The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-07
SELBY SMELLING COMPANY is
ROBBED OF $2SO,OOO WORTH
OF GOLD BULLION o.o4
NO CLUE TO THE THIEVES
Robbery Accomplished by Tunnel
ing Under the Vault and CUT
ting Hole Through
the Floor.
WAS THE WORK OF WEEKS

SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, Aug 6.-The
Selby Smelling and Lead company has
been robbed of $2S0,0OO worth of gold
bullion.
The theft occurred some time last
night and was not discovered until MORN
ing. The thieves tunneled from outside
the building under the vault at the Selby
works which are located ON the bay
shore, about thirty miles from San Fran
cisco. They got away with nearly 1,2OJ
pounds Of fine gold worth $40 an ounce,
without leaving trace of their identity
behind. -f
The robbery is the most successful and
remarkable ever accomplished on the
Pacific coast, and was evidently the
work of skilled mechanics.
The whole affair was skiAfullye planned
and skillfully executed 1t is supposed
that when the robbers secured their loot
they loaded it into a boat that was wait
ing and disappeared in the fog that had
come over San Francisco .bays,, 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
Immediately notified Of the crime but
all they could discover was a few of the
tools that the robbers had used
The Selby Smelling and Lead company
is the largest concern of its kind on the
Pacific coast. Ores are sent from all
over the Western country to be smelted
and refined and the gold is then turned
over to the mint. steamer makes spe-
clad trips between the smelter and San
Francisco, carrying the ores one way
and bringing back the refined gold.
ROBBERY DISCOVERED. ~ .ee-
This morning, when the workmen en-
tered the vault to prepare the gold for
loading on the steamer, the robbery was
discovered. The thieves had taken the
precaution of fastening the door of the
vault from the inside 50 that it would be
difficult to open from the outside In case
they were interrupted in their work.
Probably preparatory engineering eX-
tending over several weeks was done be-
fore the robbery could be accomplished
Close to the wall of the building in
which the vault is located a shaft was
sunk below the foundation. Then a tun-
mel was run to the vault and holes were
bored in the iron floor until an aperture
sufficiently large to admit a man was
made 1t was then easy work to pass
down the treasure into the tunnel and
load it into boat. The robbers even
took the precaution to sprinkle red pep
per in the tunnel in order to make things
as uncomfortable as possible for any
one who might attempt to pursue them.
There were four fine gold bricks in the
vault which the robbers rlooted. Each
was ten inches long, five inches wide and
four inches in height. They We're all
stamped with number, weight and fine
ness, and ran thus mo. 1896, containing
19O.87 ounces; No. 1887, containing 1l27 .4S
ounces No. 1888, containing 1123 70
ounces, and No. 1899, containing 1913 .29
ounces All the bricks We're 99S fiue and
worth $20.60 per ounce. In addition TO
this, there was stolen from the bullion
vault crude gold IN all shaDcs and sizes,
and some of it in bars Of different
lengths.
ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE.
"It is the boldest robbery in the his
tory Of the state" said Chief of Detec-
tives Seymour this afternoon "and from
all the information that can be obtained
at this time there is absolutely no clue
to the robbers. In fact we do not know
whether the crime was committed by
one man or five. The probabilities are,
however, that more than one man was
concerned in 1t.
I'VE have taken all precautions to cap
ture the robbers. kilograms have been
sent to every sheriff In the central part
of the state ordering him to search for
the missing gold, to overhaul every boat
and steamer within his jurisdiction, to
search every railroad train ana stage
coach passing through his county, and
to examine everyone taking passage at
the different railroad stations through
out the state, ,.-e-
1--WE can do no more than this, and
think that, with the precautions we have
taken, no stranger can leave the state
uninspected. Surely, if any attempt is
made to ship the bullion by any. of the
ordinary modes of conveyance, we will
discover it, On the whole, the chances
are good for capturing the robbers"