The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-15
BLOWING A SAFE.
How Expert Craftsmen DO Their
Fine Work.
From the New York Times.

How Expert Craftsmen DO Their
Fine Work.
From the New York Times.
During the last few days there has
been a good deal OF quiet talk among
the safe men of New York about the
extraordinary occurrences In the Of
fee of a manufacturing concern of
Lynn.
The firm owned a large burglar
proof safe. Burglars had nearly sue
ceeded in their breaking into 1t when
they were frightened away, and had
to leave their task unfinished. When
the office force came In the morning
and discovered what had happened
they did not know what to do with
the unexploded nitro glycerine charge
which the burglars had left in the safe
door. The fact that the explosive goes
or In temperatures under 45 and over
80 degrees led the firm to place Their
mometers about the ONCE. and to pad
all the doors so as to prevent sudden
Jar.
Then a safe expert was called in
He cautiously looked over the ground
and refused to touch the safe on ac-
count Of the nitro glycerine in it. Such
a thing as this had never occurred
before in the history OF the safe busi-
ness in America, for usually when a
burglar tackles a safe he either quits
before inserting the explosive or else
blows off the door, and so finishes the
job.
1t is a known fact that some of the
shrewdest professional burglars in this
country are former makers of safes,
who know every combination and trick
of the trade, are skilled in the use of
the most modern tools, and have a
thorough knowledge OF the weak point
of every safe on the market. And for
many years safe-breaking was carried
on with great success. The time lock
and the combinat ton lock put stop
to a good deal of this activity, and
then an arrangement was made where
by, even If the hinges were sawed off,
the door still remained locked.
1t almost seemed as If the burglars
had finally been foiled at every point.
when ro-glycerine made its appear
anee.
Burglars were quick to see that this
powerful liquid, which is still the ac-
tive principle of gun cotton and dyna-
mite, put nearly all the safes on the
market at their mercy. But 1t requires
the highest mechanical skill and a
great deal of experience and knowledge
to use nitro glycerine upon safe sue
cessfully.
Very few people are aware, however,
how simple are the implements needed
by the modern burglar in opening a
safe with -glycerine, and just
how he proceeds to business. His out
Mt consists of few pounds of putty,
sufficient quantity of nitro glycerine,
hammer and perhaps couple of thin
wedges With these, and a fuse and
matches. he is ready to negotiate
the so-called burglar proof safe, and
the degree of his success depends al
most wholly upon himself.
A very short time Is needed in which
to blow the safe. The first thing
done is to make a careful inspection
OF the upper door Jamb Of the safe.
No matter how tight-fitting and care
fully adjusted the door of a safe may
be, 1t is claimed that II is impossible
to make It so that wedge hardly any
thicker than a razor edge will not find
entrance. A few taps with hammer
drive in the thin end OF the wedge,
making an opening which may not be
any bigger than thin sheet of paper.
| The wedge Is driven in further, a
| thicker wedge Is inserted, and this Ii
| followed. perhaps, by a still thicker
! one, each wedge only receiving a few
few duh blows, until finally the open
| ing between the door and the wall oil
the safe is perhaps a sixteenth of ar
! inch, wide. leaving the last wedge IL
place, the. burglar now turns to his
lump of putty and goes to work on the
bottom of the safe door
| The minute. crack here where thu
| door and the safe meet Is carefully
| puttied UP along it's whole length, and
the line of putty is continued up for
about a foot on each end along the
| sides of the door. The burglar with
his putty next makes cup at the
top of the door. directly facing the
opening made by the wedge. When
the cup is finished he fills 1t up with
nitro giycerine. This slowly percolatee
in through the thin opening made by
the wedge, and as soon as the cup has
emptied itself IT is filled again. Now,
what happens?
The nitro glycerine does not simply
disappear in the safe among the books
and drawers. 1t slides down the top
of the door at an angle Of As degrees
and follows down the inside of the
door. Instead of resting on the bot
tom of the safe, the nitro-glycerine
follows the steps" into which the door
Is fitted. Here the nitro glycerine col
lects, the putty on the outside of the
door preventing its escape.
The burglar keeps pouring in nitro
glycerine by the aid of his cup I'M
til he believes that the interstices be-
tween the bottom of the door and the
safe are full of the liquid, making a
layer under the door at an agile OF
about 45 degrees. The safe is then
ready to be blown which merely
consists in setting Off the explosive.
So powerful is nitro glycerine that ii
wrenches the door from it's place and
leaves the inside of the safe at the
mercy of the burglar.