The San Francisco call., 1907-01-29

safe-craekers, working for several
hours Sunday night without Interrupt
ton, ranEacLNed the big MOnadnOci Of
6ce building al Third and Market
streets from top TO bottom. secured
about $1,000 from various Offices aud
escaped without leaving the slightest
cIew that might lead 10 the discovery
Of their identity. Seventeen offices
were entered and looted. doors were
forced, desks broken open. papers were
scattered about, four safes were opened
and their cash drawers emptied. and
the combination Of a fifth safe was bat
tered 10 pieces I'm an Intellectual at
intended for fire protection only, ana
were not built to resist determined as
sauIt of the burglar.
Owing to the location Of the Monad-
mock building, at the busiest corner on
Market street, and the fact that it is
the largest Office building rehabilitated
since the fire, the robbery ranks among
the boldest perpetrated in years. The
thieves, however, worked methodicaIy,
choosing time when the building had
been practically vacant for twenty-four
hours and was emptied for the night
and totally unguarded. That they took
their time For the lob is manifest from
the extent Of their work and the sys-
tematic way in which the forcing Of
doors and desks was carried out
LOCKS ARE FORCED
Entrance to the rooms was gained in
every instance by the forcing back Of
a light strap Of wood at the door jamb
and the insertion Of some sharp tool
with which the spring latches were
forced back. The strips OF wood are
narrow and secured only with small
nails. Pressure with. such an instru-
I'll rf a. G
force this strip out a fraction of an
inch, and a sharp stroke with a thin
blade against the beveled edge Of the
latch would throw the lock. Nicsed
woodwork loosened strips and
scratched metal showed that this was
the means used by the robbers.
The three safes to which the thieves
gained entrance were not dynamited
but the combinations were worked and
the doors thrown wide open. 1t was
not the work OF amateurs. but of pro-
fessionals with the ability to open the
steel doors by listening TO the fall of
the tumblers in the mechanism Of the
combination locks.
The safe IN the office OF the Aetna
Life Insurance Company on the sixth
floor vrithstood the efforts Of the safe
crackers, and in this instance force was
attempted. The conbination knob on
the outside OF the safe door was bat
tered out OF shape with some heavy In
strument and deep dents were found
on the front of the safe and in the
wood floor about eighteen inches in
front of the safe. The steel bolts held,
however. and all that was taken from
this Office was some stamps and a small
amount OF cash from a rOll-top desk,
the top OF which had been pried up
MONEY CHEST OPENED
d. A. curtin's Mercantile Collection
Agency, with Offices on the third floor
was the heaviest individual loser, $105
IN cash and s5 worth Of stamps being
secured. Entrance to the room was
gained the same as in the case Of the
other Offices, and the combination of the
safe was operated. The door Of the
money chest IN the interior Of the safe
was torn of its hinges, the metal be-
ing broken as though with a cold
chisel and the cash drawer emptied.
The lid was then forced of a tin lock
box, but nothing was taken, as II con-
tained only papers. Three desktops
were forced open and IS worth OF
stamps taken from one desk A fourth
desk In the room resisted the efforts
OF the burglars, but was badly nicked
and one side was sprung. A $50 and a
$40 greenback. which had been in the
money compartment OF the safe, SIS in
gold and $50 in silver were carried
away.
In the Office OF Jules lambda, on the
fourth floor. the safe was opened in
the same way and a solid metal money
box taken out and battered open. A
desk was also forced open and ran
- ~.