The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-20
In the Recent Years There Has Been n
Hot Race Between Inventors
and Crooks.
TALK WITH A SAFE EXPERT
He THINKS n BLOWISG OF SAFES
WILL BE OVERCOME.
Ingenuity of Inventors Taxed To the
UtmOst-Precautions Taken by
Bankers and others.

Police authorities and criminal agents all
claim that the old-time cracksman and
bank robber has had his day and is now a
thing OF the past. and that bank robbing
and safe-blowing is not 10 be compared TO
what it used TO be. The reason for the in
frequency {. these kinds of robberies is
that the safes are now so constructed that
It is almost impossible for them TO be
forced open, and inventions are constantly
being made TO make them more secure.
Nevertheless. while the manufacturer is
racking his brain for improvements to pre-
vent the burglar from breaking into the
safe. the professional burglar is, on the
other hand. testing his ingenuity TO the
fullest extent I'm making contrivances TO
penetrate the hard sheets Of steel with
which the safe lock is protected. 1t is hard
TO tell which has the better of the deal, for
there is now a device which has recently
been discovered that puts the craftsman a
little in the lead. 1t is an arrangement by
which a safe door made OF the hardest steel
can be pierced.
This new machine is run by electricity
and can be arranged so that one may
fasten it to an electric wire, from which it
gets its power to work. 1t penetrates a safe
door by burning a hole straight through
1t, and IL is known that it viii pass through
the hardest steel with very little noise and
in a very short time. But while this inven-
tion will be an advantage to the burglar in
entering the large steel-door bank safes II
Will lend him no aid in breaking into the
little old fire-proof affair which is generally
used by small business concerns, because
this electrical device will not burn through
the filing that is used as the interlining of
the hre-proOf door. SO. in one respect. the
safe which is not considered burglar-prOof,
and has a filled door instead Of one of solid
steel, is more nearly burglar-proof than the
steel vaults in the large banking houses.
CONSTANT OURCE OF THOUGHT.
The cracksman is often. ever If he is
sinking into obscurity. the subject of
thought 10 bank presidents, and though it
IS not generally known. those who have
the controls of banking houses are continu-
ally trying new devices and throwing new
preventives in the way of the bank robber.
While at the present time the police forces
of this country work with such unison that
st is next TO impossible for a criminal to
escape. and while each banking concern
has its own special officers who stand
guard all the time. besides every known
aA1A III dAA dAC dChAtG ~ pItNtl
robbery. some one is all the time patenting
some new continuance to discourage the
safe-breaker; but this is not an easy thing
70 do. for he is a very persistent fellow
and knows something about making de-
vices TO meet the requirements of the bust
ness as well as the more expert mechanic.
Safes can be built until they are virtually
burglar-proof. except for one thing, and
that is where the slightest opportunity is
given for them to be blown open. It will
probably be some years before this can be
overcome. but by safe experts it is thought
that IL will be only a matter of time until
something will be invented TO guard against
81. OF course. in a place where a Waterman
IS employed all the time entrance to the
safe by this means would be impossible on
account of the noise occasioned by the ex-
plosiOn and the falling of the doors.
Oliver Isensee, a safe expert of this city.
when asked about a burglars chances of
breaking into a modern safe. said: The
burglar has practically but one chance to
get into the safes and money vaults as
they are now constructed. and that is by
the use OF explosives. OF course he has TO
have the opportunity TO use these. for If
there is any chance of discovery he viii
surely be found out. on account of the noise
that Will necessarily his work.
As for these new electrical devices which
they say the modern cracksman is using. 1
don't know anything about them except
what 1 have read. but my opinion is they
are not very practical.
SAFE BLOWING.
There is nothing so far invented to pre-
vent or guard against safe blowing be-
cause when an explosion occurs OF sufficient
force something has got TO give. no matter
what kind OF material IL is. The manner in
which a safe is generally blown is that a
small hole is drilled under the lock. then
the nitroglycerin or dynamite. which is
generally used. is inserted I'm this. and
then II Is an easy matter to proceed with
the rest Of the job. 1t doesn't take a great
amount Of these explosives to blow quite a
large safe, for the reason that the smaller
| the hole is and the less space the material
has. the more forcible Will be the explosion.
Dynamite and n%itrcglycerin expand. and in
the expansion something has got 10 give
way.
I'm my opinion II will be only a matter
OF time. however. when the blowing of
safes will be overcome. just as the drilling
of them was. IL used TO be that we often
read OF safes being drilled open and large
Allr O llUutt A1htM AAutA them. but since
the Cronc steel has been invented il makes
the drilling of safes impossible. This steel
Is made of sheets of iron and steel laid
alternately together. and then welded in
such a manner that il seems a solid mass
Of metal The iron layers cover the outside
and they can be drilled through. but when
The burglar strikes the sheet steel then he
Is up against a rather hard proposition, for
these sheets are tempered so hard that a
| diamond drill. which viii cut the hardest
material there is. Will not touch them.
You understand that inventions are be-
Ing made al the time 10 keep the cracks
man from working. and with every one of
! them his chances become smaller and
smaller. one OF the latest OF these patents
g. what Is called the cutoff spindle. IL is.
In fact. nothing more than a cog wheel
placed in the middle OF the safe door so as
90 prevent a straight hole being drilled
through 1t. In drilling a door where a cut
of spindle is used you can go about half
WAY through the lock. then this wheel will