The Republican journal., 1907-05-09
HIS SEEDS ARE SAFE.
Seedman Lewis Atwood of Winterport
Keeps His Stock in $780, Steel Vault.

Seedman Lewis Atwood of Winterport
Keeps His Stock in $50 200 Steel Vault.
WINTERPoRT, Me-, April q, 1907
Lewis Atwood, scotsman, florist and
nurseryman and the grandson of one of
the men who established the original
Frankfort State Bank more than Is
years ago, is now using the vaults of the
bank as a storage warehouse for the
seeds which he sends out every spring
to his customers.
The building was erected in 1885 for
the purpose of holding the banking
offices. 1t is tall structure of two
stories, the rooms on the ground floor
being 10 feet nigh, while those on the
second floor, which hold the aged safe,
are almost Is feet to the ceiling.
The ancient steel safe, which is near
ly as large as small barn, was made
from Jessop's best steel-forged and
made in readiness for putting together
with rivets, in Sheffield, Eng, and sent
over to Frankfort on a ship owned and
manned by Frankfort citizens-was
claimed to have been the most secure
receptacle for wealth outside of State
or national control in this country at
the time of its purchase.
Before anything beyond digging the
cellar was done toward erecting the
building, the material for constructing
the safe was unlOaded on Frankfort
wharf and taken to the site it was to
occupy, where its parts were fitted and
bolted with steel rlvetS, after which
tons of cement and bar iron were plas-
tered around the receptacle for cash I'M
til the coating was from four to ten feet
in thickness, and nothing was left open
to public view except the steel door,
which was constructed of best laminat-
ed steel and REINFORCED at the back
with a triple grille of steel bars, so if
the door itself was broken down by
gunpoWder, the secondary barrier was
still able to keep out intruders for sew
eral hours.
When the safe had been grounded
firmly the sheltering building which was
to hold it was built up around the cen
trail heart of steel, and the Frankfort
bank was ready for business.
The Treats, McGilverys and Hay
fords were then the merchant princes
of eastern Maine, and owned ships and
barks and square-rigged briggs, which
sailed to all parts of the world.
For several months in the summer of
1914 the vaults of the bank held more
than $780, in gold, which for those
times was an enormous sum. The pa
per money which the stockholders of
the bank issued by authority of the
good as gold' until the outbreak of the
civil 1uor Whom national hapCiyu qat
abolished all the State banks.
Meantime the town of Frankfort had
been cut in two and the bank put into
the new town of Winterport, and hard
ly had the name of the bank been
changed when the confederate priva-
teers started in to ravage Maine ship
ping, which discouraged the stockhold
ers in the bank SO much that no appli-
cation was made for national charter,
and the spacious steel vaults, which had
held millions of dollars, were rendered
useless, until the local Seedman leased
the building for warehouse for his
goods.
81 am the only seedman in the world"
says Mr.. Atwood, "who stores the
products of his farms and gardens in
steel vaults that cost $4,000, and who
locks them up every night with four
great keys, whose combined weight ex-
ceeds six pounds.
"The vaults are secure enough
against the assaults of men, | guess,
but | have been obliged to hang up a
sheet iron shield of late to keep the
mice from getting at the seeds by crawl
ing i'll through the keyhole. In fact, l
think l am safe in saying that | am the
owner of the biggest and most elaborate
keyhole in New England"