Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1906-11-14
MASSIVE BANK SAFES.
VAULTS THAT ARE BURGLAR.
FIRE AND WATER PROOF.
DooRs THAT WEIGH TwELvE TONS
EACH-TIME LOCKS AND NIGHT
wATCHMEN.

Merchants are robbed. The safes of
country banks that carry a surplus of
perllaDs $4,000 or $4,000 are often
riddled by burglars. How is it that
the millions quietly reposing within
the doors of scores Of banks in the lar,
ger cities are never attempted! 1t is
g. fact that during the last quarter Of
century or more no attack, successful
or otherwise, has been made on any
bank vault in the United States in
cities of over 10000 inhabitants. Most
of the bank robberies occurring today
take place in towns of 1900 to 1900
inhabitants. In the larger cities, where
the treasure really is, no one even at
tempts TO rob bank.
Why is this?
Money can protect money. That is
the whole secret. The country banks
depend on safes costing perhaps a few
hundred dollars; great city bank
spends perhaps $150,000 for its burglar
and flreproof vaults. And these vaults
are proof. They are absolutely unas-
sailable The guarding of banks
money has been reduced to such a
science that banker, having once
taken the proper precautions, never
gives the matter further thought,
though he has million dollars within
its doors. The fireproofing for large
vault can be constructed for from S10,-
coo 10 $4,000. 1t il the burglar proof
steel lining that brings the cost of
vault construction up to the six figure
mark.
Think of steel door weighing
twelve tons or of a hinge alone weigh
ing one ton. When that door cen
slsts of ten inches OF drill proof steel.
plate Tapped on plate, do you wonder
that even the most daring burglar has
never attempted 1t? Such great
door usually has some four and twenty
two or three inch steel bolts which
shoot out automatically in four direc
tions as soon as the door is closed.
The entire closing of the door is abso-
tually been tested one whole night I'M
der water. This closing is of the
tongue and groove variety and the
groove is packed with packing.
This formidable door is furnished
with a time lock that can be set for
any number of hours and that cannot
be opened until the hour for which it
is set arrives The door is furnished
with perhaps three duplicate timbers.
so that If two should fail TO work there
would still be one to open the door.
Inside the great door a massive graf
ing called the day crate gives access to
the vault.
To this chamber, which. with its four
inch walls of drill proof steel, Is
worthy of Vulcan himself. only the
active officials of the bank have en-
trance. Here are the tellers safes.
where they keep the money for the
days business. Here are bags of gold,
$1,000 in each, piled up like so many
bags Of buttons, each bag most secure
ly tied and sealed. Here are packages
of bills stacked up like bricks-the
ones and twos In $1,000 packages. the
fves in 5000 packages, and the tens
and twenties In $4,000 packages. The
bills in each of these packages have
been counted, tied up and sealed by
two persons In the presence OF each
other. so that the bank can guarantee
the amounts as given on the laLels
without recOunting.
Here besides the tellers' safes, are
compartments where the collateral re
ceived for loans to depositors is kept.
But this is only the outer division OF
the vault chamber. Beyond is anoth-
er massive grating dividing the vault
into two rooms. No single official can
penetrate to the inner shrine, and one
of the two officials necessarily present
must be a director of the bank. Here
are where repose the reserve funds Of
the bank-millions of gold and paper