The patriot. [volume] (Indiana, Pa.) 1914-1955, 1914-10-03
A BIG BANK Vault
How Its Dc, Were Opened by
a Message From the Sea.
THE MkGiC OF All sER0GRAM.
A Dilemma From Which Great FL
nancial Institution Fabricated Itself
In Doutla Quick Time by a RAPID
Exchange of Wireless Dispatches.

In Douh@ Quic& frp0 oy a ndPlo
ExcFMeeo of Wireless Dispatches.
To the ordinary laymnn, tcO busy or
too Indifferent to bother hta head with
scientific matters. wireless telegraphy
is somewhat Of a mystery. In n gen
eral way he knows that by it messages
are flashed through the air over oceans
and mountains. but he does not realize
to what an extent end In what varied
roles the aerial magic plays its parts
in daily life In The Wireless Man"
the author. Francis A. Collins. mar
rates an instance in which aerograms
averted a possible financial mishap
He writes:
"a secret. even very big one. may
be intrusted to the wireless man and
flung halfway across the Atlantic
with complete safety. There was the
case, for Instance. of the president OF
q great New York bank who sailed for
Europe without leaving the combina-
ton of the locks of the vaults. AS
rule. the combination is a single word.
and the secret is known only to two or
three. In this case, by an oversight.
there was no one left ashore who knew
the key The money and securities OF
the bank were very safely locked away.
and hours of work would be required
to force the locks of the safe deposit
vaults.
"The bank presidents steamer had
sailed at O'Clock of a summers morn
ing to catch a favorable tide, and
when the banks officials tried to open
the vaults ut about 8 o'clock the
steamer carrying the secret was up
ward of two hours at sea. A haSty
examination showed that there was
but one way to open the vaults. short
of breaking into them. and that was
by getting he code from the presi
dent, Sercnc!v unconscious of the trou
bles ashore 10 delay opening the
vaults woui,i. OF course. he a very Ser1
Gus matter II the ~ 1 money were
not ready behind tie barred windows
promptly at lU. The fact would be
known within few minutes through
out the financial section A serious run
On q bank has been started for less
-ause
I'm the old days, before the cable. the
Gecret could not have been gained in
less than two or three weeks at best,
or until message had reached the
president by mail ard returned across
the Atlantic. The cable alone would
have cut the delay in two by catching
the traveller on his arrival on the other
side. Meanwhile the bank officials.
hastily summoned to conference, had
acted quickly. The wireless stations
had been notified, and a message ex-
planning the situation was flashed from
the top of high building in New York
and from the Sea Gate and Nantucket
stations. All this was the work Of less
than ten minutes.
NOW the combination word used to
lock up these millions in gold. currency
and securities is, of course, not piece
of information to be flashed broadcast
along the Atlantic coast. 1t would be
known to scores of people. even If the
stations receiving guarded the secret
with the utmost care. The officials
therefore impressed upon the president
the Importance of sending his message
in the private code used by the bank In
its important cables. AS the hour for
opening the bank approached the off,
cials waited with an impatience which
may be imagirrd
1.-THE wireless message was handed
to the bank president as he sat at
breakfast we'll out to sea. 1t was now
exactly GIG. There was a sudden va
cancy at that particular table. After
one glance at the aerogram the presi-
dent, realizing the situation to the last
detail, rushed madly for his stateroom
to search for his code book. A few mo-
ments later a dignified elderly gentle
man rushed into the wireless booth. de
manding at any cost that his message
be given the right of way. He got 1t.
can aerogram expressed in an unin-
telligible cipher was soon being flashed
with the full power Of the apparatus
The wireless stations along the coast
had been ordered to expedite the mes
sage in every way and were waiting
anxiously for it. II was read by two
stations on the Long Island coast and
repeated hurriedly to New York. A few
minutes later the clerk at the telephone
in the bank was carefully writing out
the strange tumble Of letters and trans
lating them into intelligible English.
The clock pointed to twenty minutes
to 10. the banks opening hour. when
the great steel door swung noiselessly
open on it's hinges and the day was
saved"