Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1901-08-09
GOLD BULLION ROBBEk.
Smelling Works at Vallejo, Cal.
Tunnelled By Bold Thieves.
QUARTER OF A MILLION TAKEr

Robbers Worked In the Dead Of Nigh
and Gained Entrance to the Vault
Detectives Thus Far Have DIsoov
cred No Trace Of the Thieves.
San Francisco, Aug. About $3.50
600 worth of gold bullion was stoleI
from the Selby Smelling Works a
Vallejo on Monday night The rob
berry was not discovered until yester
day morning. Access to the stronI
room, where the bullion was stored
was secured through a tunnel, which
the thieves had bored from the edg,
of San Francisco bay to the building
some distance from the waters edge
1t is supposed that the thieves tool
their plumber away in a boat.
The Selby Shelter is the largest OF
the Pacific coast. Ores are sent Their,
from all parts of the western slope fol
reduction. The works are located
near the bay shore, about 80 mile.
from San Francisco. The gold is KEEP
in a steel-lined room. The robber
tunneled until they got directly under
the room, and then cut through the
floor The tunnel was slxillfully con
structed work, which 1t must have
taken many days to complete
An official of the Selby works made
the following statement this morn
ing:
The robbers must have succeeded
in entering the vault some time be
tween midnight and o'clock yesterda
morning. They entered the vault
through a hole about the size of
manhole in a boiler and indications
point to the fact that the robbers have
been working on the scheme for some
time. Over $50 holes were bored il
the bottom of the vault, and the work
manshiP indicates that mechanics OF
more than usual ability superintendent
the job. The holes were bored tt
within hairs breadth of the surface
and when the proper time came the
plate was forced up, thus giving tbs
robbers access to the vault. The plot
tiers first eXcavated a hole alongsid,
the building. directly in line with tn,
vault. The work of excavating mus
have taken some time, and at the enc
of each nights work (for tie worl
must have been done at night, GOV
ering of laths, rubber sheeting an
sacks was made, the whole being GOV
cred over with a layer of dirt, thu
hiding any sign of what was goinI
on.
What became of the excavated dir
we have been unable to find out. l
must have been removed In sacks. TIL
| covering we have ascertained was no
strong enough to hold the weight o
man, but the excavation was mad
so close to the building that the mai
never walked over it. We find tina
the plotters were aided by some on
thoroughly familiar with the system
employed at the works and one full
informed as to the construction of tn
vault.
Monday night one of the watchmel
employed about the premises hear
noises inside the vault and informe
his fellows that the devil or ghost
were inside tho vault They laughe
at him and made no investigation, an
thus the robbers were left unmoleste
at their work.
"The weight of the gold carried GU
of the vault aggregates 1,200 pounds
and 1t must have taken several trip
for one man. And several men mus
have been employed in carrying tn
metal to the boat. We are assured
boat was in waiting for them.
Inside the vault were several sack
containing $4,000. but this was nc
touched. 1t may have been that tn
men became alarmed. That they wer
alarmed is also indicated by the fac
that two bars of gold of great valu
were left on the beach in their hast
to escape"