The times., 1899-02-12
This was regarded as

ed the screw door This was regarded as
absolutely burglar proof. The door car
ried a half to -quarter-inch thread
that fitted into a complementary groove
in the jambs. a spring bolt locked It Sc
curely. time mechanism was attached.
AT last the jarring process was tried and
at Elmhurst. ILL.,, few weeks ago an ex-
pert with railroad tie opened a screw
door in fifty-fve minutes, and he was in
no haste, desiring not to injure the safe.
A few weeks before this, however Mike
Muldoon made similar experiment at An
tioch III. He turned the safe on its side,
with the bolt on the upper side He ex-
ploded charge of nitro -giycerine on top
Of the safe, the bolt dropped. Mr.. Null
doom opened the door, and he and his
friends carried away the $4,000 that the
safe contained At Independence, Me-, a
few months ago. burglars opened u screw
door safe. They removed the plate to
which the hinge mechanism of the floor is
attached. This was done easily, as the
bolts were in form of screws. The holes
in the door made TO receive the bolts were
filed with nitro glycerine and the door
was blown to pieces.
The Coleman Device.
After the steel doors and time locks OF
safes had been brought TO their highest
perfection, and 1t was believed that no drill
known to science could penetrate the
chilled steel plates. one fine day young
man from Englewood named C. ]. Coleman
walked into the salesroom of the Oldest
safe concern in Chicago. He was shown
the latest make of safe, and was told how
absolutely burglar-proof 1t was, how i'm
possible to drill the steel plates, thirty-six
hours being required TO drill hole in the
door of the safe.
What would you think IL I were to tell
you that | can drill hole through that
door in thirty minutes?' he asked.
81 would think you were crazy or jok-
| Ing" was the reply.
Then Mr.. Coleman told the manager that
by using the ordinary carbon burner In al
arc light with current of electricity APP
piled he could produce heat sufficiently
intense to melt the hardest steel plate ant
| bore hole through 1t. Subsequent expert
ments proved that he could do what he
| claimed. An inch hole has been bored
| through a steel and iron door of the bes
| construction seven and a half inches thicl
| in twentyseven minutes. Storage batter
les weighing not to exceed 200 pounds will
| 1t is said furnish sufficient current to d,
the work.
Steel burns more readily and rapid!
| than iron. carbon connected with {
storage battery or electric plant can b,
|
IL were a piece of cheese. Mr.. Coleman
had device he had patented to protec
safes from attack by electricity or any
| thing else in the hands of burglar. hfte
numerous improvements the device is nov
claimed to be perfect. 1t consists OF cas-
for the safe-cither vault or woOdei
box lined with strips of tinfoil. the toucl
OF a needle point on which would sound al
electric alarm.
After half century OF experience an
the expenditure OF millions of money, how
ever. ii is the consensus of opinion anon
safemakers that the burglars have the hes
of it. No burglar proof safe has ever bee
made. The safest safe is the one that i
exposed 10 public view where the burgla
may readily be discovered at his work.
Is agreed that the burglar can ask nothin
better than that the safe be placed in
vault. Vault doors can be opened almo-
as easily as the street door, and once in
side the vault its doors and walls affor
him all the protection he desires. The
conceal the light necessary and deaden til
explosion.