The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1895-05-15
CRACKED ON AaWAGER.
HOW SAFE BREAKING KEEPS PACE
o.. WITH SAFE MAKING.

William A. Piakcrton a4d Wen Known
Bank ofao'sls Spectators ~ an Interest
ing Perforrnance-- Hammer, battery, Det-
onating Gaps and Nitroglycerin Did 1t.
Three men blew oroli a safe in broad
daylight at Pullman few days ago and
escaped arrest. The job was done in the
presence Of 30 or 20 we'll known men,
including William A Pinkerton, but
1stead OF lodging complaint with the
ponce or even attempting to stop the
performance they heartily applauded
its successful termination
The job was a practical demonstra-
ton 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 Efingham,
Ills, and was the subject Of an inter
esting wager
The banker said he could now defy
the thieves who have on more than one
occasion made rich hauls in that local
ity. This was laughed at by the new
style safe man, who offered to pay the
bank $40 a minute for all the time it
took him to open the safe by the latest
methods Of scientific burglars AS the
estimated time was 80 minutes the bank
er didn't like to sacrifice a 81 500 safe
for $500 and declined the offer.
This drew out another-that the bank
should buy new style safe and turn
over the old one in part payment, the
valUe Of the latter to he fixed by the
time it took to open it. If the Job were
done III three hours or less, the bank
was to 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 tie suspected safe
was sent to an experimental station at
Pullman.
In the safe blowing case in question
small hammer, an electric battery, a
few decorating caps and ten ounce
vial of nitroglyceri1f did the work.
The cashier of the bingham bank
first examined the seals and satisfied
himself the safe had not been tempered
with, ard then the fun began. When
the head safe blower, delicate looking
young man who unhesitatingly admit
ted he had been i'll the business for Is
wears, drew the bottle Of nitrOglycerin
from his pocket and carelessly tossed it
On the desk, most Of the guests made
break fer the door Bat this same young
man coolly said nitroglycerin never
went of without cause, He didn t mean
it, but the harmless fib made the men
feel easier, and they watched the subse
C"cnt proceedings with much interest.
II / desired merely to open this safe
1vou.d pour half Ct tits flid into it
alG touch it or, : SAID the demonstration
d. lie again reached for the E.troglycer
in. But do. t want 20 smash It into
smithcreens What cm after is to show
the faulty style Of construction by strip
Ping the plates apart one by one with
out using tools or making any po~centi-
bic noise. This will take considerably
longer than :he mere blowing cFfN of
the safe would, but am confident tie
work will be done inside Of three Eg,.-...' -
The chief safe blower hit the door Of
the safe two or three smart blows with
the hammer and a chunk Of the metal
was broken off. INTO this cTeyice a tea
spoonful or perhaps . little more Ct the
was poured.
Despite the assertion Of the maker
that the safe was iniperviCus to explo-
sives in any form, the liquid fast disap-
peared in the crack. Then decorating
cap was stuck over rhe cFevice with a
little putty, the electric wires We're at
tached, somebody pushed the button,
and there was q report like that OF a
small popgun.
The first result was not satisfying to
the spectators. They saw no signs OF
the attack, but the demonstration smiled
and said the next charge would start
and it did. Twenty-Five
of a teaspoonful or so each We're
used, and all the plates of the big screw
door were stripped off one by one.
Some of the plates were warped and
broken and all the screws which held |
them together were snapped off like cot
ton threads, many Of them being blown |
into minute particles The job was done |
in lust two hours and ffty-seven min
ltes, and all of the spectators so certl- |
fed. Chicago Tribune.
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