The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-08-07
GIGANTIC HAUL IS MADE
BY SKILLFUL THIEVES
Raid Smelling COmDany'S Strong Room Near San
Francisco and Secure $28O,OOO in Gold Bullion
Tunneed Under the Building and Got Away With heir
Booty in Boats.

San Frarcisco. Aug. 6.-The Selby
Smelling & Lead company has been
robbed of s2S0.000 worth of gold bullion.
The theft occurred some time last
nieht. ana was Iot discovered until
morning. The thieves tunneled from
outside the building under the vault al
rbe SeIby works which are located on
the bay sr0re. about thirty miles from
san Francisco. They got away with
nearly 200 pounds of fine gold, worth
so an ounce. without leaving trace
Of .heir identity behind.
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 most skil.tully planned ana
as artisticaIE executed. II IS sup
posed that when the robbers secured
their loot they loaded it into boat that
was waiting and disappeared ia the tOg
that had come over san Francisco bay
in their haste 10 get away they LETT
two gold bars worth nearly s3U,UoO lying
OF the bank at the waters edge.
The police at all the bay cities were
Immediately notified of the crime but
all they could discover were a few of
the tools that tine robbers had used
The SeIby Smelling & Lad company
Is the largest concern OF its kind on
the Pacific coast. Ores were sent from
all over the western country to be
gmeI-ed and refined. and the gold is
then turned over TO the mint a steamer
makes special trips bttween San Fran
cisco and the works, carrying the ores
one way and bringing back the refined
gold. This morning, when the work
men entered the vault 10 prepare the
gold for loading on the steamer. the
robbery was discovered. The thieves
had taken the precauu0n OF fastening
1he door OF the vault from the inside,
SO tina, it would be difficult to open
from the outside, in case they Vere in
tergupted in their work.
Was a Long Task.
Probably preparatory engineering eX-
tending over several weeks was done
before the robbery could be accom-
phshed. Close TO the wall of the build
1ng in which the vault is located a
shaft was sunk below the foundation.
Then a tunnel was run 10 the vault and
lole5 were bored i'm the iron floor until
q hole sufficiently large TO admit a man
ffas made u was thea easy work to
pass down the treasure iu-O the tunnel
and load il into a boat.
The entrance to the tunnel vas COW
cred with frame, over which the EN-
p-0yees OF the smelter passed repeat
edly every day, but no one seemed TO
nctlca anything out of the way.
Ina tunnel that the robbers eXca-
waited Was about three Feet in diameter.
and gave them plenty of room I'D which
10 work. 1t is supposed that the dirt
from the tunnel was taken out at night
ana dropped IN the bay. The first re-
port stated that the tunnel was 200 or
$40 ieet long but according 10 late ad-
vices IL is only about ten feet in length I
lhe smart was started close 10 the wall I
and was sunk below the foundation. /
from there lt was only a short distance
under the floor of the vault
tt is thought that the men who COM
mit,ed the robbery took their plumber !
away in launch and made direct for !
san francisco. There are plenty of /
oiaer places, however, where they could /
nave gone-elther up the Sacramento I
nFef or 20 the shore of any of the nu- T.
merous bays.
Inc robbers evidently took the pre-
caution TO sprinkle red pepper in the /
tunnel 10 order to make things as un-
comfortable as possible for anyone who I
iAibnt attempt 10 pursue them.
Four Fine Gold Bricks.
,Iae7e we're four fine gold bricks in 4
fdtN which the robbers looted. !
IAN was ten inches long. I'VE inches |
~.-r ana four inches in height. They I
80 an stamped with number, weight /
ell laeness. and ran thus. No. 1896. I
ooH,a.aiag ll90.37 ounces; No. 1927, /
ei...iails 1913 ounces; No. ], 23S. con- /
-e-.iis L-3-22 ounces. and No. 239. I
S-I-alning l0l3.29 ounces. All these /
.,As were 99S fine. and weighed S20.60 /
IN addition to this there was stolen /
rbs1.. re bullion vault crude gold in all 7
-ass ana sizes. and some of 10 in bars
@, different lengths.
-, 5 me holdest robbery in the his /
+s o- ne state" said Chief OF De
--'es seymour this afternoon, "and