The Washington herald., 1915-02-14

ton"
Garrick looked quickly about. There in
the antechamber in a rack, stood two
shining guns ready for an emergency.
And" added Van Loan, ''at last we
come to the main door of the vault it.
self"
He paused before the ronderous mech
anism, which now was swung open for
the days business.
Him." unused Garrick-"four compli-
Gated locks to be picked, one of them a
lock of latest pattern shielded by impreg-
nable armor.''
Suddenly an idea fla shed across his
mind, suggested by a case of which he
had heard. He bent down and examined
the time lock. No, it seemed to be in per-
feet order.
What are you looking att" inquired
FOrdyCe quickly
Il recall a case he remarked. where
the time lock on a safe had been rem
dered imperative and it was never dis
covered until after the robbery because
no one ever tried to get in until the cor
rect time. But this lock seems to be all
right
ITO say nothing of other locks inside -
put in Van Loan, land a network of SEN
stive electric wires. the burglar alarms
concealed in the walls and floors and the
location of which is not generally
known"
They had passed the door, the last line
of defense. There opened up a veritable
cave of Aladdin. Everywhere was money
in every shape and form. It was as
though a modern Midas had passed
through and with his magic touch had
transformed everything into money be-
yond the widest dreams of avarice
And the vault :tself-the wallis"
queried Garrick, tapping them casually.
THE body of the vault" answered For
dyce quickly, lis built up Of steel plates
bound together by screws from the in
side OF the vault so that the screws
cannot be reached from the outside The
plates themselves are of two classes,
those Of hard and those of softer steel,
set alternately so as to be both shock
and drill proof. The steel Of high tensile
strength is used to resist the effect of
high explosives, while the other has
great resisting power against drilling.
1t will wear smooth the best of drills,
and only unlimited time would suffice
to get through that way.
Then there is a layer of twisted steel
bars added to the plates, another network
to break any drill that may have sur
vived the attack on the steel plates.
That also adds to the power Of resist
ing explosives. In fact, the amount of
explosive necessary and the shocks that
it must produce simply put that method
of getting in out of the question.
Why" he went on, where the outside
plates come together to form the angles
and corners massive angles Of steel are
welded over the joint. The result is a
solid steel box. all embedded in a wall
of rock concrete-impregnable
impregnable."
He paused.
The door is the only possible chance
That is water tight, seven stepped,
ground to the minutest fraction OF an
inch. The most expert yeggman who
ever lived would have no chance at that
unless he were a lock expert endowed
with omniscience. So you see why il
is that We say that the impossible has
happened"
Inside the huge vault were various
other projections, tiers OF safety deposit
boxes with which an elaborate system Of
safety had been built up, safes for vari-
GUS purposes. and in the far corner a
vault within a vault, the vault OF the
custody trust department"
Van Loan opened it with Fordyce's aid,
each knowing only part of the combina-
ton and neither being able to work it !
in such a way as to be seen by the other |
In this inner vault were rows and rows
OF fat packages tied with little belts of
red tape. Van Loan picked out one and !
opencd it.
Instead Of Crinkly examples of engrav-
ing that represented a fortune there was
nothing inside but common brown paper, |
as though it had been stuffed in merely |
10 satisfy the casual glance that the en-
velope had not been tempered with
He opencdHa small heavy money bag :
which he took from a little safe in one
corner in which some wealthy people kept |
currency against time of panic when /
gold might be at a premium. Garrick
looked in. Instead of bright cleaning |
gold pieces there was a mass Of dull |
dross-Iead,
What do you make of it," asked For
iyce helplessly.
Garrick looked from him to Van Loan.
Neither apparently even laid claim to
having an explanation He tried TO rea-
son it out himself. Only one idea occur
red to him. Why had the robber been so
careful to conceal on the surface his
stealings? Perhaps he intended to come
back. Surely the temptation of what re-
manned still would be strong A half
formed plan fitted through Garrick's
mind, but with his natural caution he said
about it.
Instead he shook his head slowly. II
shall have to do some outside work be-
lore can even attempt to answer that"
ne said simply.
AS they turned to pass out, he noted
4 telephone on the wall, and paused be-
-oro q