The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-08-10
STEAL GREAT WEALTH.
Eold Thieves Tunnel Under and Rob
Vault of Gold bricks Worth
S.SO,NOO.


San Francisco, Aug. THE selby
Smelling and Lead company has
been robbed of $asc, oGO 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,
i which are located ON the bay shore,
about 30 miles from San Francisco.
They got away with nearly 1900
pounds of fine gold. worth $40 an
ounce, without, leaving trace of
heir identity behind. The robbery
the most successful and remarka-
bic ever accomplished on the Pacific
coast. and was evidently the work
of skilled mechanics.
The whole affair was skillfully
planned and slillfully executed. 1t
is supposed that when the robbers
secured their loot they loaded it into
Il boat that was wait ing 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 Oh the
bank at the waters edge. The police
ut 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
the 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 gold
for loading on the steamer the rob-
berry was discovered
Probably preparatory engineering
extending over several weeks was done
before the robbery could be accom-
plished. Close to the wall of the build
| ing in which the vault is located a
shaft was sunk below the foundation.
| Then tunnel was run to the vault and
| holes were bored in tho iron floor un-
| til an aperture sufficiently large TO ad-
nit a man was made. II was then
easy work to pass down the treasure
| into the tunnel aud load il int o boat E.
| The robbers even took the precaution
to sprinkle rcd pepper in the tunnel in
order to make things as uncomfortable
as possible for anyone who might at
| tempt to pursue them.
| 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 finencss. and ran thus: "No. ,236,
containing 11oo.a7 ounces; No. 1897,
| containing 1127.A3 ounces; No. 1,23S,
containing 1123.2a ounces, aud No.
1890, containing lo73.7o ounces. All
| the bricks We're 90S fine and worth
aS20.G0 per ounce. In addition to this
| there were stolen from the bullion
vault crude gold in all shapes and
sizes, and some of il in bars of different
lengths.
Vallejo. CAL. Aug IAN official of
the Sclby smelling works made the
following statement regarding the
robbery:
| '"The robbers must have succeeded in
| entering the vault some time between mid
| night and five O'Clock this morning. They
| entered the vault through Il hole about
! the size OF manhoc in a boiler and the
I indications point to the fact that robbers
| have been working on the scheme for some
Il II l,,t1 10
| bottom OF the vault. ard the workmanship
indicates that mechanics Of more than
| usual ability sEne rirteri.d the job. The
I holes were Dor, TO within Il hairs breadth
| of the surface, and when the proper time
| came the plate WAX forced up. thus giving
the robbers access TO the vault. The plot
| ters- first oXcavated A hole alongside the
| building directly In line with the vault.
| The work Of cxcnvning must have taken
| some time. and at the end of each nigh 8
! work-fOr the work must have been done
at night-a covering Of laths. rubber sheet
| Ing and sacks was made, the whole being
| covered over with layer OF dirt thus hid
| ing any sign of what was going on. What
| became of the excavated dirt we have been
| unable to find out. I: must have been re-
| moved In SACKS. The covering we have as
| certalncd. was not strong enough 10 hold
| the weight OF man. but the excavation
| was made so close to the building that the
men never walked over II. We are salts
| fed that the hlotters were aided BY some
| one familiar with the system employed at
| the works and one fully Informed as to the
| construction or the vault
| Last night one of the watchmen en-
| ployed about the premises heard noises In
side the vault and Informed his Fellows
| that the devil or ghosts were inside the
| vault They laughed at him and made no
| investigation. and thus the robbers were
| left unmolcstcd at their work. The weight
| of the gold carried out aggregates 200
pounds. and II must have taken several
| trips for one man, md several men must
| have been employed In carrying the metal
| to the boat. We arc assured a boat was In
waiting for them. Inside the vault were
several sacks containing $4,000. but this
was not touched. II may have been that
the men became alarmed. That they were
alarmed Is also indicated by the fact that
two bars of gold Of great value were left
on the beach in their haste TO escape IT
Is impossible for us to say at this time
what direction the men took. If they used
steam launch TO leave the scene of the
robbery they could have gone In any direc-
ton, but If they escaped In q rowboat they
would doubtless have taken the direction
in which the tide was running. Several
broken drills and an oil can such as Is used
by cyclists have been found in the hole.
Every possible cew Is being followed, but
l am unable to say that we have been at
all successful thus far, but we hope later
to make the announcement that the rob.
bers have been apprehcnded. believe they
secured about $3.50, O0O."
Maryland Republicans,
Baltimore, Nd, Aug. THE repub.
lican state convention held here Tues.