The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-05-07
It ASCRACkEDONA WAGER
How Safe Breaking Keeps Pace
With Safe Making.
THE SAFE MAN WON THE BET
William A. Pinkerton and Well
Known Bank Officials Spectators
at an Interesting Performance.
Hammer, Battery, Detona-
ting Caps Did the Work.

Three men blew open a safe in broad
daylight at Pullman few days ago and
escaped arrest. The job was done in the
presence Of So or 40 we'll known men.
including William A. Pinkerton, hut
istead of lodging complaint with the
police or even attempting to stop the
performance they heartily applauded
IT'S successful termination.
The job was practical demonstra.
tion by maker of new style safes that
the best of certain old style forms are
not burglar proof. The safe experiment.
ed upon came from bank at Efiingbam,
Ills, and was the subject of an inter
esting wager.
The banker said he could now DEFY
the thieves who have on moro than one
occasion made rich hauls in that local
ity. This was laughed Mt by the new
style safe man, who offered to pay tho
bank $40 minute for all the time ii
took him to open the safe by the latest
methods of scientific burglars. AS the
estimated time was 80 minutes the bank.
er dldn t Like to sacrifice IL 81 800 safe
for 5000 and declined the offer
This drew out another-that the bank
Bhould buy new style safe and turn
over the old one in part payment the
value of the latter to be fixed by the
time it took to open it. If the job were
done in three hours OF less, the bank
was 10 get $3.50. If one minute more
than three hours was spent in the task
the price would be 81 800. This salts.
fed the banker, and the suspected safe
was sent to an experimental station At
Pullman.
In the safe blowing case in question
small hammer, an electric battery.
few decorating caps and ten ounce
vial of nitroglyccrin did tho work.
The cashier of the Dillingham; banl.
first examined the seals and satisfied
himself the safe had not been tempered
with, aud then the fun began. When
the head safe blower, delicate looking
young man who unhesitatingly adni,
ted he had been in tho business for Ii
years, drew the bottle of ntroglycorin
from his pocket and carelessly tossed il
ON the desk, most of the guests made a
break for the door. But this same young
man ccolly said nitroglycerin never
;. went OFF without cause. He didn't mean
it, but the harmless fib made the men
feel easier, and they watched the subse-
quent proceedings with much interest.
II | desired merely to open this safe
wonld pour half of this fluid into it
and touch it off, " said the demonstration
as he again reached for the nitroglycer-
i'll. But don't want to smash it into
smithereens. What am after is to show
the faulty style Of construction by strip
ping the plates apart ono by one with
out using tools or making any pcrcepti-
bic noise. This will take considerably
longer than the mere blowing open of
the safe would, but I am confident the
work will be done inside of three hours. I"
The chief safo'blower hit the door of
the safe two or three smart blows with
the hammer and chunk of the metal
was broken off. Into this crevice a tea
epoonfal or perhaps Il little more of the
mtoglycerin was poured.
Despite the assertion Of the maker
that the safe was impervious to explo-
slves In any form, the liquid fast disnp-
peared III the crack. Then decorating
cap was stuck over the creyice with a
little putty, the electric wires were at
tached, somebody pushed the button.
and there was report like that OF Il
small popgun.
The first result was not satisfying to
the spectators. They saw no signs of
the attack, but the demonstrators smiled
and said the next charge would start
something, and it did Twenty five
charges Of teaspoonful or so each were
used, and all the plates of the big screw
door were stripped off one by one
Some OF the plates We're warped and
broken and all the screws which held
them together We're snapped off like cot
ton threads, many of them being blown
into minute particles. The job was done
IN just two hours and ffty-sevcn min
utes, aud all of the spectators so certi-
fied.-Chicago Tribune.
How o British Officer Spent His Leave.
AS an indication Of the eagerness