New-York tribune., 1901-10-22
THIEVES GET BIG PRIZE
ROB CHICAGO POSTOFFICE
OF $4,000.
CRAWL THREE HUNDRED FEET UNDER
BUILDING AND DRILL STEEL
VAULT FROM BENEATH.
GBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rR1BuNE,I

IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNEl
Chicago. oct. 21.-The Chicago postoffice was
robbed Of S74.6lO in stamps last night by bur-
glars who drilled through the steel floor of the
vault in the wholesale stamp department, after
crawling three hundred feet under the build
irg and tearing holes through two brick walls.
An adjoining vault. evidently the object of the
burglary, contained S35,OOO in cash and upward
Of 100000 in postage stamps. but IT was un-
TOUCHED.
There is at present only theory on which
the officials working. and that is that the
cracksmen had either a principal or an accom-
plice thoroughly acquainted with the present
temporary postoffice structure. both as TO the
interior arrangement and the ground under
meath the building. The total value of con-
vertible stamps stolen is S69. SIS
The wholesale stamp vault was closed and
locked al o'clock Saturday evening at the close
Of business by the stamp clerk Frederick
spauding. No person entered il from the in
side yesterday. This morning shortly before s
O'Clock Spauldng and F. E Miles also clerk
in the wholesale department arrived at the Of
fee, and Spaulding started to open the vault
Miles was behind him. AS as Spauldng
swung the door open Miles cried out:
Look there, The vaults been robbed"
OPENING IN THE FLOOR.
Papers. boxes and other receptacles were
strewn about the vault. The cabinets in which
stamps were kept were open on the floor near
the door. and a heavy desk had been turned
The astonished clerks stepped into the
vault, and there saw in the steel floor an open
ing about 19 by p inches. with Jagged edges,
such as are made with drill A hasty ex-
animation showed the vault had been rihed OF
al but a mere handful of the stamps it had con-
tained when business was suspended on Sat
urday.
Investigation showed that east of the main
postofice building is small story frame
structure extending toward the lake probably
forty feet. II adjoins 24-inch brick wall, the
east wall of the main building. At the south
east corner OF the temporary addition, toward
the lake and the Art Institute, is a small
wooden door, used as means of ingress and
egress for workmen and others having occasion
TO go under the building. This door had no
lock, but fastened with a small latch
Between the door and the brick wall forming
the east line Of the main building there was
nothing impede the progress Of the burglars.
The searchers found. about twenty feet TO the
north Of the little door. opening in the wall
made at right angles to the door. TO prevent the
light Showing through from beneath the main
building the outer door, should that be
opened from the outside. The hole in the wall
is about two feet square, large enough TO ad-
Under the main building there are hundreds of
brick and wooden supports or pillars, miles of
steam. water, gas and other pipes and large
piles OF rubbish The pillars form aisles
tending the length of the building. It was plain
TO be seen the burglars had followed of
IN ese aises Tor nearly three hundred feet 10
the west toward the front of the building
Near the vault in front they made sharp turn
10 the right, and brought up against SOLID
brick wall, forming a square the exact size
OF a vault above and built a protection and
support for the vault.
THEIR BOOTY WAS HEAVY.
Here two holes were found. one large enough
for the thieves 10 crawl in and out with com
parative ease. The searchers found inside the
square and under the vault evidences of the
work that had been done. Several small piles
OF steel drillings were on the ground, and there
were traces Of oil. and the dry coil Of electric
hand battery, which evidently had been used
10 furnish light 10 the man at the drill.
Between the thieves and the valuab bes they
were after when they had gained the inside OF
the hollow square there nothing but
wooden floor about inch thick. and then the
floor OF the vault. made of One-half inch steel
The wooden flooring had been removed with an
auger and a hatchet. panel drilled in
the steel plate just inside the overlapping strips
used TO strengthen the vault. Fortunately for
the thieves this space was sufficient for their
purposes. Three sides were drilled through
and the plate then broken off by pressure from
below
Everything OF value in the vault, which is
about twelve feet long by four feet wide was
age of stamps worth SLABS. The theory of the
authorities is that when they had secured their
plunder the thieves passed il through the hole in
the floor. carried IL back through the walls and
30 the rear OF the building, loaded IL into
express wagon and drove away with it. Wagon
tracks TO the west, in the direction OF the Art
Institute, plainly visible.
The stamps stolen were in packages about two
feet square, each weighing in the neighborhood
OF forty pounds. The total weight OF the haul
must have been two tons. 1t is said TO be the
biggest postof1ce robbery record in this
country. It is believed that the property can
be disposed OF only through dishonest postmas-
ters or merchants. and even then not in large
quantities. without detection.
THE POSTMASTER WILL SEEK RELIEF.
Washington, Oct. A.-It is explained at the Post
Office Department that the law allows a credit up
20 $4,000 TO pOstmasters at offices where losses
occur IN which proper precautions have been taken
All above this amount has 10 depend upon the
action of Congress Postmaster Coyne Of Chicago
WILL present claim for the amount or the loss, and
the department viii transmit II TO Congress
NO INDICTMENT AGAINST CANFTELD.