The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-21
TREASURE IN ELECTRIC NETS.
A NEW SYSTEM or GUARDING
GOVERNMENT FUNDS.
ingenuity In vsult Building Declared to
Have Been Met by Ingenuity In Safe
Breaking--Nat cisfuineas Held 10 he
the Best Defence Againat Burglars.

ingenuity In Vault buiid'n8 Deo'srou 10
Have Been Met by Ingenuity In SAFE
Breaking--watc isfuineas Held 70 Be
the Best Defence Against BurSlaS. |
WASHINGTON. June 20-Just now the |
Government admits defeat and ths pro-
fessional burglar and safe cracker Is ahead. |
The confession Us to be made In practical
way after July 1. It will be In the shape OF
the installation Of system along new lines
for the protection OF the Government funds.
Trust in ounningly devised locks and massive
walls of masonry and steel alone " to be
abandoned. Instead, the subtle electric
current IL to be called into play.
Arrangements have been made for the
new system, and IN fact the first step has al
ready heen taken at the mint In San Fran
cisco There the ooip room has been sup
piled with q vault whose walls are only Of
tho strength and thickness Of masonry
usual in ordinary freproof construction.
About the vault. however, has been thrown
the protecting screen Of mild electric
current.
The same plan IL to he followed with the
great silver vault under the central court
Of the Treasury building in Washington,
and also with the smaller gold vault. in the
northwest corner, aud the bond and currency
vaults on the floor above. The solid struc-
ture Of these vaults, although admitted
to be vulnerable 10 the assault OF the pro-
iessional craftsman, Is not TO be disturbed.
because OF the expense OF reconstruction.
The new device Is to be applied to the present
structure.
First OF ALL the present vaults are to be
Hired with hard wood tightly joined at
every corner. Inside this lining will be
laid a thin coating OF tinfoil. On this tin
foil will be placed what y i'll look like strong
netting or ordinary solid sheets Of NY screen,
except that the small wires Of which It is
composed will he most carefully Joined
and will be highly polished
Over this screen OF wires another lining
OF hard wood will be built. Thus will the
wire netting be sandwiched between two
great wooden boxes
The meshes in tho screen OF wires will
hardly be more than an eighth OF an inch
across The wires will run continuously in
every strand from the floor up the sides
and will join corresponding wires at the
ceiling OF the vault
At point on top there will be feed
wire which will connect with the wires Of
the netting and form complete circuits.
This feed wire will lead of from the vault
TO a central electric station at which mild
current OF electricity will bs generated.
The current will not be OF the ordinary
kind. but will b alternating In it's strength
and intensity Three times every five
minutes the current will be varied. The
machine viii offer q dozen different currents
every twenty minutes.
mechanical contrivanoe In the top OF
the vault VII systematically give noeiAca-
ton at q central station II the electric APP
rAratus tails TO work or Il the currents
fail to charge al Of the wires In alternating
shocks. Tho device viii be in operation
night and day and can he 20 arranged that
the opening Of the vault door in the day
time will not disturb it,
II the vail or ceiling or hoor OF tho vault
is tempered with during the day an alarm
will he rung at central station. II the
same thing occurs at night, or the vault
door IL touched. then the alarm will be
sounded. It Is the intention to have the
central station within half block OF the
Treasury Building and also to have con-
nections with the central police station
Of Washington.
Government officials point out that il
such device had been in operation recently
in the Chicago post ONCE the so. 900 worth
Of stamps, which were secured by burglars
who tunnelled up through the floor of the
vault, could never have been taken. Pre-
suming that burglar could get up to the
floor or the ceiling or one OF the walls OF
the Treasury vaults. he would he sure to
Re detocted in trying to drill or force his
way through at the point Of attack.
Even II he should be fully aware OF the
existence Of the charged wire netting, his
task would be an impossible one. It ia
'rus that he oould have with him an electric
battery with which he could attempt TO
charge the wires when he had temporarily
detached square from the rest OF the
netting But he would have no means of
knowing when the strength Of the current
would change and TO what degree OF in
tersty it would be altered
At any time in each five minutes the
change OF current would indicate the dis
turhance of the wire. because Of the break
tnmhlipg in after him,
Tho conclusion to adopt this new means
of protecting the Government funds in
Washington was reached only after long
elaboration and an inquiry which had been
mission, appointed under authority OF the
Of vault construction and made an elaborate
report.
It included not only an extensive study
of every form Of vault construction. hut
it gave the details Of experiments In forcing
open vaults and safes. It contained dia-
grams and plans and the names and dis
cussion Of the character Of the most effective
explosives. 1t was printed a. public docu-
ment, and given out for distribution.
Immediately there was a great hue and
cry from conservative memhers of both
houses. The document was dubbed THE
Government Guide to Successful burglary"
and the clamor WAS 80 great That its further
dist ribution vas prohibited.
The commission which prepared the re-
port and succeeding experts who have
made . study Of tho question. reached the
conclusion that no vault or safe In this or
any other country could resist the skilled |
Professional cracksTAn' Every advance
scheme or device by the safe-crackers.
improvements In the character Of the
metal used was met by improved instru-
fnr aviltn1 md hor1uu fOrrinu |