The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-03
BURGLARY A SCIENCE.
SMART ROBBERS ARE NOT FOILED
BY ANY SAFE.

The Profession of Breaking Safes
Requires Higher Intelligence and
Greater skill Than Does Amy other
Walk in Criminal SOciety-Bur-
glars Now Know Facts About
Chemistry, Which Makes Their
business Easier-The Use of Dyna-
mite and other Agents-At Present
the Burglars Have the Better OF
the Makers of Safes.
From the Philadelphia Times.
Safe robbing has become a study in
science, said prominent detective in the
United States secret service a day or two
ago. In recent years successful bank
robbery has excited quite as much scien-
tiic as criminal interest. Safe breakers,
ave the aristocrats of crime. Their profess
sion requires higher intelligence ana
greater skill than does any other walk in
criminal society. The successful cracks
men must know something about the ten
slle strength and hardness of metals and
the use of chemicals and mechanical APP
planes.
During the last forty years there has
been a constant battle between the manu-
facturers of safes and expert burglars,
the one defensive, the other aggressive.
1t has been a scientific warfare between
metals and locking devices on one side
and hlgh-class mechanism and explosives
on the other. Millions of dollars have
been expended in experiments 1t is es-
timated that safe companies have expend-
ed five times as much money testing and
perfecting steel plates and locks for safes
as the government has for armor plates
and modern guns.
Until burglars began to study chemistry
and mechanics vaults and safes were Sc
cure enough When a robbery was In
tended the burglar forced the cashier or
president of the bank to open the safe or
cault The old-time practice is still In
vogue, and was the method pursued In
the Northampton Bank robbery, which
yielded S5S,000 in cash and negotiable in
struments Forty years ago safes were
burglar-proof simply because the burglar
had not become skillful in the use of the
wedge or drill or fuse. The burglar soon
learned to use the steel wedge. He used
a lead or copper hammer, and made little
noise driving the wedges. In a few hours
began the business of manufacturing
burglars outfits, and sets made from the
finest steel cost from 81 800 TO $1,000. This
class of tools was used by Jimmy Hope
In the famous Manhattan Bank robbery In
New York, when he and his associates
got s2,750,00O In bonds, notes and cash.
The use of wedges led to the safe manu-
facturers to make their doors in such
manner that they could not be pried open.
steel drill. When "A safe tempted him he
went TO the nearest blacksmith shop. bor-
rowed a drill, bored hole through the up
per edge of the door, blew a puff Of pow
der from a paper funnel through the hole,
and set a time fuse This was easier,
though more noisy, than the wedge pro-
cess. Various devices were resorted to 10
prevent the explosion attracting attention
such as hanging blankets over the safe.
The safe-makers then conceived the idea
Of defeating the use OF drills by boiling to
the iron plates strips of steel, car or wa
gon spring being used. But the burglar
did not give up his drill He simply bored
a hole through the iron plate, and by
means of a punch and hammer shattered
the inner steel Plate Powder Introduced
through the opening did the rest The
safemakers then bolted together two strips
Of iron and one of steel and finally in
vented method OF welding them. The
layers were increased to five, three of iron
and two of steel. The plates were one
eighth of an inch thick. and when the five
plates were welded into one Ii was sup
posed that Mr. Burglar could not drii,
through it, but Red" Leary, Jimmy Car
roll, and other experts in the use Of i'm
proved drills and jimmies and wedges con-
tinued to get the best Of the safes The
steer was chilled and hardened and the
plates were made thicker. Crystal steel
and Franklinized steel we're used, and new
processes were invented. until at last the
present lam.nated plate, an inch thick,
was produced This plate is regarded as
the greatest achievement of the safemak-
er. and seven of these plates bolted to-
&c her make door believed to be impreg-
nable 10 the drill
Use of Explosives.
Mr. Burglar bad begun the use OF ex-
plosives thirty years ago, but powder ceas-
ed 10 be effective. He began 10 study
chemistry and read up on dynamite. He
sim POSSESSED the idea that the explosive
must be introduced into the interior Of the
safe. behind the door. Dynamite could
only be applied on the outside Small
safes could be shattered by a. This was
the method employed by the Reno gang Ia
the famous express robbery in Brown
county, Indiana, twenty-five years ago.