The record-union., 1895-09-05
SCIENTIFIC SAFE-OPENING.
A Chicago Man Who Can Open Any
Safe.
He Claims That None of the So-Called
Burglar-Proof Safes Are
So in Reality.

There is an enterprising citizen of Chi
cago who can open any safe ever built
and his achievements go to show that
while the days OF the monster vaults and
fifteen-inch safes are here, the burglar
proof" article is yet to come.
A little nitro-glycerine and mechanical
talent demonstrate that the average safe
is as full of flaws as COINS Financial
School," The up-to-date burglar keeps
just ahead of the safe builder. When the
latter discovers device whereby he in
creases the power of resistance in his
wares, the burglar is sure to bob up with
a device to overcome the resistance. The
expert saie-opener, working within legit-
innate lines, is another thorn in the sid @
of the builder.
William G. Clark of Chicago is an eX-
pert. When bankers desire to test the
burglar proof qualities of safe they en-
gage Mr., Clark, and he tears it to pieces
before their eyes with a kit OF tools that
does not weigh twenty pounds. Mr..
Clark is wonder in his way. There
| never was a saie-Dlower that could give
him points on opening safe.
ALL "BURGLAR PROOF"
He is small man with dark eyes,
| light, iron-gray muslache and talent
| for getting inside OF strong boxes. He
said to a World reporter: "The many
| successful bank burglaries that have
taken place during the past few months
appear to have raised very serious
doubt in the minds of many bankers re-
garding the claims of the manufacturers
| of burgIar-proof safes. 1t is evident that
the burglar has solved the problem OF
successfully reaching the contents of the
| latest improved safes. The laminated or
| plate construction does not appear to Of
! fer any more resistance the old iron type,
and it makes no difference whether the
safe has the square or the much talked
OF screw door.
Papers almost daily give an account
of burglaries which read something like
| this: The cashier in opening the bank for
/ business this morning discovered that
| burglars had entered and robbed the
| bank last night. Loss $50, 600 to 500, 900.
The safe was completely wrecked. Peo-
pie sleeping within thirty feet of the
| bank were not awakened by the explo-
sion. The work was undoubtedly done
by protessionals.'
1.-THE Illustration of the wreck of the
| Coldwater (Mich.) bank safe shows how
successfully plate safes are opened by
professional bank burglars. The burg
| lars got $50, 900. This safe was attack ed
from the top by nitro-gl lycerine and
drills. Another illustration of the work
of burglars is the safe of the Franklin
Grove Bank, Franklin Grove, Ill. This
was opened and from SO, 900 to $50, 000
stolen. The third illustration of the
work of professional burglars is the safe
in the Somonauk Bank, Somonauk, Ill.
In this instance the burglars secured
$4,000.
IAN investigation OF these burglaries
shows that the burglars finished their
work of entering building and opening
both vault and sale in from two to three
hours. The safe in the Franklin Bank
was q first-class, modern burglar-proo
one. with time lock, walls four inches
and door four and one-half inches thick,
thick.
S2,600,000 STOLEN.
"During the year 1892 fifty-three banks
were robbed in the United States, and
the loss sustained was s., 600, 900. The
question is often aske ed how it is posi- bic
for such formidable safes to be shattered
and torn apart without injuring the
building or arousing persons sleeping n
adjoining houses. The safe manufac-
turers evade the question by stating that
the burglar discovered q weak spot in
their safe, or that he is moro than au
equal in the mechanical art. They claim
that such improvements as a cutoff
spindle, automatic locking and anti
dynamite devices and pack ed joints help
20 make the safe absolutely burglar
proof.
This is all bosh. The plain facts of the
matter are That it always was and always
will be a mechanical impossioility to make
burglar-proof safe out of plates fastened
together with screws and riTets. This
statement is based on hundreds of sue
ceasful demonstrations that | have made
upon the different makes OF plate safes
during fifteen years. experience. Burg
lars furnish even stronger evidence by
the ease with which they wreck the plate
safes.
MANY OF these safes can be opened in
a very short time and with very simple
tools. l have opened "a plate safe six
inches thick, tapped the burglar chest,
which means twelve halt-inch plates to
remove. and the only tools | used were
six wedges, one blacksmith's chsel, one
sledge and one Jimmy. The side was
stripped off the safe in less than two
hours with the help of one man. This
safe came out of bank in Pittsburg, Pa,
and was considered burglar-proof by the
makers.
PUT HIS ARM IN THE HOLE.
zone of The most successful mechan-
ical schemes that / ever used to enter a
plate safe is 10 cut four-lnch hole
though the body of the safe. The hole
is large enough TO pass the arm through,
unlock the door or remove the contents
through the hole. The tools required to
do this work consist of one blow-pipe,
two ra.chets and cat-head and several sets
of cutie and clamps to hold the cat-head
to tho safe. All of these tools can be
easily carried in q small satchel.
ion f0,,r -
hole, if the outside plate of the safe is
chrome steel, is To anneal spot on the
safe. 4 compound blow-pipe will Eeat q
spot four inches in diameter red-hot in
twelve minutes. The next operation is
TO cool this plate quickly without re-
hardening it. To accomplish this | give
il What is termed by mechanics a cold
water anneal. This is done by running
soft pine stick over the spot which has
been heated until it shows no sparks, and
then | apply cold water with sponge
until the plate is cold.
This method is expedient and max es
the steel softer than If allowed to cool it.
self. When annealed in this way the
steel can be cut almost as readily as
wrought iron. The next thing is to
fasten tho clamps TO the safe and apply
the-cat head. This cat-head is fed by
screw pressure and consists of four cut
ters with a cutting edge of a quarter of
an inch. When made to revolve with
ratchets they cut groove quarter of an
inch wide through the plate. This leaves
q disc three and half inches in diameter,
which drops out as soon as the plate is
cut through.
IF the next plate is iron it requires no
heating. If steel, repeat the operation
and so on until the four-inch hole is cut
entirely through the safe. 1 have cut
four-inch hole through modern plate
safes three inches thick in less than three
hours. The average time required to cut
a four-inch hole through q safe built up
entirely of chrome steel plates is about