Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1895-09-10
THE MODERN SAFE.
AN UP TO DATE FlREPRooF ANp
BURGLAR PROOF DEPOSITORY.


sknirui Workmanship Displayed In Its
nIanufacturs-Loehs with simple Mech
anism That Arc Extremely Iiurd 20 Open
n xuu Don't Know How.
The latest burglar proof safes and
vaults arc magnificent specimens Of
shllful workmanship Although tho
doors often. weigh tons, they swing as
easily ON thoir hinges as window shut
ter. After the first great door is thrown
back and displays its glittering array Of
bright locks, its glass incased clocks
and its smooth steel bolts therc is an-
other door almost as strong. with bolta
and locks Of its own, When this is open
Il reveals tbroo other doors The upper
two arc Df thin steel and have no locki
Only papers aud books arc to be kept in
tho httlo pockets or pigoonholes which
they iuclose.
Under them end shutting in the cash
drawer there is tho third door with its
own lock and bolts. IN this safe the
size Of the cash repository bears about
tho samo relation to the size of the
whole safe as a pumpkin seed docs to
the pumpkin. And it is not only burglar
proof but freproof-warrantCd in fact,
to stand for at least 20 hours the great
est amount Of heat that any burning
building could give it.
The making Of safe Of this kind IA
a complicated and expensive operation
All tho steel used comes IN the form Of
plates from tho works. After having
the necessary screw holes bored in them
they are heated to high temperature
and then tempered by suddenly immers.
ing them in wuter. When they como ont
they are often a littlo twisted and
wnrped, and have to be rolled cold and
sometimes polished clean by q swiftly
moving emery wheel The noise Of this
operation is car splitting and so rasping
that man with ordinary nerves can
hardly endure IT, When the plato is per-
foctIy levol il is transferred to another
machine, whore il is clamped tight, and
an emery wheel shaves of the edges.
The plates arc now put together, first
one Of hard Atoel, then ono Of wrought
iron or soft steel, and so ON until the
necessary thickness is obtained From
the iron tho safe receives its tenacious
qualities-.it cannot be cracked or bro
ken as easily as steel. and the steel i'm
parts a hardness that 6eiics tho burglar
drill The screws are also made of COM
bined steel and iron Each OF them is
only long enough to reach through two
plates, and tho screws which join tbt
thir.t, fourth and fifth plates to the flrst
arc never directly under any otllel
screws, so that there is no chance for q
burglar to bore down through q row Of
screws Tho plates are also drawn verJ
close together, for if any space was left
between them a safe blower might sue
ceed in getting his dynamite into it.
Between the interior and extoriol
walls Of the safe largo amount of by
draulic cement, combined with other in
gradients, usually according to a secre
recipe, is packed solidly. In case of fr'
the theory is that the water in the ce
ment---about 43 per cent-wiu, owing
to tho heat Of the outside covering, bo
come steam, partially, at least, and b.
driven close TO the inner wall Here i
will remain ard furnish a blanket i'm
pervious to heat. All the bolts are cylin
dTical and from an inch up % two inche
4 diameter.
Combination locks ar. now used ex
olusively. The mechanism of most o
them is extremely simple. In one locl
, there are number Of round brass disk
or "tumblers, " each pivoted at tho cen
ter ON 2 small shaft which runs throug
the safe door and connects with the loo
knob Each tumbler has o slit in it jus
the size of tho steel ann which control
! the bolts and reaching nearly back
tho center. When all these Sits are tC
gether ard pointing in exactly tho sam
: direction the arm slips into them an
: TIE bolts can DO thrown. But if the sli
N a single one Of the tumblers is eve
. thousandth Of an inch out Of line th
arm viii not slip back The disks al
, , set short distance apart and sma
screws with big heads are fastened {
random over them. As these strike 4
= gether in turning the tuublers whir
p slld a man might turn tho lock knob
- thousand years without once getting ii
Sits in all the tumblers together. BI
s the man who knows just how far
turn one way and then how far bac
again according to the combination nun
bers has no trouble at all
r The combination and numbers are ca
fly changed by changing the screws
the disk. Many Of the best safes an
/. vaults are now being provided wit
time locks Two and sometimes thrl
clocks arc inclosed in glass cases just Il
side Of the safe door. When the door
locked, no one can open 1t again unit
!, the clock hands have travelled the 8
a distance around the dial and touched
+ little trigger which releases the bolt
y More than ono clock is used, so that
9 one runs down tho others win go on a.
Is perform their duty IN the big ban
4 the vaults are closed about 8 o'clock
d the evening aud set to open little b
o fore 3 O'Clock in the morning. It ID
4 general impression that an expert "a
% glar can open q combination lock by I
"a tening to the clicking sounds, but de'
10 ers say II is not possible for any one
10 do It, If O safe owner forgets his eol
ot bination, tho safe has 20 be bored inl
h There is no other way Of opening It.
/ Chicago Record. 1p.