Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-05-27
SAFE-MAKERS ARE SCARED
A LATE GOVERNMENT REPORT NOT
TO THEIR LIKING.
oncia1 Burglarfes, Committed as
Experiments, show That some
"Burgiar Proor' Chambers Are
Very Easily Opened

%'N ahaR'Ab VI puTEldf tHteH
are very disturbed for fear that re-
port which was made to the secretary
or the treasury some time ago on ex-
periinents conducted by experts in safe
and vault construction will become
public property. The report has been
issued from the public printing office,
put copies OF IT are scarce. They arc
held so close that preparations are now
being made, II IA said. TO reprint the
result OF the experiments In book form
Tor general circulation. 1t Is said also
that the manager OF one of the great
express companies has expressed the
hope that the publishers viii not issue
the book, as he fears that the publlca-
ton Of 80 much Information about
the Insecurity OF safes may provoke
an epldemic OF bank burglary and pos
slbly OF express robbery. A writer for
the New York Press secured copy of
the report Of the treasury experts, and
IL is very Interesting reading even to a
lhyfnan. The experiments were male
win view TO discriminating the snfest
construction for the new treasury
vaults. The experts recommended TO
''NfAnhA9 department TWO IOTlnf OF
vault construction as possessing ad-
Ynntages over all others examined
me two forms OF construction SO
hlghly recommended, II should be said,
nave not been put to the practical test
used to determine the merits of other
forms OF construction. And IL must be
remembered further that these experts
report positively that there IN no form
OF vault construction which Will with
stand absolutely tho action of burg
lars tools and explosives and that the
most that can be expected OF any of
them is Tint II VIII keep the burglar
at bay long enough to make II likely
thnt his work VIII be interrupted. And,
furthermore, these experts say no sys-
TEN OF vault construction Is safe with
out an auxiliary guard to give the
alarm In case the vault should be at
tackled.
chilled Iron nettcr Than steel.
The new form of construction which
the commission recommended to the
secretary OF the treasury 30 highly
uses chilled iron instead OF steel This
chilled iron Is used principally for car
wheels. Its strength and ductHity are
vastly greater and its blow-resistlng
power much greater than that Of COM
mon ironH. In fact 1t IL not unusual
to substitute tools of chilled iron for
tools OF steel when the metal IL too
hard to be cut by ordinary tools. II
must he remembered that these chilled
irons arc not the peculiar property OF
one man or one company. And as the
experts recommend that the plans for
the construction OF the new vaults be
widely advertised and the contract let
to the lowest bidder. II follows that
any one Is at liberty to try for the con-
tract for this peculiar construction II
the treasury officials determine, In no-
cordnnco with the report of the eN-
ports, To make use OF It In one or more
OF the vaults. So II Is not from a fear
OF the loss of the contract for build
Ing the new vaults that the makers
OF snfea are anxious TO retire the re-
| pert of the government commission
| from circulation, They are afraid that
| the result OF the publication OF the ak
perlments which were made with some
well-known safes will damage their
| business. For the experts print with
\ their report a long series OF pictures
showing how easily they penetrn ted
the safes OF different makes with ordi-
nary burglar tools, and the names of
the safes appear IN prominent places
| In these pictures, 10 the confusion OF
| their makers OF course &c would not do
| to advertise the makers Of chilled iron
| safes and Vaults-there are more than
! one Of theni--or to expose by name the
makers OF other styles Of safes. IL Is
enough to say that almost every we'll
| known safe was included In the expert
ments. The result OF them ought to In
tcrest anyone who owns n safe of the
ao-cnlled burglar PROOF class.
| The experiments made We're divided
! into two classes mechanical burglary
and burglary by explosives, In re-
! porting their experiences In mechanical
| burglary the experts say: THE ease
| and rnpidity with which these opera
tons can be performed Is well calcu-
lated TO surprise aud astonlsh tho
fraternity of bankers whose whole edu-
I cation has been TO believe that sucl
/ operations are impossible" They say
further that all OF the work OF break
| ing into the safes was done by hand
and with such tools ms II IL perfectly
| fair to assume burglars might possess
and make use OF.
Boring Holes in short order.
The first sot OF pictures shown in
the report illustrates the cutting OF
hole -four inches In diameter through
| tho four-lnch wall OF a safe which is
probably as widely known ms any
snfo on tie market, This hole was
made In four hors and twenty minutes.
After this the same snfe was stripped,
| plate by plate, by the use OF chisels
| anu MtAh'As iNlANMlllk NllN GNDtll-
ment, another safe. not so well known.
was tpken In hand, This safe cost
$4,000 II wciged six tons and yet SO
thick were the wallis that tho avail
able space within was less than two
cubic feet. with ordinary tools a
| four-inch hole was cut in this safe I'm
three hours and half. Then u rope
was tied around Il and quarter
ounce dynamite cartridge was nut
through the hole, q wire attached TO
It, running to a pocket battery, The
workman with the battery In his poclx-
ct, got on top OF the safe and turned
ON the current, The cartridge oxpiod-
ed, destroying the door jamb and fore
ins the door OF the safe open as far
as tho rope would allow II 10 swing
The noise OF the explosion was very
slight Then the experta set 10 work
TO strip" n snfe An entrance nj one
corner with chiscl gave room for tho
wedges, with which In two hours and
fifty minutes two men succeeded in
taking OF ono after another az .he
plates OF metal OF which the safe WINS
made. and In the same way penetrated
the inner steel chest. so the "inmost
thoughts" OF the safe We're laid hare
a safe OF standard mike. which was
built for the Mercantile bank Of Nav
York was then taken in hand, II vas
made OF On plate OF refined wrought
iron onc-hnlf inch thick; tg) a plate az
| wrought iron threo-uuArtrrs or M irch
-. ii N