The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-11-21
ANOTHER SAFE
IS BLOWN OPEN
Strong Boxes of Continental OH
Company Looted of $3.50.
WORK IS DONE BY EXPERTS
SUSPICION Is BURGLARS WERE
ENGAGED IN OTHER CRIME.

THE safe in the ONCE of the Cont
mental Oil company, on Sixth West
street, was blown open by expert
safe crackers some time Wednesday
night, and $3.50 in cash was stolen
The safe blowers broke into the Of
fee, chiseled the knob off the vault,
blew the safe open with nitro glycerine,
helped themselves, and ieisurely took
their departure. The affair was one of
the boldest that has been accomplished
in the city and the work indicates that
it was done by experts. So expertIy
was the explosion handled that people
living next door did not hear the con-
cussion- From all appearances the
safe crackers stood nonchalantly in the
yard while the explosion occurred,
then, hearing a disturbance, secured
their bootga The crooks left tools be-
hind them, indicating that they had
robbed a blacksmith shop before en-
tering the office of the oil company, but
there was nothing giving any tan
gible clue. to the identity of the crooks.
From the manner in which the work
was done, the police believe the same
men did the work who blew open the
safe of the Sierra Nevada Lumber Co.
a few weeks ago. So quietly was the
job done that nothing was known of it
at all until the Office was opened yes
terday morning.
Entered Through Window.
The safe. blowers evidently went to
the place some time early yesterday
morning and attempted to force an
entrance into the Office through the
east door. The marks of the jimmy
were found on the door yesterday
morning, but evidently the door was
bOlted too heavily, and the crooks
abandoned the effort to get through
there. They then went to window
opening directly into the vault room
and pried the window open with a
jimmy" With sledge hammer and
a chisel, which were found on the floor
yesterday morning, they cut the COM
bination lock from the v.,ult door and
then pried it open. The safe, which is
small one, occupied a place against
the east wall. The knob was cut of
with Il chisel and a hole was drilled
into the interior of the door, Nitro
glycerine was employed, and a long
fuse reaching out into the office room
was evidently used. A couple of golf
coats that hung in the vault were laid
on the floor for the safe door to fall
on, and the outer door was evidently
is believed that the safe crackers light
ed the fuse and stood outside the build
ing under a tree until the explosion
occurred, and they saw that it had not
attracted the attention of any one.
The snow was found to be trampled
down all about the tree yesterday
morning.
Safe Door Blown OF.
The explosion blew the door of the
safe entirely of its hinges and crashed
it into a wooden bookcase TO the side.
The inner vault doors were blown al
most off their hinges, but the interior
of the safe was not injured in the least.
The cash and checks representing the
days collections were in one of the
money drawers. The lock on this
drawer was forced off and the cash
taken out Two tin cash boxes that
were in the safe Jared likewise. The
cash was taken and the checks were
left, scattered broadcast upon the vault
and Office floors. After securing their
booty the crooks went out through the
window they entered and their foot
steps were traced off in the direction
of the Rio Grande depot.
Nothing was known of the safe blow
ing until the Office was opened by H
T. Cleaver, the local agent for the COM
pany. When he entered the vault
room, the outer door stood open, checks
were scattered on the floor and bur-
glars tools lay about. A glance into
the vault showed the wrecked safe
door, and Mr.. Cleaver realized in q
moment what had happened. He i'm
mediately notified the police and the
detectives were sent to the scene. Or
the floor they found sledge hammer
some steel bits, a couple of chisels and
] NJ
There was an empty bottle that evil
IDENTIFY contained nitro glycerine. Two
coats belonging to clerks in the Office
lay on the floor in front of the safe
and a pocket that had been torn our
of a coat lay on the Office floor. This
pocket, it was discovered, did not be-
long 30 any of the coats in the Office
and the police believe it was from the
coat of one of the safe crackers. This
they will use as a clue to trace the
crooks.
May Be Guilty OF Other Grimes.
Aside from this and the bits, which
are the same size as those used OF
the Sierra Nevada Co.'S safe, nothing
was left by the crooks that would
| furnish a clue to their identity From
the manner in which the work wa.
done and the tools used, the police be-
lieve that the job was done by tn,
same men who blew open the Sierra
| Nevada safe.
The cracksmen evidently knew tn,
situation in the Office well. Mr.. CleaV.
er stated that a few nights ago {
rough looking stranger walked into tn,
office and asked for change for a bin
He sized up the place then and it i.
believed that he was one of the crooks
or a spy sent to size up the situa-
/ ton.
On almost any other night the crook.
would have gotten no money. But Wed
nesday the collections happened t
come in late and were put in the SAT,
instead of being sent to the bank. TIL,
cash amounted to $3.50.
The police are making an effort Il
get some trace of the safe crackers, a.
| they are believed 20 still be in town.