The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-08-16
Experts, After Six-Day Battle,
Reach Imprisoned Treasure
of National Bank of
Republic.
ACETYLENE MACHINE
BURNS AWAY BARRIER
Time Lock Fails to Release
Mechanism, Closing Door
on Funds for Almost
a Week.

TRoM the closing hour last Fri
II day afternoon until 5 clock
yesterday afternoon the great
money vault OF the National
Bank of the Republic. containing al
most 100000 in cash, mostly gold
coin, and several millions Of dollars in
securities remained closed, though a
small army Of experts worked day and
night trying to open it. Not until
two-ton acetylene gas drilling machine,
brought from the international smelter
at Tooele. had bored its way through
the top of the safe for eight hours yes
terday was the bank able to get at ITS
imprisoned funds.
Fortunately arrangements for suffi.
cient cash to operate the bank were
made tho first day Of the predicameut
and no embarrassment was experienced
as result of the recaleitrant time
locks.
Time Lock Balks.
The vault door, massive thing OF
steel, eight inches thick and weighing
many tons. was locked Friday night
after all funds on hand, together with
several million dollars worth of securi-
ties. had beon placed in the inner com
partment, The time lock was set for
8 o clock Saturday morning. That hour
arrived and with il the bank EMPLOYEES.
They spun the heavy wheels that re-
lease the door after the time lock has
performed its duty. but to no purpose.
After an hour of futile efforts the EN-.
ployees. becoming alarmed, telephoned
for Frank Knox, president of the bank.
Mr.. Knox employed all his knowledge Of
the vault system without avail.
Use Battering Ram.
1t was decided to telegraph the Yale
Lock company, which guarantees the
time locks with which the vault door
is fitted. The return telegram advised
that the door be iolted with heavy
battering ram to loosen a possible catch
in the mechanism of the time lock. Ac-
cordingly, twentyfoot beam. ten by
ten inches, was rigged up on tripod
before the vault and twelve stalwart
worhmen swung it back and forth with
all their might against the heavy steel.
The crash of the impact could be heard
for blocks. This was kept up from 10
o clock Sunday morning until III clock
Sunday night, without visible results
other than to wear the enamel finish
from the outer surface of the door.
Monday morning W. ]. Shealy. local
safe expert and representative of the
Yale Lock company. took a hand in the
case. He thought that an iron or steel
beam would make better battering
ram than the heavy timber. His advice
was followed all Of Monday aud the bat
terlnc crew succeeded in knocking off
little more of the enamel than they
did the preceding day-nothing more.
Steel Drills Futile.
Then came the most modern steel
drills the city affords. These, with
terrific pressure behind them, were sent
roaring like gatling guns at the steel
layers of the door. They ate their
way WIN apparent case through the
first layer Of bessemer steel, which is
put on for its faculty OF absorbing
dynamite shock. but beyond that tho
drills could not go, Tho drilling steel
flashed and sputtered hopclessly as it
struck the chilled chrome steel under
meath This procedure was abandoned
after several hours had been wasted.
Attacked From Top.
Wednesday morning Joseph A. Silver
of the Silver Brothers Iron Works, ac-
counted an expert steel man, under
took to penetrate to the imprisoned
cash by boring through tho roof of the
vault His idea appeared TO be the
right one. With powerful drills Silver
cut way through the first foot of
ordinary iron and steel that makes up
the bulk of the roofs thickness, but
lust when it seemed success was nbout
TO crown his efforts, Silver's drills
,ame upon the impervious layer Of
steel composition that is said to ysni.
BODY every drill-defyine principle
known to science. The drills balkeSs
again and were useless.
Two inches separated the bank from
fTop&iuuod nm Para Txya1va