Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1895-10-31
BATTLING BURGLARS
SAFES AND LOCKS WHICH ARE PROOF
AGAINST TAMPeRERS.
Each Bank of England Lock Costs 1915
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 in the practical work
ing of the same.
But he is comp, etely out of the run
ping when pitted against our safemak
ers and locksmiths, even though he perl
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 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 it
absolutely impossible for thieves to
break in.
Perhaps the most interesting depart,
ment was that one in which an exhibit
ton of the highest form of the burglar
craft was being given. Skilled workmen
were seated before locked safes and
were using the almost irresistible fuslng
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 were squirting corrosive chem
icals into the locks and noting the et-
feet, while sturdy artisans were using
the drill and the wedge with scientific
force and skill that showed they could
be dangerous enemies to society if they
were criminally inclined.
The fusing apparatus consists OF
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 a stream
of fame issues from the end of the pipe
in its bottom. So fierce is this flame
that it melts the metal in the safe door
and eats a jagged hole through 1t IN a
remarkably short space of time.
1--WE turn out about 2SS, 600 locks ev-
cry year, remarked the manager of the
works, land they range in weight from
a quarter of an ounce-including key
to 22S pounds, the respective values OF
these extremes being IL cents and ST.
500.
Foremost among these locks which
protect enormous wealth come those on
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 fiuted pieces of steel in
the head Of the Alphabetically called
'steps'-are nine in number and are ca
pable of 3G2, $50 different combinations.
eff banker whose safe was fitted
with this lock CHANGED to lose his key, or
if he had reason to suppose that a wax
immersion of it had been made, all
that would be necessary in order to baf-
fle burglarious designs would be to un-
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.
"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 unmlxed
blessing. One afternoon certain city
merchant was amusing himself by un-
screwing the steps of both his keys
.,,I1a,,1r nccprr.aA n 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
q 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
q furnace round the door of the safe it
was decided to try the combination first.
eve 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 13, 600
different combinations were 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 all
this trouble.
"The treasury doors at the Bank OF
England measure Z feet and weigh
about ~ tons. Besides being fitted
with the above mentioned changeable
locks they have violence locks feet
long, each of which weighs 200 pounds,
and gunpowder proof locks, having
blowholes on every side, even through
the massive bolt. These blow holes al
low the gunpowder pumped i'll to escape
and reduce the force OF apostolic eXplo-
sion to a mere harmless puff.
1T is worthy of note that there are
more than O,0OO locks fitted i'll the
Bank of England Then comes the Sa-
voy hotel with l, 800, controlled by one
master key. The manager of each of the
six floors at the Savoy, however, has a
master key which controls the lock OF
every room under his supervision.
"Her majesty's safe at Windsor cas-
tie in which the gold plate is kept
weighs eight tons and is protected by
a violence lock Is inches long, change
able lock and a gunpowder lock, all Of
which can be mechanically covered by
an undrillable steel plate, which rem
ders it impossible to insert even hair
pin into any of the keyholes. London
Answers.