Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-08-13
SKILLFUL ROBBERS.
They Execute Daring Theft Near
San Francisco.
SELBY SMELLING WORKS ROBBED.
Thieves Tunnel Under the Building,
Gain Entrance to the Vault and
Escape with Gold Bullion
Worth S33O,OOO.

Worth $33O,OOO.
San Francisco, Aug. 7.-The selby
Smelling and lead company has
been robbed of $4,000 worth OF gold
bullion. The theft occurred some
time Monday night and was not dis
covered until morning. The thieves
tunneled from outside the building
under the vault at the Selby works,
which are located on the bay shore,
| about 30 miles from San Francisco.
They got away with nearly 1,2oo
pounds of fine gold, worth $50 ON
ounce, without leaving q trace OF
their identity behind. The robbery
is the most successful and remarka-
BILE ever accomplished on the Pacific
1 coast, and was evidently the work
OF skilled mechanics.
Well Planned.
| The whole affair was skillfully
planned and skillfully executed. 1t
is supposed that when the robbers
secured their loot they loaded it into
a boat that was waiting and disap-
| peared in the fog that had come over
| San Francisco bay. In their haste to
get away they left two gold bars
worth nearly $4,000, lying on the
bank at the waters edge. The police
at all the bay cities were immediate
ly notified of the crime, but all they
could discover was few OF the tools
that the robbers had used.
The Selby Smelling and Lead COM
pany is the largest concern of its
kind on the Pacific coast. Ores are
sent from all over the western coun-
try to be smelted and refined. and
tie gold is then turned over to the
mint. A steamer makes special trips
between the smelter and San Fran
cisco, carrying the ores one way and
/ bringing back the refined gold. Tues
day morning, when the workmen en-
tered the vault to prepare the gole
for loading on the steamer the rob
berry was discovered. The tIieye:
, , had taken the precaution Of fasten
:. ing the door of the vault from tn
inside so that it would be difficult t.
open from the outside in case the
: were interrupted in their work.
The Tunnel.
Probably preparatory engineerin.
. extending over several weeks was don
before the robbery could be accom-
plished. Close to the wall OF the build
ing in which the vault is located
n shaft was sunk below the foundation
S Then tunnel was run to the vault an
it holes were bored in the iron floor ur
t TIL an aperture sufficiently large to &C
e NIT man was made. 1t was the
e easy work to pass down the treasur
a into the tunnel and load it into boat
o The robbers even took the precautio
Z, to sprinkle red pepper in the tunnel
+ order to make things as uncomfortab l
a as possible for anyone who might a.
% tempt to pursue them.
!. Vaults Rich Contents.
. There were four fine gold bricks
:. the vault which the robbers lootet
= Each was ten inches long, five inche
= wide and four inches in height. The
- were all stamped with number, weigh
:. and fineness, and ran thus: mo. 1923
:. containing 1190.37 ounces; No. 1923
= containing 1127.43 ounces; No. 1913
=. containing 1892 ounces, and N
~ 1929, containing 1O73.79 ounces. A
~, the bricks were 99S fine and wor'
- $20.60 per ounce. In addition to tn
- there were stolen from the bullit
vault crude gold in all shapes al
sizes, and some of it in bars of differe
80 lengths.
story of an Omcial.
an Vallejo, CAL. Aug. 7.-An official
the Selby smelling works made t
b. following statement regarding t
to robbery:
ms .aHThe robbers must have succeeded
e, entering the vault some time between m
>, night and five O'Clock this morning. IN
OF entered the vault through a hole abe
m the size OF ma1ii,oie Ia a boiler, and
no indications point TO the fact that robbie
~ have been working On the scheme for sol
~. time. Over $50 holes were bored into
to bottom of the vault, and the workMaasl
indicates that mechanics of more tn
no usual ability superintended the job. I
hotas were bored 20 within hair bread
ne Of the surface. and when the proper til
es came the plate was forced up, thus givi
ha the robbers access to the vault. The p
tiers first excavated a hole alongside
NC building directly in line with the vau
SIS The work of excavating must have tax
N. some time, and at the end of each nigh
~. work-for the work must have been dc
at night-a covering Of iaths, rubber she
ne ing and sacks was made. the whole bel
mt covered over with layer of dirt, thus h
es ing any sign of what was going on. WI
. became of the excayated dirt we have be
II unable to find out. 1t must have been
IRE moved in sacks. The covering. we have
lb- certained, was not strong enough to h
AZ. the weight of a man. but the excavat
-, was made SO close to the building that
atu men never walked over it. We are sal
lid fled that the plotters were aided by so
one familiar with the system employed
the works and ene fully informed as to
~ construction of the vault.
'li- ALast night one of the wetchmen e
On, doyea ai,out the premises heard noises
,a, side the vault and informed his fello
that the devil or ghosts we're inside
nj vault. They laughed at him and made
or investigation, and thus the robbers "
nd left unmolested at their work. The well
49,, of the gold carried out aggregates l.
10, pounds. and 1t must have taken seye
lld trips for one man, and several men m
tic have been employed in carrying the me
~ to the boat. We are assured q boat was
~ waiting for them. Inside the vault W
pu' several sacks containing $4,000, but
me- was not touched. 1t may have been Il
.on the men beeaiae alarmed. That they W
alarmed is also indifatel by the fact t
III two bars of gold of great value 9ege
mt. on the beach in their haste TO escalie.'
a