Missouri Valley times., 1901-08-08
lSMELTER ROBBERY
IN San FRANCISCO
Thieves Tunnel Under the Vault
From the Bay and Make a
Big Haul.
STEAL s2so,ooo GOLD BULLION

LOADED Their Loot Into fsoats ana
Got Away in the FoY--Crlme Must
Have Taken Weeks OF Prcpnrs-
ton and Planning.
San Francisco, Aug. S.1'he Selby
Smelling and Lead company has been
robbed of $2So,OOo worth Of gold bullion.
The theft occurred some time Mon-
day night and was not discovered until
morning. The thieves tunneled from
outside the building under the vault
at the Selby works. which are located
on the bay shore about thirty miles
from San Francisco. They got away
With nearly 1,20O pounds of fine gold,
worth $50 an ounce, without leaving a
trace of their identity behind.
The robbery is the most successful
and remarkable ever accomplished on
the Pacific roast, and was evidently the
work of Skilled mechanics.
The whole affair was skillfully
planned and skilfullY executed III is
supposed that when the robbers Sc
cured their loot they loaded it into "
boat that was waiting and disappeared
in the fog that had come over san
Francisco bay. In their haste to get
away they left two gold bars worth
nearly S50000 lying on the bank al the
waters edge.
The police at all the bay cities We're
Immediately notified of the crime. but
all they could discover Was IL 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 country to be
smelted and refined and the gold is
then turned over to the mint. a steam
er makes special trips between the
smelter and San Francisco, carrying
the ores one way and bringing back
the refined gold. Yesterday morning.
when the workmen entered the vault to
prepare gold for loading on the steam
er, the robbery was discovered. The
thieves had taken the precauton of
fastening the door of the vault from the
inside so that 1t would be difficult to
open from the outside in case they were
interrupted in their work.
Took Wecks Of Preparation.
Probably preparatory engineering,
extending over several weeks was done
before the robbery could he accom-
ollshed. Close to the wall of the build
Ing In which the vault is located a
shaft was sunk below the foundation
Then Il tunnel was run TO the vault
and holes We're bored i'm the iron floor
until an aperture sufficiently large to
admit man was made. 1t was then
easy work to pass down the treasure
into the tunnel and load it on a boat.
The robbers even took the precaution
to sprinkle red pepper in the tunnel in
order to make things uncomfortable
as possible for anyone who might at
tempt to pursue them
There We're four fine gold bricks in
the vault which the robbers looted.
Each was 10 inches long, inches wide
and 4 inches in height. They are all
stamped with number, weight and fine
ness.
All the bricks were 99S fine and worth
S2060 per ounce.
In addition to this there was stolen
from the bullion vault crude gold in all
shapes and sizes, and some of it in bars
Of different lengths
1T is the boldest robbery in the his
tory of the state said Chief of Detec-
tives Seymour this afternoon. ..and
from all the information that can be
obtained at this time there is absolute
ly no clue to the robbers. In fact, we
do not know whether the crime was
committed by one man or five The
probabilities are. however. that more
than one man was concerned in 1T.
We have taken all precautions to
capture the robbers. Telegrams have
been sent to every Sheriff in the CEN
trail part of the state ordering him to
search for the missing gold. to over
Laul every boat and steamer within his
jurisdiction, to search every railroad
train and stage coach passing through
his county, and to examine everyone
taking passage at the different railroad
stations throughout the state. We ;,a.n
do no more than this. and | think that
with the precautions we have taken no
stranger can leave the state
Surely If an attempt is made TO ship
the bullion by any of the ordinary
1t. On the whole ! believe the chanceG
are good for capturing the robbers,
snelter Oflcials Statement
Vallejo. Cal, Aug. S.-An official of
the Selby smelling works made the fol-
lowing statement to representative of
the Associated Press regarding the
robbery
The robbers must have succeeded i'm
entering the vault some time between
midnight and o'clock yesterday morn
ing. They entered the vault through a
hole about the size of Il manhole in Il
boiler, and the indications point To- the
fact that the robbers have been work
Ing on the scheme for some time. Over
$50 holes were bored into the bottom of
the vault. and the workmanship indf-
Gates that mechanics of more than
usual ability superintendent the iob
The holes We're bored within u hairs
breadth of the surface. and When the
proper time came the plate was forced
up, thus giving the robbers access To
the vault The plotters first excavated
q hole alongside the building, directly
in line with the vault. The work of
eNcavating must have taken some time.
and Mt the end of each nights work
for the work must have been done at
night--a covering of laths, rubber
sheeting and sacks was made, the hole
being covered over with a layer of dirt
thus hiding any sign of what was go
ing on What became of the excavated
dirt we have been unable to find out.
1t must have been removed in sacks.
We are satisfied that the plotters
We're aided by some one thoroughly
familiar with the system employed at
the works. and one fully Informed as
to the construction of the vault.
"One of the watchmen employed
about the premises heard noises inside
the vault, and informed his fellows
that the devil OF ghosts We're inside
the vault. They laughed at him and
made no investigation. and thus the
robbers We're left unmolested at their
work.
The weight of the gold carried out
of the vault aggregates 200 pounds.
and 1t must have taken several trips
for one man, and several men must
have been employed in CARRYING the
nfnI 20. II