The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1901-08-09
SI{ALQ QUARTER OT MILLION
Thieves Tunnel Under Selby
Smelter at Vallejo, Cal.
GOLD TAKEN VALUED AT $4,000.
Robbers Make Away With Massive
Bars OF Bullion by Boat-Strong
Room Entered From Below After
Much C~iandestine Toll.


San Francisco. Aug. IA few dc.
tails of the robbery of the strong room
of the Sclby smoltcr at Vallejo have
been received in this city. A. j.
Ralston, president of the company,
stated to the Associated Press that
thieves had cXcayatcd IA tunnel be.
tween 300 and 400 feet long from n
point near the railroad tunnel and I'm.
der the strong room connected with
the works and had secured bars of bul.
lion nggrcgating In value owe C2SO,OOO
and had transported the gold to n boat
In waiting near the %company's wharf.
The robbers took the unusual prccau.
ton of %strewtng their tracks with red
pepper, presumably to throw blood.
hounds OF the track.
President Ralston stated that he
had no clue as to the identity Of the
robbers. At the Sclby works the gold
Is kept In n steel lined strong room.
The robbers tunnelled until they got
directly under the room and then cut
through the floor.
The tunnel was skillfully construct.
cd and 1t must have taken many days
to construct IL. Once In the strong
room the thieves had only to help
themselves to all in sight.
The thieves tunnolled from outside
the building under the vault at the
Sclby works, which are located on the
bay about 30 miles from San Fran.
cisco, They got away with nearly
1900 pounds of gold, worth $50 an
ounce, without leaving n trace OF their
Identity behind. The robbery Is the
most successful and remarkable ever
accomplished on the Pacific coast, and
n evidently the work of skilled me.
chanics. The whole affair was skill,
fully planned and skillfully executed.
1t Is supposed that when the robbers
secured their loot they loaded 1t into
a boat that was waiting and disap.
pearcd 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
Immediately notified of the crime, but
al thty toNlu ulStONtT was u lew OF
the tools that the robbers had used.
The Selby Smelling and Lead com
pany Is the largest concern of it's kind
on the Pacific coast. Ores are sent
from all owe the western country to
be smelted and refined and the gold
Is then turned over to the mint. A
steamer makes special trips between
the gmnItar and Gan Fro nnicpn r,,,
Ing the ores one way and bringing
back the refined gold. Yesterday, when
the workmen entered the vault to pre-
pare the gold for loading on the
steamer, the robbery was discovered.
The thieves had taken the %precaution
of fastening the door of the safe from
the inside SO that II would be hard
to open in case they were interrupted.
Probably preparatory engineering, cx.
tending over several weeks, was done
before the robbery could be accom-.
plishCd. Close to the wall Of the
building in which the vault is located
a shaft was sunk below the fOunda.
ton. Then n tunnel was run TO the
vault and holes were bored in the iron
floor until a hole sufficiently large to
admit a man was made. There were
four fine gold bricks in the vault which
the robbers looted. Each was ten
Inches long, five inches wide and -four
inches in height. They were all
stamped with number, weight and
%ineness. In addition to this there
were stolen from the bullion vault
crude gold in all shapes and sizes
and some of 1t in bars OF differen,
lengths.