The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-01-19
THE SCIENTIFIC BURGLAR
Uses Observation-Disclosures Devices Which Make
Vault Tapping Simple Matter.


a closed umbrella through it, with the
handle upward. The umbrella was
+ then opened, the handle secured above
and it thus received without noise all
/ the fragments of cement which were
dislodged as the hole was enlarged
so as to allow the easy passage of
a person.
by means of rope ladder the de-
scent was readily made into the Office
below. Curtains were drawn and with
heavy blankets a tent was constructed
around the safe so thick that no ray
of light could pass through.
Next the robber brought down two
cylinders of compressed oxygen and
an acetylene generator charged with
calcium carbide and water. With these
he was able TO produce a blowpipe
flame of such intensity that steel fuses
in il like lead in an ordinary gas jet.
It required but a brief space of time
to melt away so murh of the door that
the contents of the safe were Access
sible. AT an early hour the robber
left his lodgings and disappeared with
out trace. Not even the hotel clerk
could give description of him."
In another instance this most ingeni-
Gus of burglars robbed the safe of a
bank which stood upon a street cor
ner in a German town. The office of
the bank had large plate-glass win
dows, through which the steel vault
behind the counter was in plain view
from the street. An electric light
burned all night in the office and a
Waterman upon the street was in the
habit of passing the windows and look
ing in each half hour throughout the
night
The Scientific Burglar deceived this
Waterman by means of drop curtain
terror Of the bank. After the watch
man had passed upon one of his
rounds the burglar entered the bank
by means of skeleton keys and hastily
tackled up his curtain from ceiling to
floor and from wall to wall across
the office in front of the counter: The
round, thought he saw the counter
and the vault behind it, but in reality
he saw only a painted curtain, and
behind that curtain was the Scientific
Burglar working quietly and as safely
as if no Waterman was within a mile
of him. with>his portable oxy-acety-
lene blowpipe he melted the steel door
of the same as easily as if it had been
made of cheese. He waited a few
minutes for the edges of the metal to
cool and then he crawled through the
hole into the vault and, with his Ian
tern, went leisurely through the money
and securities, selecting what he wish
ed to take with him.
The following morning the banks
officials opened the door and bumped
ed the deception and theft.
When the news of this clever rob-
berry went out one Of the great safe
makers of Paris said in an interview
published in the Figaro of that city:
1T is evident from this experience
that the builders of safes must provide
for new contingencies in their con-
struetion. The simple, light, acetylene
generators now in widespread USE and
the equally simple oxygen generators,
charged with water and sodium per-
oxide, or the heavier cylinders of COM
pressed oxygen, place at the service
of the intelligent crook the possibilities
of opening the strongest safes in ex-
istence rapidly and noiselessly, provid-
ed the operator can be screened from
observation.
Some large safes are so disposed
hat they are under frequent observa-
ion by watchmen looking through
windows. Usually this observation is
confined to the doors of bank vaults
IT the like. although in the case of
;lobular safes it practically extends
o all exposed sides. In the greater
majority OF cases existing safes would
'ffer next to no difficulty to a skilled
racksman if able to work without be-
ng seem 1t is evident that owners
viii be forced henceforth to adopt
uch measures as will reduce to
minimum all possibilities of access to
movable safes or the hid t
en- sides of safes, embedded in ce- I
lent or masonry. I