The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-16
BANK ROBBERS
 SECURE S315,0OO Branch of Bank of Montreal
 Is LOOted
ESCAPE WITH BOOTY
Five Desperadoes Enter Canadian Bank and Blow Open Safe With Nitroglycerine After Gag
 ging the Watchman

New Westminster, B. C., September 15.-Three hundred and fifteen thous- and dollars was stolen early this morn ing at the branch of the Bank of Mon treal in this city.
 Five robbers entered the bank by the front door, broke through the thin metal coating of the vault, blew the safe by a charge of nitro glycerine and made their escape with their booty without being seen only by Chinese caretaker.
 They probably escaped down the Frazier river in a launch or else by automobile toward Vancouver.
 There was in all s350,o00 in the bank safes. The robbers took all they could carry, leaving all the silver and notes of small denomination as well as dam aged $5 and $10 bills.
 The first known of the robbery was when Chinese carekeeper appeared at the box station at 5:30 o'clock and gave the alarm. He had been tied, but managed to work his bonds loose after the robbers had left. That the rob- bers are still in the vicinity Is ap- parent by the finding of a powerful automobile stolen from T. J. Traps garage, broken down in the street. It Is thought the safe robbers started to get away in the machine and then had to abandon it.
 Chong Koh. the Chinese caretaker, about o'clock ran to the police sta tion, less than 25 yards from the l.. ..,Jr tLa% Il, robbed. He said he had gone into the bank at 4:10 o'clock this morning. This statement is corroborated by police man.
 Watchman Seized
 The Chinaman says he opened the door at the front office. He had no sooner set foot inside than he was seized by a large man and two others came in a moment later.
 If you make a noise, l will kill you,' said the larger man, according to the Chinaman's story, and the latter did not make a sound. Two smaller men gaggsS him. he said, with his own handker- chief They bound his feet and hands tied him to a post. It was not untl two hours later that he managed to free himself.
 From the front door the robbers evi- dently had crossed the main office of the bank, and ascended a stairway which led to the rooms of one of the clerks who usually slept in the bank. This young man was not there and there was no one on the premises
 By means of pick, the robbers tore away hole through the bricks that com pose the sides of the general vault and the same instrument was used to break through the thin cast iron lining of the vault
 The latter was not heavy and it is be- lieved that not more than twenty min utes was required before the burglars had got into the vault in front of the great steel door.
 The robbers went at the job like mas ters. The corners and cracks were filled can be observed from an examination it can be observed from a nexamination it is doubtful whether more than one charge was used in smashing the front of the safe. The hole torn out and through which they crawled into the vault. they plugged with the bedding. This deadened the sound and no one has been founa who heard the explosion.
 Three hundred and fifty thousand dol- lars all In neat piles of gold and silver and bank notes was in view when the robbers had blown the inner door. The money was carried into the sleeping room of the absent clerk, and there packed up