Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1901-08-10
GOLD BULLION ROBBERY
Smelling Works at Vallejo, CAL,
Tunnelled By Bold Thieves.
QUARTER or A MILLION TAKEN
Robbers Worked In the Dead Of Night
and Gained Entrance to the Vault
Detectives Thus Far Have DIseov
cred No Trace Of the Thieves.

aHo SdiHeo entrance 10 kne vault
Detectives Thus Far Have DIseov
cred No Trace Of the Thieves.
San Francisco, Aug. about $3.50,
900 worth of gold bullion was stolen
from the Selby Smelling Works at
Vallejo on Monday night. The rob
berry was not discovered until yester
day morning. Access to the strons
room, where the bullion WIS stored
was secured through q tunnel, which
the thieves had bored from the edge
Of San Francisco bay to the building,
some distance from the waters edge
1t Is supposed that the thieves took
their plumber away In a boat
The Selby Shelter is the largest on
the Pacific coast. Ores are sent there
from all parts OF the western slope for
reduction. The works are located
near the bay shore, about so miles
from San Francisco. The gold is kept
in steellined room. The robbers
tunneled until they got directly under
the room, and then cut through the
floor. The tunnel was skillfully con.
structed work. which It must have
taken many days to complete.
An official Of the Selby works made
the following statement this morn.
ing:
THE robbers must have succeeded
In entering the vault some time be.
tween midnight and o'clock yesterday
morning. They entered the vault
through a hole about the size of a
manhole In a boiler, and indications
point to the fact that the robbers have
been working on the scheme for some
time. Over $50 holes were bored in
the bottom Of the vault, and the work.
manship indicates that mechanics Of
more than usual ability superintended
the Job. The holes were bored to
within 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 plot.
tiers first excavated a hole alongside
the building, directly In line with the
vault. The work OF excavating must
have taken some time, and ut the end
OF each nights work (for tie work
must have been done at night, a COW
"ering Of laths, rubber sheeting and
sacks was made, the whole being COW
cred over with layer of dirt, thus
hiding any sign of what was going
on.
What became OF the excavated dirt
We have been unable to find out. II
must have been removed In sacks. The
covering we have ascertained was not
strong enough 20 hold the weight Of
a man, but the excavation was made
so close to the building that the man
never walked over It. We find that
the plotters were aided by some one
thoroughly familiar with the system
employed at the works and one fully
Informed as to the construction of the
vault
Monday night one OF the watchmen
employed about the premises heard
noises inside 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 unmolsstod
at their work.
THE weight Of the gold carried out
OF the vault aggregates 1900 pounds.
and it must have taken several trips
Tor one man. And several men must
have been employed in carrying the
metal to the boat. We are assured a
boat was in waiting for them.
Inside the vault were several sacks
containing $4,000. but this was not
touched. 1t 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
90 escape"