The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-09-16
Loot Bank Of Montreal
d Secure
$315, 900.
WATERMAN BOUND
AND SAFE BLOWN
They Enter Vault by Digging
Hole Through Brick Wall.
Believed to Have Small
Chance of Disposing
of Their Plumber
U%ndetected.

New Westminster. B.. c.. September
16!-Three robbers who took 1880
from the Bank OF Montreal's local.
branch enrly today and thereby per-
petrated the largest Successful" safe
blowing job in America. are believed
to be hiding tonight in Vancouver. 3.
c.. with small chances OF disposing
of their booty undetected. Bank Of
hcials assert that all bills taken by the
bandits were new and mostly Of large
denomination. and that their serial
numbers are recorded at the bank. The
gold taken cannot be traced so d.
rectly.
Besides timing the robbery TO match
the vacation OF the night Waterman. it
developed to-day that the trio select
ed a time when the banks cash sup
ply was far above normal. for the A.
nancing of salmon shipments OF the
canning season now closing.
Several thousand dollars worth of
damaged gold pieces. bent and scorch-
ed by the explosion. were eft lying
on the bed in the clerks room.
sandbnggcd and Gagged.
The burglars entered the bank by
the front door, broke through the thin
LHCidi So6NlUb VI II vault. Die" lNe
safe by charges OF nitro-glycerine and
got clear away with their booty with
out being seen except by a Ch!nese'
caretaker who gave the alarm, He had
managed to work loose from the bonds
after being sendba ggcd and gagged.
Chief of Police Bradshaw hurried
to the scene and all OF the available
officers were pressed into service, but
the onl obtainable clue was that
t~fuap h,. tHo Chtpa n a,
It Is Impossible to say Just when the
men effected their entrance into the
bank. but IT Is presumed that II was
some time about 4 o'clock this morn
Ing. The robbers collected the gold
and bills III the vault and left the
building some time before s o'clock.
taking more than $4,000 with them,
leaving about 100000 In the vault
behind
The C%hinaman says he opened the
door at the front ONCE using the pass
key. He had no sooner set foot inside
than he was seized by q large man,
and two Others came n moment later.
III you make a Noise I Will kill you."I
said the largest man. and the fright
ened Cninaman did not make o sound.
The two smaller men gagged the
They tied his hands and fest and took
him to the basement. where they tied
him to a post. It was not until two
hours later that he managed TO free
himself and get out.
From rhe front door the robbers
evidently crossed the main Office of
the bank and assembled a stairway
which led 10 the room OF one OF the
clerks. who usually slept in the bank.
This young man. however, was on his
vacation, so there was no person on
the premises.
Dig Hole in Wall
BY means OF a pick the robbers tore
away q hole through the bricks that
composed 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 III
could not have been more than twen-l
ty minutes work before the burglars
had got into the vault in front of the
great steel door.
The robbers went at the job like
masters. The corners and cracks evil.
IDENTIFY were filed with nitro-glycerine.
and 1t is doubtful whether more than
one charge was used In smashing the
front of the safe. The hole they had made
through which to crawl into the vault
they plugged with the bedding that
had been used by the young clerk. /
This must have effectually d%eadened
the sound. for no person has been
found who heard the explosion.
Three hundred and fifty thousand
dollars. oil 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 prepared to be taken away.
Evidently the robbers took the pick
of all they could carry. The silver was
left. Many packages OF one, two and
five dollars were disdained by the rob-
bers.
There was no trace to show how the
robbers got away. Probably they on
tered by a false key in the lock Of
the front door. and it is presumed they
went out the same way.
The police are practically at a stand-l
still. Detectives have been engaged
by the bank officials, but there has
been no attempt yet at a chase in any
direction. All the circumstances indi-
cate that the robbers had the haul
carefully planned, and the police be-
lieve they are now far away from New
Westminster.