Evening star., 1921-02-20
ARM0RED TRUCKS
FOIL BANDIT GANGS
Bu||et-Proof Cars Carry
Money for Banks and
Public Utilities.

Sporadic cases of lives lost and pay
rolls stolen in the ambush by bandits
of armed, but, nevertheless. practi-
cally defenseless. messengers in
number of cities in recent weeks, have
kindled a new interest in the lead
taken in New York, Boston, Chicago.
Philadelphia, Cincinnati and Cleveland
by banks. public utilities and other
companies having constant need TO
transfer money and other valuables.
The lead they have taken lies IN the
direction of greater security and en-
money, in the transportation of large
sums through the thoroughfares OF
congested cities.
Seeing an opportunity to. render real
service to industrial concerns, mer-
chants and others by making spe-
service in the transfer of pay rolls and
money, while protecting their own
transactions by means of the same
conveyance, more and more banks are
purchasing armored motor trucks.
Serving New York Banks.
Two White trucks. with armored
bodies, transfer thousands of dollars
daily for two big banks in downtown
New York One truck "a two-ton
steel. In addition to the driver, two
guards generally man the truck on it's
trips. The guards, heavily armed, ride
on the inside. The keys to the only
door lin the side of the body) are held
in the branch banks or in the possess
sion of the guards riding inside the
truck. In no case can the driver open
the door. In event of the truck being
fired upon, the steel walls of the body
are of sufficient strength to fiatten
ordinary lead bullets, while, from their
protected position in the interior of
the fire of bandits through "portholes"
arranged for such an emergency.
Auto Bank in Philadelphia.
- Day and night, the auto bank"
owned by the Quaker City Cab Com
pany of Philadelphia. answers calls. Its
chief responsibility is the safe collection
Of funds from theaters, tradesmen, fra
terral orders. building and loan COM
panies and other organizations which
customarily receive large sums of money
after the closing hours of banks.
A small rear platform makes it pos
sible to use the truck as a pay car. Tho
truck is often used to carry payrolls to
outlying sections.
/. : The body of the auto bank" is Of
bullet-proof steel. Should the truck be
attacked, the cashier could, merely by
touching a button. drop, steel curtains
over all windows Thefwfndows are fur
.ther protected by steel AGBass The door
has q double fombinati6H i0ck.9 Tam
ssish. locks s1n+ either door or
WiSlewswoul set n operation a stand
ard burglar alarm system, connected
with a large gong in the roof OF the
truck. If accident should befall the
driver, the cashier could cut of the
gasoline supply and stopsthe truck by
pressing a button inside the body.
a. Mobile Pay-OR System
5 In Chicago. the surface lines carry the
pay envelopes of their thousands of en-
ployes to car barns and other> widely
scattered pay-oH places in a truck, all
windows in which Are protected by iron
bars and an alarm system. In some
cases the truck merely carries paymas-
tiers and money from one car barn to
another, while in others it goes into the
country to pay off linemen. trackmen
and workers engaged in special con-
struction. The Cincinnati (Ohio) Trac-
ton Company also depends upon a two
ton truck for the safe transfer Of pay
roll money to outlying car barns.
In the collection of money from its
many telephone pay stations. the Bell
Telephone Company of Philadelphia uses
an armored truck. Other suserS Of arm
ored White trucks are the Federal Re
serve banks at Boston. Chicago and