Rock Island Argus., 1896-12-10

SAMUEL RODMAN, JR
its accompanying noise, nor will It ever
again be necessary for the midnight work
er to force off layer by laye with explosive
and jimmy the iron doors of the treasure
chest. Give him a carbon stick, bunch
of wire and 80 minutes free from interrupt
tion and the hoard Is his.
Samuel Rodman, Jr., Of Chicago, who
has opened a cafe and vault Of nearly ev-
cry construction extant, has been expert
menting recently with the electric current,
and now, after years spent in showing how
easy it was to get into the Golfers of bank
ing institutions by means of nitroglyccrin,
drills, and the like, he says that those
methods are things of the past Mr. Rod
man is a graduate of West Point
The United States government came to
the conclusion some time ago that the
treasury vaults at Washington were in a
lamentable condition. 1t was decided to
have the matter authoritatively settled ky
competent and disintcrested experts. A
commission was appointed, and Lieutenant
Rodman was the expert chosen to con-
duct experiments for the commission. A
sample Of nearly every known safe was
sent to the commission, and they were all
speedily and quietly opened by the army
officer expert. He used nitroelycerin when
occasion demanded it, and the noise of the
explosion was not heard 80 feet When
the high explosive was necessary, Mr..
Rodman bored through the containing
walls. In many cases the more frequently
the words ''burglar proof appeared upon
the surface of the safe the more easily was
the supposedly strong box opened.
The government never did anything to
improve the condition Of it's vaults and
depends now, as it always has depended,
upon the fidelity of watchmen for the
preservation of it's treasures. It is perhaps
just as well for the safety of Uncle Sans
money that this is so, for within the last
few weeks, after a final experiment. with
the electric current, Lieutenant Rodman,
whom the government chose as its expert,
has declared that in the future any large
amount of money expended upon the con-
thrown away.
"Safes and vaults" he said, "should be
built hereafter just strongly enough to
Withstand a sudden and quick attack. II
they are Of temper and thickness to stand
off the burglars for ten minutes, 1t should
be all sufficient. Other means of protec.
ton than thick walls and time locks must
be had. Masses of metal which seem to
defy explosions, or which from their posi-.
tion and surroundings seem to render an
attack by these methods impracticable, are
now exposed to the new element Of dan
ger, the silent electric current. The devel.
opment in the use of such a method of at
tack presents new problems in the question
of bank security. Ponderous, expensive
constructions must give way to lighter
and cheaper ones, giving sufficient seen
rity against sudden attacks and supple
mented by some satisfactory system Of
electric alarm protection. There Is a big
field opening just now for some one whe
will perfect an alarm system which bur
glars cannot tamper with without bringing
officers to the scene. 1 suppose IL should
| take the form of q series of wires about the
vaults and safes
Within a week q workman in Chicagc
| using q carbon stick melted his wal
through five inches If wrought iron in les
| than 80 minutes. The hole made was bis
| and arm of q man of medium size Al
that is necessary for burglar to do nov
Is to connect wires with a terminal wher,
| the main wires of an electric light plan
turn under the sidewalk. At this poin
he can get the full current generated n
| the central station. He can trail thes
wires along the gutter under cover O
darkness and into the building where h
has q safe to crack He attaches his car
bon to the wire and burns his way to tn
treasure which he cove:s. Detection, n
far as the act of connecting with the mail
wires is concerned, would not be likely
for men from the electric light plant n
constantly removing the conduit cover
and working under the sidewalk. and tn
hank burglar might readily pass as such
workman. In the smaller cities the trolle,
wire can be used in the same way an
with the same result The increase in tb
amount Of electricity used would not b
noticeable enough at the central station q
cause comment, because similar variation
in consumption are constantly occurring
When the burglar gets his supply of cleo
tricity from the trolley, all that would b
necessary for him TO do to get the ciroui
would be to run the other wire to n wate
, pipe.
Cracksme1 nowadays do not appear &
be in the least afraid TO handle high CT
plosives. They do not do it as well per
haps as q person would who had no foa
of interruption at his work. but eAey d