The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-30

ened steel, 1t came to grief when it struck
the soft boiler iron, and clogged and
broke. Then the blowppe was used to
heat the steel and take away its temper,
so that the cracksman's drill was once
more effective; but the shoemaker check
mated this by using a sort of spiegelized
iron which could not be melted at less than
$500 degrees Fahrenheit, while ordinary
steel melts at $500 degrees, and which,
after being subjected to the blowpipe's
heat, retained its brittle hardness. Then
came the wedge and the liquid form of
explosive, and nitro lycerine could be
pumped with a syringe into the smallest
of cracks and fired by the aid of a de-
tOnating fuse. This was a new art, for
hitherto the burglar had not learned how
to use the liquid explosive without blow
ing a hole in himself as we'll as in the
safe. 1t necessitated steps and grooves
in the safe doors, with joints worked so
true and fine as to leave scarcely room
for a needle point to enter.
Now came the air pump, with which the
air was exhausted out of the smallest
creyice and the explosive sucked in to fill
the vacuum. The burglar is entitled to
no credit for the air pump development.
He did not invent it. A New York safe
manufacturer discovered the effectiveness
of exhausing the air and a dishonest en-
ploye betrayed the secret to the cracks
men. To obviate this new danger, strips
of thin rubber were used on the step
joints of the safe door, and it then be-
came necessary to resort to the wedge of
steel worked in by blows from a mufIled
sledge in order to make room for dyna-
mite or nitro glycerine. This took time,
and was to that extent a victory for the
shoemaker, for the most he can hope to
do in his struggle against the burglar is
to delay and obstruct him as much as
possible. To keep him out altogether is
past praying for.
The invention of the screw door was
regarded as an important advance in safe
building. In addition to the normal
strength of a steel door six to ten inches
thick screw is cut which unites the door
to the safe by a strong thread, and until
the time-lock reaches its allotted limit
and releases bar the door cannot be I'M
screwed. Jealousy on the part of a bust
ness rival found a way to open q screw
door safe in two hours and fifty-seven min
utes, but thus far the professional burg
lars have not made much Roadway wit
this style of safe, and 1t seems to have
served its purpose of adding to the diff
Guilty and the time necessary to effect an
opening Perhaps the most successful
guard against the art of the expert cracks
man thus far devised is found in the form
of a huge globe of iron, inside of which
a spherical chest revolves sideways and
| locks and uhlocks automatically, accord
ing to the time attachment. The outer
d
of the inner chest are far in the rear,
with more than a foot of solid metal be-
tween them and the burglar. The form of
the safe allows of a curved or saucer
shaped bearing, which is proof against
the prying Of wedges, and it is said that
no safe of this pattern has been robbed.
| 1t is costly style of safe, the price rang
| ing from $1,000 to $4,000, according to size
| and weight. Placed inside of a fireprOof
| vault, this ingeniously constructed sphere
Of metal viii probably give the burglar
more trouble than anything else he has
ever tackled. But its time will doubtless
| come. In the safe-makinS business the
| immoVable must eventually give way to
| the irresistible; the steel and iron will
surely yield 70 modern high explosives.
| 1t is merely a question of time, and time
is all that the safe and vault builder is
| playing for.
The chance that any given safe or valut
will be cracked sooner or later is reduced
to something approaching an exact GER
| tainty, and is made the basis of a system of
| insurance for bankers, jewellers, merchants
and others who have valuable things in
their safes. The policies also cover dam
| ages to the safes and vaults growing out
| Of the burglarious assault. Rates of
| premium are determined by the merit of
| the safes and vaults, their surroundings,
| the precautions and safeguards against
| burglary, and the social conditions of the
| districts in which they are located. For
| example, the rate is cheaper in New York
! than in Chicago, and cheaper in Chicago
| than in Deadwood or Red Gulch. The
| principal business in this line OF insurance
/ throughout the United States is done IN
| New York, and one of the largest and
| finest of modern steel buildings is owned
and occupied by the company engaged In
| underwriting the owners of safes against
| burglarious risks. The jewellers of the
| United States are organized into a ma
| tional alliance for protection against rob-
| berry, and the bankers also have a national
organization for mutual and cooperative
| purposes Of defense. Both the bankers
and the jewellers employ a private detec-
tive agency by the year to look after bur-
glaries, and it is said that. other things
being equal. a burglar will choose for
| his operations an establishment whose
proprietor IS not a member Of the Jewel
| ers' Alliance or the Bankers Association,
| because of the vigor and relentlessness
| with which hurglarfOus assaults are fol-
lowed up and run down by these organi-
cations.
The most recent and startling develop
ment In safe burglary is the discovery
| that by the aid of electricity the stoutest
walls of steel and iron can be penetrated
| easily and rapidly. sensation was Gre
ated a few months ago by the announce
ment that a new and irresistible agent
| Of great potency was available in the bur-
! glarizing Of bank vaults and jewelry
safes In the form OF the electric current
conveyed by street service wires directly
ia front of the doors Of the banks and
iewelry stores. All that the burglar need
ed. Il was said, was a slight knowledge
Of electricity, a carbon stick. bunch OF
wire. and thirty minutes free from inter
ruption, and he could lay hold OF the
contents Of any vault or safe yet con-
structed. Bankers were shocked at the
thought that the electric supply mains
under the pavement or the wire service
! system IN the bank building itself were
10 take the place OF the Jimmy. the drln
the wedge, and the high explosives hith-
| erto employed and were TO provide the
burglar with a noiseless but inWncbie
ally In looting the treasure IN the strong
boxes.
The application Of electricity 10 safe bur-
! glary was first effected IN Chicago Oy
Samuel Bodman. Jr., a graduate Of West
Point and an ex-lieutenant In the artll-
lery branch OF the regular army. Mr.
Rodman was operating as an experiment
talist. not as a safe-breaker. The exper-