The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-11-19
they BLEW Open
4 SAFE IN TIME
Burglars Contest at Guthrie
Was Interesting
CHARGE OF GLYcERINE
1t Was Injected and the Door
Yielded.
CHARGE OF GLYCERINE

Guthrie. o. T., Nov. 1S.-The burglari-
Gus safe contest, which was held at
Island park yesterday afternoon was
triumph for the manganese Steel Safe
company OF New York, and the aiangan-
eze steel burglar-proof safe. Although
the experts of this company worked un-
der the most unfavorable circumstances,
they succeeded in opening the safe of
their greatest rival, the screw door safe
OF the Victor Alanganeze Steel Safe com
pany, of Cincinnati, wen within the limit
that would be at the disposal of bur-
glar attempting to rob a bank. Several
hundred people were at Island park dur
ing the afternoon to see the conest, and
it was the unanimous opinion of those
who witnessed it that. had the condi-
tions been as favorable as those under
which burglar would work the safe
could have been opened in less than half
of the time that was used.
At the meeting of the bankers con-
vention in the morning, President d. w.
Hogan appointed a committee, composed
OF Robert Somberg, II. NJ. Sapulding
and S. W. Kaiser, to have charge of the
burglarious safe contest, to keep the time
and a complete report OF the same. Be
sides the committee, President Hogan vas
also at hand and close witness of the
contest. Mr.. Som5erg announced last
night that the Victor safe was opened in
fftynine minutes, and that for interfer-
ence and other unfavOrable conditions
several minutes should be deducted from
this. Sixteen blows upon the door and
six charges OF nitro-glycerine, much
smaller that could have been used with
perfect safety, were sufficient to blow
the door from the safe. The expert of
the Victor company was in the crowd
and was called upon 10 attempt to open
the Manzanese steel safe. but declined.
The testing of the safe vas conducted
under the direction of the committee,
but more severe treatment than had
been given the Citor safe had no percep-
tible effect upon it.
Captain Rodman ard w c. Clark, the
experts of the New York company, evil
IDENTIFY knew the weak point of the safe
of the rival company, as they began
working upon the door with sledSe
hammer. The door was struck sixteen
blows and the joint then projected about
an eighth of an inch. SO that the nitro
glycerine could be injected 1t was very
cold at the grounds and as nitro-glycerine
freezes at forty degrees above zero, 1t
would not run nearly so easily as it would
had the contest been conducted within
a bank \ shot of about 4 half ounce
was used ut first. hut on account OF
the cold could be inserted only little
way within the door. However it re-
suited in widening the crack and loos-
ening the door \ series of light shots
then followed, the object being to widen
the breach so that the larger charge that
was designed to do the work could be
inserted. On the sixth shot cotton was
worked in the crack around the door
and was saturated with nitro-slycerine-
When this was fred the door was blown
from the front of the safe. falling four or
five feet away. There was also large
crack in the safe.
The committee then called upon the eX-
pert of the Victor Safe company to come
forward and subject the Manzaneze safe
to the same treatment. but he declined
The committee then directed the attack
upon this safe Twenty-eight hard blows
on the door had no effect and this course
was abandoned. After using the sledge
and nitro-glycerine to no advantage for
some time the contest was called off
and the safe of the New York Manzaneze
Safe company was pronounced burglar
proof. The attack upon the other safe
was postponed. as the bankers were de-
IL inn af
Frank Dale's. The Victor plate safe
and the Mosler screw door We're on the
grounds. but the Victor screw door which
was opened was considered by the bank
ers TO be the most nearly burglar-proof
of these three.
There were many things that inter
fered with the contest ard there is no
doubt that Captain Rodman and ". c.
clark. under favorable circumstances,
could open The Victor safe in much less
time than they used yesterday MOI
only did the cold weather interfere, but
the crowd gathered around the safe, him
derinc quick work and taking part Of
the attention Of the operators, as it
was necessary for them to watch the ez-
plosives and electrical apparatus TO see
tirst time THAI safe contest has been
held within hundreds OF miles of Guthrie
and great deal of interest has bsen
taken IN it, large per cent Of those
who witnessed the contest were bankers
Captain Rodm8n and W. c Clark
when seen last night, expressed theTn-
selves as pleased with the result Of the
contest and stated that IN vault alone.
where there would be 10 interference
they were confident that they could open
tha Victor safe III a burglarious manner
They also said that their company vas
willing to wager $3.50 that before THIS
convention they could open the safe oil
the National Safe and Lock company OF
Cleveland. which IS Oh exhibition - thiS
CITY. in burglarioCs time under burglar
ious conditions
An examination OF the society regis
ter d.scloses the following list Of dele
gates 70 the hsuSins c0nyen ion;
Herman c. Schultz. First Eank Of Sd
dln-ton I. T: II J. Scho6eii. First state
bank of Erese-ick: .. 4. Espy. National
Bank OF Hennezs ": john II Porter, eii-
zsns State Bank ef Lavton. W y. fea-
ser. state Eank Of Cement. i. " Hoean
First National OF Yukon; Ch7s L Engle.
citizens Natie-al oi n Reno. : y Ho-
san. First National q C-shion- II y
Fentecost. assistant hank coTa1ais 5lo7aeS-
Guthrie. Robert Schlberg. CuthE Na-
tlonai Gus. 4. Nelson. capitol Naii91ai
II Guthrie: E WentE. kirgfshsr Na-
fioaai of KinsGsher. p. 5. TA. Citizens
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