The record-union., 1896-01-10

plates are so arranged that they break
joints with those next them. The out
side layer is IL inches thick, and is Sc
cured to the others by blind screws,
which do not reach the surface of the
plate, and therefore present no point
open to attack
Each plate is made up Of five layers
three layers of steel and two of iron.
These layers or sheets of metal are
placed alternately and then welded and
rolled together until they become one
solid mass. The steel used is called
chrome steel, and is very hard-so hard
that no tool will touch it. When put
IN combination with soft iron the re-
sulting plate is impervious to both drill
ing and hammering The soft iron re-
sists the shattering blows Of sledge
or explosions of dynamite, which would
otherwise crack the hard steel, and the
hard steel resists the drill To draw
the temper of the steel by means of a
blowpipe, which is the only way to
make it possible TO drill chrome steel,
would take weeks. This puts the pos
sibility Of burglary altogether out OF
the question.
In each of these partitions there is a
weak spot" or manhole, the exact To-
cation of which is known only to the
makers. This is in case of a timelock
getting out of order on one Of the doors.
A passage could then be cut through
the partition adjoining. Though called
a weak spot" it is only weak by com
parison, for at least two inches of steel
have to be cut through, but this can be
done without injuring the rest of the
partition.
The space within the vault is divided
into three rooms by means of steel
partitions three inches in thickness.
Each room contains seventy steel
closets, which will each hold $500, 900 in
gold coin. There are two doors for each
| room and between the two a narrow
vestibule. The rooms are thus within
the inner skin of the vault, protected by
doors which lead into the vestibule be-
tween the inner and outer skin. The
outer skin is also provided with three
doors, one for each room. Small
amounts of gold, half a million or less
will be stored temporarily in the vesti-
bule closets protected by the outer
doors. The three rooms within the in
neT doors will only be opened when big
W1lIlQIdWdlS OE Q6EOS1lS are IldQe.
The outer doors are 914 inches thick
and the inner ones 54 inches. They
are built of the same material as the
walls, chrome steel plates. The doors
are mounted on hinges provided with
ball bearings, and although each door
weighs eight tons, they can be swung
open with a very slight effort A special
arrangement of the bolts was necessary
in order that they may be shot without
any undue exertion or the aid of ma
chinery. The locking bolts are all at
tached in such a manner as to balance
one another, as a cash weight balances
a window, so that they can be turned as
easily as an ordinary door-knob.
On the outside doors there is a time
lock combination which can be set Sc
as to open at any time. There are
three separate movements on each door
any one of which will operate the lock
This is to guard against the stopping
of one clock, and the consequent clos
ing of the safe. 1t is almost incon-
eeivable that three clocks should all &C
wrong together. These clocks will rur
| for seventy eight hours. There are nc
time locks on the inner doors, which
| open merely with combination.
The recesses into which the doors fl
are all lined with composition called
asbestos rubber, which is squeezed out
/ by the heavy door and makes an air.
tight joint. This prevents the intro
| duction of nitro -glycerine into the
cracks and the subsequent stripping OF
| The plates by the force of the explo-
sion.
Mob violence is the only thing which g
safe of this character has to fear
Any number of safe cracksmen could
not force an entrance by ordinary
means in less than month, and a safe
cracking job is considered by the burg
lar to be risky if it takes more than six
or eight hours.
The construction of the safe has beer
carried out with the idea of it's protect
ing the vast treasure contained inside
in the event of a mob capturing the city
A shot from a six-inch gun would, OF
course, break open the safe, but no ord
nance which it would be possible for g
mob to bring to bear on it would affect
it. Drilling or hammering is out of the
question and the quantity of dynamite
which would be required to break oper
the safe would bring down the building
and all the others for block around it
Beside the inherent strength of the
safe itself, a most elaborate set of pre-
cautions will be taken to guard against
i robbery by collusion. Two separate
sets of officials from the Clearing House
/ and the Bank Committee must be pres
| ent before the doors Of the inner vault
where the bulk of gold is kept can be
opened. Armed watchmen will patro
the storehouse day and night, and al
elaborate system of electric alarms viii
be fitted up.
The cost of the big safe will be in the
neighborhood of $50 600 Another bis
/ safe is being put up in the New Yorl
Life building, in which the doors art
even heavier than in the Clearing
House safe, but the body of the strong
room is not so heavy.-World.
German children in the mountains o.
/ Silesia devoutly believe that beetle!
are both deaf and blind.