The Washington times., 1911-02-27
BURGLAR CALLS ON
SCIENCE TO AID HIM
Some Remarkable Contests
Between Safe-Maker and
Safe-Breaker.

| The buglar Of today Is as far removed
! from the Bill Skies of a generation or
two ago as the man who skins through
the air with the speed of a swallow on
| bis aeroplane is removed from his pred
ecessor who risked his bones in a fire
| balloon. The modern burglar is often
a highly trained man of science, who
knows as much of chemistry, the prop
critics of heat and the resistance Of
metals as many a professor.
This startling fact is brought home to
US by the recent discoveries at the scene
of the murder of the three city police
men, where a formidable scientific arm
ory was found. This included a cylinder
containing forty feet of oxygen. with a
pressure of 1,760 pounds to the square
inch, equipped with Euage, the. dial
OF which registers the amount of gas
in the Cylinder. There was also won-
derful blOwpipe of the latest design,
capable of fusing the hardest steel; and
cutter wrench, three feet long, with
which the white-hot metal could be cut
as easily as a sardine tin with an
opener.
Such are some of the formidable
weapons with which the up-to-date
burglar plies his nefariOus trade, and
these are by no means the most re-
markahle weapons in his armory. Dur
ing the last century the fight between
tn safe-maker and the safe-breaker has
oeen Waged necessarily, and every step
which the one has advanced has been
quickly overcome by the other.
Blowpipe Makes Way Easy.
The strong box. clamped with
iron and provided with most formidable
hasps and locks. had to give way to
the all-iron box, which was guaranteed
fire and burglar proof. The safe
breakers reply to this was a tiny hand
drill which speedily cut holes all
around the lock in the iron door. The
thickness of the iron sides and door
of the safe was then Increased and
stronger locks and hinges were intro
dGced. But the burglar merely smiled.
With his blowppe he could make the
iron as easy almost to cut through as
butter.
Again the safe-maker took up the chal-
lenEe. He substituted steel for iron, and
introduced double doors, locks, and
hinges. The steel plates were made of
exceptional hardness and touChness.
able 10 resist the vastly improved drills
and jimmies of the burglar. The bur
thing as a burglar-proof safe" he
ChuCkI"d; and, TO prove il, he met the
challenge with small pinch of nitro
G!ycerine. scientifically applied and ex-
piioded. II was even easier than the
obsolete method of the drill.
Aga the Safc-makcr took up the
gauntlet, determined to battle the enemy
at last. He thought he had solved the
problem by producing d five-ply welded
plate. consisting OF five welded LAYERS
of steel-the two outer layers of tough
steel the next two Of hard steel and in
the center somewhat thicker layer Of
tough steel AT last | have done it,"
he exclaimed in his pride.
Uses Powerful Voltaic Arc.
Once more the burglar smiled. His
answer took the form Of retort car
bon, few yards OF electric light wire,
a pair of black-eyed glasses, and
plate, pierced in the middle. He at
taChed two wires to the nearest electric
wires: zone he fastened to the safe, and
the other to the end of the carbon stick.
lie then inserted the carbon through
the hole in the plate, to protect him
self against the intense heat and glare;
and voltaiC arc of immense power he
tween the carbon point and the metal
of the safe was produced, melting the
metal with surprising ease.
In imagination the outwltted safe
maker could sec his rival, the burglar,
boring holes around the safe lock, al
most as fast as he could count, and
laughing at the eaSineSS of the task.
The newest safety vaults are of the
"hattlcship" type. with siX-inch Amor
plates and twelve-imch doors. marvels
Of strength and ingenuity, in which the
Joints of the plates are dove-tailed and
made additionally tight with wedginG
strips ana key pieces. Rut even these
formidable vaults arc not proof against
the scientific burglar, who has now enc
listed in his service that terrible eX-
- IA hi..h c
nothing made by human hands can re-
sist From Tit-BitS