Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-01-29
PICKING LOCKS.
The locksmith Can Open Anything
But a Safe Combination.
A Chat With One Of Augustus Knights Of the
Pick

Kittredge, yesterday. lis at the United
States arsenal and it is the key to III,
powder magazine. 1t is about a foo
long, and of immense proportions il
other ways. One can put his hanC
through the handle easily. The loci
which it fits turns so hard that a sticl
of wood has to be used as a lever t
turn it. The lock is on the immense
, oak door and is of the old-fashioneC
variety"
Mr.. Kittredge and f. |. Clark have Z
very curious trade, in that of lock
smith. 1t is trade that few Others
east of Portland know and at the same
time when one is thinking of it or sees
the signs he thinks little of it beyond
that of the machinist. A locksmith is
a machinist. though all machinists are
not locksmiths.
Mr.. kittredge learned his trade of a
Scotchman who came here years ago,
| and Mr.. Clark received his knowledge
| from various sources, learning the last
| part of Mr.. Kittredge.
Times have changed in the way of
locks" said the latter, as he talked Of
the trade. I'VE read Of the days when
the key to Jerusalem required three
men to carry it. In those days
the safety depended upon the size Of
the key. but today it is different. Now
il is the complication of the lock and
not its size that is hooked at. The little
Yale lock would have been such good
thing in those days as it is now"
rs the locksmiths trade what it used
to be-" asked the Journal.
Ill has CHANGED greatly sail Mr.
kittredge. When | first entered bust
ness we had the large keys almost en-
tirely 10 work with. Today they are
small. Now the great part Of our work
consists in making duplicate keys.
And i'll that too we have to face the
competition of manufacturers. In this
as in all other business there has been
change.
Every lock manufacturer in sending
ont his locks sends along some dupli-
cate keys. Even after man loses a
few Of them h can 60 tOI
the hardware dealer and get a
duplicate or one can be Sc
cured for him Of the manufacturer by
sending the number. All these great
lock manufacturers keep duplicates so
that they can accommodate the lock in
case the keys are lost. The number Of
the lock can be sent in and key will
be sent that will fit it. They have a
grand system
But do the companies have more
than one lock Of a certain number"
asked the journal.
oh yes, | suppose they do. but they
are careful where they send the locks.
If No. Al123l is sent to Maine, they are
careful to send the others TO England.
Mexico or some remote place. They
are so widely scattered that no one
would ever once in million times
without knowing where to look, find
duplicates after they left the factory.
I'VE have a great deal TO do in the |
way of making duplicate keys now as
the night catches are usually supplied |
with several for the family in case they !
are not supplied by the hardware |
dealer. Some locks have but two keys |
them and it is as easy |
and as cheap to have US make one OF
them
What do people do who lose their |
keys and desire TO have another
We can take impressions of the lock |
and make one as well as not"
"Can you unlock a door that has one |
of the patent locks on it, without a
key"
There is not a lock in this city that |
| cannot pick. if it is necessary. To do |
this man must understand the |
mechanism of the lock. Even though |
YOU had the picks and We're told what |
kind of lock. with the number of
tumblers in it, YOU could not pick the |
lock. one has to understand the work |
ings of them. The other day bank |
man came TO me and said he had lost !
both the keys to a certain strong box |
and he did not know what TO do. He |
asked if | thought l could pick it. |
| said | had little doubt but that | |
could He remarked that the lock was
warranted to be of the sort that could |
not be picked. He said he did not know
but that he had better send to Boston
for an expert. but he would let me try.
opened the box in just 10 minutes
after | started to work on it. greatly to
the mans surprise. There is nothing
in the way of locks that cannot be
picked. I care not what they are. The
only thing that cannot be picked is
lock such as are on the
sales. IL Il lliI ubtS HOl hlibN tlit
they cannot be opened
without destroying the lock. When We
locksmiths go to clean safe lock We
study the weak points. Then if we are
called upon to enter it. We know just
how to work to destroy the weakest
places.
The men owning the large vaults
and safes have the combinations and
locks cleaned every two or three years
and many Of them have the combina
ton changed as often as that. We are
the ones who do this and thus we carry
the secret of the greater number of
combinations. That is a part disagree
able to the average locksmith. but it
shows that our profession must be
made up Of honest men"
is there much work on the locks
about the city,"
Rather more than one would sup
pose. AS a matter of fact the locks
that are made Of so great combinations
wear out and get out of order easily.
A lock that is much used will wear
away in the tumblers so that a key will
not have the required effect upon them.
Then we are called in to do the repair
ing. Some locks will not last over two
years at the most before they need re-
pairing 50 there is a constant de-
mand for our services
ln.ly mi ise,ix.