The herald., 1894-08-19
BATTLING BURGLARS
SAFES AND LOCKS WHICH ARE PROOF
AGAINST TAMPERERS.

Each Bank of England Lock Costs 1875
and Has sGa.sso 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 in the practical work
ing of the same.
But he is completely out of the run
ming when pittod against our safemak
srs and locksmiths, even though he peri
odically buys their wares for expert
mental purposes.
While the present writer was being
personally conducted over the prem
Uses of the greatest firm of lockInakcrs
in the world he acquired much interest
ing information concerning those Won
drous pieces of mechanism which pro
1ect the vast riches of palaces, banks
and strongroors, and which render it
absolutely impossible for thieves to
break in.
Perhaps the most interesting depart
ment was that one III which an eXhlbl-
tion of the highest form of the burglar s
craft was being given. Skilled workmen
were seated before locked safes and
were using tho almost irresistible fusing
apparatus on the doc~ in order to reach
the locks Or were forcing gunpowder
through the leyholes by means Of tiny
pair Of bellows
Others were squirting corrosive chem
icals into the locks and noting the eff
feet, while sturdy artisans were using
the drill and the wedge with scientific
force and skin that showed they could
be dangerous enelries to society if they
were criminally inclined.
The fusing apparatus consists of
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
light has been applied, and a stream
of flame issues from the end of the pipe
In its bottom So fierce is this flame
that it melts the metal in the safc door
and eats jagged hole through it III a
remarkably short space of time.
''We turn out about 2SS, 900 locks ev-
cry year" remarked the manager of the
works, 'and they range in weight from
O quarter of an ounce-including key
to 22S pounds, the respective values of
these extremes being 12 cents and 81,
800.
Foremost among those locks which
the treasury doors Of the Bank of Eng
land. The making Of each of these mar
wells of mechanism occupies three men
for six weeks and costs 1915.
''Those little fluted pieces of steel in
the head of the key-technically called
steps nine III number and are ca
pable of 362. $50 different combinations.
''If banker whose safe was fitted
with this lock chanced to lose his key or
if he had reason to suppose that a wax
impression of it had been made, all
that would be necessary III order to baf-
fe burglarious designs would be to ln-
lock the safe with the duplicate lsey,
unscrew the head and change the posi-
ton of the steps and then relock the safe
or strongroorn-
''The mechanism of the lock would
instantly adapt itself to the changed
combination and could never be un-
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.
GAS the keys i'll question We're 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.
% 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 first.
eve sent two men and all apprentice
with the printed tables-great sheets OF
paper several yards long-and after nine
days labor, during which about 13, 00C
different combinations We're arranged
and tried, the right one was hit upon by
accident and the door opened Needless
to say, there was pretty big bill
AGAINST the customer who gave us al
this trouble.
''The treasury doors at the Bank
England measure feet and weigl
about ~ tons. Besides being fitte'
with the above mentioned changeabl
locks they have violence locks fee
long, each of which weighs 200 pounds
and gunpowder proof locks, havin
blowholes on every side, even throug
the massive bolt These blow holes al
low the gunpowder pumped in to escap
and reduce the force of a possible explc
sion to mere harmless puff.
''It is worthy Of note that there ar
more than 10, 900 locks fitted in th
Bank of England. Then comes the 81
voy hotel with ! 800, controlled by on
master key. The manager of each of til
six floors at the Savoy, however, has
master key which controls the lock
every room under his supervision.
''Her majesty 5 safe at Windsor cas-
tie in which the gold plato is lzel
weighs eight tons and is protected }
violence lock IS inches long, chang
able lock and a gunpowder lock, all {
which can be mechanically covered
an undrillable steel plate, which rel
ders it impossible to insert even hal
pin into any of the keyholes. "-LondC