Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1917-10-19

vaults were possessed by many banks.
The first public safe deposit vaults
in the United States We're built in 1865
for Col. Francis Fl. jerks and We're
located at 1902 Broadway. New York
The lowest rental charged for these
vaults was 500 a year. Two years
later Col. Henry Lee built the Union
safe deposit vaults. the first of their
kind in Boston. at 40 Stare street,
In 1871 there were six safe deposit
companies in the country
At first only small part of the pub
lie appreciated its need for the pro-
lection offered by these firepro0f
vaults. But the great Boston fire Of
1872 proved an impressive object les
son. Guarded by troops, the Union
safe deposit vaults were a center OF
| excitement. Frantic boX-hOlders,
alarmed by the humiliation of prop
! erty on every side had to be forcibly
restrained from taking possession of
! their valuables. After the fire was
over it was found that properly con-
structed vaults preserved their con-
tents unframed. while safes of the
very best make could offer no effectual
resistance to the fire This conclusion
has been confirmed by every great fire,
notably the fires of Baltimore and San
| Francisco.
| The structural strength of safe de-
post vaults has been gradually in
/ 20 int oil
| sible demands upon it. = vault made
of solid plates of manganese several
| inches thick and nine feet square, so
| hard that it cannot be machined once
| it is cast, is encased in a concrete wall
/ two feet thick. The vault rests upon
q foundation especially prepared for 1t
| and is usually so constructed as to be
entirely separate from the walls, floor
and ceiling of the building in which
it stands, so that it may be patrOled
on all sides by watchmen who are on
duty day and night The structure
of steel has thick double doors with
complicated locks of which only one
person knows the secret, or the secret
may be divided between two or more
persons. no one having the entire COM
bination. The inner door IS provided
with a lock set on different combina-
tion from the outer and known only to
another person or set of persons, and
this will work only upon the running
down of q clockwork mechanism at a
certain prearranged time. Thus at least
two responsible persons are required
to omen the vault. and they cannot do
If between time of closing and that set
for opening.
The time lock obviates the possi-
bilitv of a person being compelled by
burglars TO open the vault, and its con-
struction also prevents the Insertion Of
an explosive.
During business hours these heavy
double doors stand open, and an inner
door or, gate of light grilled construc-
ton is used The inside walls of the
/ vault are lined with steel compart-
ments of various sizes. TO gain access
to one of the boxes kept I'm these
/ commandments two keys 0re needed.
/ The custodian has a key which must
4 be turned in the lock before the key
/ of the tenant will open it. The key
to each compartment is different, and
no tenant can open any box but his
own. nor even that without the assist
ance of the person in charge No ten
/ ant can enter the vaults or gain access
/ to his own rented compartment with
out being accompanied by the custo-
dian. In addition to these safeguards,
efficient burglar alarms are provided
which give immediate notice of any
tampering with the vault.