world he acquired much interest
ing information concerning those Won
drous pieces of mechanism which pro-
tect the vast riches of palaces, banks
and strongrooms, and which render 1t
absolutely impossible for thieves to
break in.
Perhaps the most interesting depart
ment was that one III which an exhibit
ton of the highest form of the burglars
craft was being given Skilled workmen
were seated before locked safes and
were using the almost irresistible fusing
apparatus on the door in order to reach
the locks or were forcing gunpowder
through the keyholes by means of tiny
pair of bellows
Others We're squirting corrosive chem
icals into the locks AID noting the eff
feet, while sturdy artisans were using
the drill and the wedge with a scientific
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 short section of pipe
terminating in an iron cup. The latter
is pressed firmly against the door after
light has been applied, and stream
of fame issues from the end Of the pipe
in its bottom. So fierce is this flame
that it rnelts the metal in the safe door
and eats a jagged hole through it In
remarkably short space of time.
1--WE turn ont about 2S8, 900 locks ev-
ery wear, ;, remarked the manager of the
works, land they range in weight from
quarter of an ounee-including key
to 22S pounds, the respective values Of
these extremes being II cents and ST.
500.
Foremost among those locks which
protect enormous wealth come those on
the treasury doors of the Bank of Eng
land. The making Of cash of these mar
wells of mechanism occupies three men
for six weeks and costs 1915.
"Those little aUted pieces of steel in
the head of the Alphabetically called
'steps'-are nine in number and are ca
pable of 362, $50 different combinations.
eff a banker whose safe was fitted
with this lock CHANGED to lose his key, or
if he had reason TO suppose that wax
impression of it had been made, all
/ that would be necessary in order to BAT
de burglarious designs would be to I'M
lock the safe with the duplicate key,
unscrew the head and change the posi-
ton of the steps and then relock the safe
or strongroom.
1.-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, however, is not an unmixed
blessing. One afternoon certain city
merchant was amusing himself by un-
screwing the steps of both his keys
when it suddenly occurred to him that
he had forgotten the combination.
''As the keys in question were capa-
: BILE of thousands of combinations there
was nothing for it but to set to work on
a system Of numbered tables and tick
off each combination as it were tried.
2 "'But that may take months, OBJ
jected 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 first
1--WE sent two men and an apprentice
/ with the printed tables-great sheets of
paper several yards long-and after nine
: days labor, during which about ID, 600
different combinations were arranged
I and tried, the right one was hit upon by
accident, and the door opened. Needless
tte-say, there was pretty big bill
r against the-eustomer who gave us all
! this trouble
r 1.-THE treasury doors at the Bank OF
| England measure feet and weigh
, about az tons Besides being fitted
2 with the above mentioned changeable
/, locks they have violence locks 3 feet
long, each of which weighs 200 pounds,
and gunpowder proof locks, having
q blowholes on every side, even through
: the massive bolt These blow holes al
: low the gunpowder pumped in to escape
: and reduce the force of possible explo-
{; sion to mere harmless puff.
1T is worthy of note that there are
3 more than 10, 600 locks fitted in the
l Bank of England. Then comes the Sa-
. voy hotel with 1900, controlled by one
master key. The manager of each of the
i six floors at the Savoy, however, has a
i master key which controls the lock OF
every room under his supervision.
d Her majesty's safe at Windsor cas-
: tie in which the gold plate is kept
: weighs eight tons and is protected by
i O violence lock Is inches long, a change
). able lock and gunpowder lock, all Of
i which can be mechanically covered by
r an unlrillable steel plate, which rem
n ders 3 impossible to insert even a hair
J. pin into any of the keyholes. ''-Londor
Answers.
Small, but Important.
Rusty Nail Tin the street)-What are
you doing here?