New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-03
BURGLAR-PROOF CARS.
SOME CURIOUS SUGGESTIONS MADE By
CRANKS.
COLONEL WEIR. OF THE ADAMS EXPRESS Gun
PANY. TELLS OF SEVERAL CRAZY IDEAS

PANY TELLS OF SEVERAL CRAZY IDEAS
TO PREVENT ROBBERIEs.
good deal has been said OF late regarding the
construction OF socaed burglar proof express cars
for service on some Of the railroads The reports
TO the effec, that these cars were to be
made Of steel with no windows doors or end plat
forms. and that they would be collision proof"
When he asked about IT, Coorei l.. c. Weir.
president Of the Adams Express Company. said
in his frank way: 1T Is all nonsense. have not
heard OF any such movement. You see. now. We
have equipped with burgar-proof. dynamite
proof and freproof safes These strapped to the
floor OF the and they smooth as a babys
cheek. There isn't crack where train robbers
could possibly insert powder. When a train Is At
tackled and the robbers place revolver under the
OF the messenger he simply tells them: All
right, boys. help yourselves. There Is the safe.
can't open It. And that stumps them. l suppose
II they to have about two tons OF dynamite
and five or SIX hours o, time they might be able
to open one OF the safes. bu; they don't generally
get so much leisure that. II has cost a mint OF
money fix the things up. but they are COM
pete
NO, l can't say that there ia any more wiling
ness now to rob trains than there has been before
The only thing IL. think. the attempts being
frequently reported than formerly. You see.
these matters Ike epidem!cs. Another fact
to be noted, too is this that whenever a robbery
sorts Of cranks and inventors the country
each one Of whom has patent that IS the only
preventive. Only short time ago had one let
ter from a chap who wished Us to keep what he
had to offer involabe secret. He said that he
had not patented it. and only waiting 10 hear
from US. His plan called for the construction under
the roof OF the car % chamber with falling doors.
As the robbers entered the car all the
messenger had TO do throw a switch. This
let down the doors OF the concealed chamber. AZ
as the doors fell blast % air was created
from some mysterious source and countless num-
bers Of little balls of India ink would be thrown
into the car. branding every man Jack OF the pb-
bers ndeb.y for future Identification. TO say moth
ing Of soaring them TO death
Another chap remember had scheme that was
unique 1t consisted OF the plac!ng OF cylinder In
the car. The moment the messenger appreciated
that he attacked all he had TO do was to drag
The safes into the cylinder and lock them up there
with holes which commanded every part OF the car
and through them ne could sn9o the roopers COM S
matter with the robbers shooting back through
these same holes, and pqncturing the messenger he
ION some OF the Western roads they now try
one or more cylinders Of small diameter, which
filled with d powerful chemical preparation the
that his car Is threa tened he takes the cylinder
down from It's case and drops II through preparet
opening IN the floor Of his car. Then by pressure
Of the foot or some other simple e. metn0G' ne IL
illuminate the country for great distance around
The cylinder becomes "A great torch. The expert
ment i being tried there but whether IL VIII be a
success not remains to be seen But this matter
OF sJee cars is nonsense, as | said before; You
know the experiment OF having iron-framed cars
was tried the New-Haven road some years ago.
ard it was failure. Such cars are deadly IN case
OF collision. You be thrown UP against a
splintered frame Of wood and receive only a
bruise but when sheet iron or steel bends ana
breaks Il leaves d jagged edge which will make a
painful and dangerous wound. so far' as TINS
company is concerned, there is not at tne present
time a single out of durance vile VINO eve!
robbed the company; Is, unless his tsr.n has
expired This Is true from the days OF the Reno
gang and that was more than thirty Years ago:
II costs a mint of money 10 round taen up oas
we never let up in the search.