Safety Vault Construction.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Apr., 1898-Accepted, 25th June, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Safety Vault Construction.
I, EDWARD CLAPP SHANKLAND, Civil Engineer, a citizen of the United States,
residing at 4808, Champlain Avenue, Chicago, County of Cook and State of
Illinois, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
Heretofore the two means generally employed by criminals to effect entrance to
safety deposit vaults have been drills or other like tools, and explosives. To resist
penetration by these means, various constructions have been proposed, among
which may be mentioned the use of metal, generally steel, of extreme hardness and
great thickness or of metal combined with cement or other hard substances
variously arranged. These constructions have, to a considerable extent, at least,
been successful in resisting attack by the means mentioned; but the progress of
modern science has lately developed a new destructive agent, against the action
of which such prior constructions are of but little avail. Experiment has shown
that with the electrical connections which are to be found conveniently at hand in
nearly every modern building a criminal has but to attach some form of contact
connection to any live wire within reach to enable him to burn, or, more properly
speaking, melt or fuse a large hole through many inches of metal within a com-
paratively few minutes, and the hardness of the metal is of course no hindrance to
such an attack. So far as I am aware no specific attempt has been heretofore
made to overcome the new difficulty mentioned, and yet the extreme rapidity and
ease with which large openings can be made in vault walls as heretofore built by
the employment of an electric current brings a problem before the manufacturers
of safety deposit vaults in the solution of which any suggested means which will
retard the operations of the criminal for any appreciable length of time, even
though it be but a few minutes, becomes worthy of serious consideration. Metal
can be used to afford strength and resist the action of tools, or masonry can be
employed to resist the action of the electric arc, or both could be employed together;
but to get the best results possible something further is required. By my inven-
tion I am enabled to make the penetration of the vault by any of the agencies
above referred to, taken singly, a task of extreme difficulty and to retard the
operations of the criminal by two or more of the means combined for a longer time
than they would be retarded in attempting to effect entrance through such prior
constructions. In other words, what I aim to secure is such a disposition of the
metal and concrete that the maximum resistance will be offered to any attempt
at penetration by means of either tools, explosives, or the electric arc or the arc
combined with any of the other devices employed by criminals for such purpose.
In the practice of my invention I preferably build the framework of the vault
out of a plurality of wall layers, each composed of parallel rails embedded in con-
crete, or other material of low conductivity, the rails of the various layers crossing
each other. Between the wall layers so formed I propose to provide a separate
interfilling layer of high electrical resistance material, and to embed therein broken
sections or pieces of tool resisting metal so disposed as to be electrically insulated,

page_text: not only from the surrounding metal lining of the enclosing space, but also from
each other.
These broken rods or filling pieces of metal being thus insulated renders it
necessary, in order to burn them by the electric current, that a hole leading into them
should be made sufficiently large to accommodate not only the destroying tool,
but also a ground or return wire, (which is scarcely practical in view of the
intensity of the heat of the arc), or else that two holes should be made leading into
the same rod or piece of filling material, one of which can be used for a ground wire
and the other for the insertion of the device employed to form the arc.
The exact location and arrangement of the rods it is of course impossible to
determine from the outside, hence in making a second hole there is much greater
chance that some other rod will be encountered rather than the one first struck,
which of course necessitates still another hole, and so on until the proper broken
piece or section of rod is found.
A further object of my invention is to secure a more efficient protection for the
door and the lock, the latter being recognized as one of the most vulnerable points
in safe construction. To attain this end I provide in the center of the door a
space or enclosing chamber which I fill with some material of high electrical
resistance, and in which, as in the construction of the walls, I embed a number
of broken steel rods or pieces of tool resisting metal so disposed as to be thoroughly
insulated.
In the practice of my invention it is preferable to use some form of concrete as
a filling material, and to embed therein short or broken pieces of steel rods arranged
in a double row or layer, and in staggered position relative to each other, for by
such means the maximum degree of efficiency is secured.
I will now proceed to describe my invention in connection with the accompany-
ing drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a horizontal section through the corner of a safety deposit vault built
in accordance with my invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical section through an upper corner of the vault;
Figure 3 is a horizontal section showing a portion of one corner with the door
in place; and
Figure 4 is a detail illustrating the preferred arrangement of the rows or layers
of broken pieces.
Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, it will be seen that I have
provided an outer layer of rails and concrete, 5, and an inner layer of rails and
concrete, 6, and that between a plate, 7, and the flanges, 8, of the rails of the
laver, 5, is an enclosing space filled with a concrete layer, or intefilling material
of high electrical resistance 9. In this concrete layer is embedded a plurality
of broken or short rods, 10, of steel, arranged with their ends separated, and also
separated from the metal walls of the enclosing space, and from each other by the
concrete filling.
If an attempt be made to penetrate this protection by means of an electric arc,
it is obvious that before any one of the filling pieces or short rods can be fused or
burned, the electrical circuit must be in some manner completed through it by
means of a ground or return wire. If by burning and chipping, a hole be made
from the outside into one of the outer ones of the insulated rods, as at 11, serious
difficulty will be encountered in proceeding further, because, the rod being of
metal or steel of great hardness it cannot be easily attacked by means of tools
or drills, and the electric arc has no effect upon it until it can be connected in
some manner with a ground or return wire. Unless the hole first made were
excessively large it would be, of course, impossible to secure such ground or return
for the current through the same opening, hence, to get such attachment before
further progress can be made, a second hole would have to be made, and if this
failed, (as the chances are it would) to reach the same rod as was encountered in
making the first hole, as at 12, still others would be necessary until a means for
returning the current was secured, and the ground wire attached through it. All

page_text: this, of course, represents additional delay with embarrassment on the part of the
criminal, and increases by so much the probability of his burglarious attempt
being frustrated.
Referring now to Fig. 3, attention is called to the method I have shown for
securing protection of the door, 13, and the lock, 14. In the door is formed the
enclosing space, 15, in which is placed an interfilling of material of high electrical
resistance, 16, having embedded therein a number of the broken rods or pieces, 10,
after the manner of the concrete 9 before referred to in Figs. 1 and 2. By placing
the lock immediately back of the center of the door, as shown, and providing in
front of it the large chamber in the door, protected as described, I make it a matter
of extreme difficulty to reach the lock from the outside, and so hinder any attempted
entrance through this place.
While I have especially described the use of concrete or a similar material with.
the rods or inserts embedded therein as a means of insulating said inserts, still it
is obvious that they could be insulated in other ways, if preferred, and without the
use of any filling material.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A wall for vaults, safes, etc. comprising a plurality of layers composed of
rails in combination with a plurality of insulated metallic inserts between said
layers, substantially as described.
2. A wall for vaults, safes, etc. comprising a plurality of layers composed of
rails embedded in concrete in combination with insulated metallic inserts, sub-
stantially as described.
3. A wall for vaults, safes, etc. comprising a plurality of layers composed of
rails, the rails of adjacent layers crossing each other, and embedded in concrete
in combination with insulated metallic inserts, substantially as described.
4. A wall for vaults, safes, etc. comprising a plurality of layers composed of
rails, the rails of adjacent layers crossing each other, in combination with insulated
metallic inserts, substantially as described.
5. In safety vault construction a protecting means comprising an enclosing
space within the wall or door, an interfilling material therefor of high electrical
resistance, and broken sections or pieces of tool resisting metal embedded in said
interfilling material and so disposed as to be electrically insulated, not only from
the surrounding metal lining of the enclosing space, but also from each other, sub-
stantially as described.
6. In safety vault construction a protecting means comprising an enclosing space
within the wall or door, an interfilling material therefor of high electrical
resistance, and short steel rods embedded in said interfilling material and so
disposed as to be electrically insulated, not only from the surrounding metal lining
of the enclosing space, but also from each other, substantially as described.
7. In safety vault construction the combination with a door and a lock
located inside of the center of said door, of an enclosing space in the door in front
of said lock, an interfilling material of high electrical resistance in said enclosing
space, and a plurality of broken pieces of tool resisting metal embedded in said
interfilling material, and so arranged as to be electrically insulated not only from
the surrounding metal of the enclosing space, but also from each other, sub-
stantially as described.
8. In safety vault construction the combination with a door and a lock located
inside of the center of said door, of an enclosing space in the door in front of said
lock, an interfilling material of high.electrical resistance in said enclosing space,
and a plurality of steel rods embedded in said interfilling material, and so
arranged as to be electrically insulated not only from the surrounding lining of
the enclosing space, but also from each other, substantially as described.
9. A wall for vaults, safes, etc. comprising a supporting structure or frame,

page_text: tool resisting metallic inserts, and insulating material whereby said inserts are
held so as to be electrically insulated from said frame and from each other, sub-
stantially as described.
10. A wall for vaults, safes, etc. comprising a supporting structure or frame,
tool resisting metallic inserts of varying dimensions and insulating material
whereby said inserts are held so as to be electrically insulated from said frame
and from each other, substantially as described.
11. A wall for vaults, safes, etc. comprising a supporting structure or frame
containing tool resisting metallic inserts embedded in a material of high elec-
trical resistance, and so disposed as to be electrically insulated from said frame
and from each other, substantially as described.
12. A wall for vaults, safes, etc. comprising a supporting structure or frame
containing tool resisting metallic inserts embedded in-concrete, and so disposed
as to be electrically insulated from said frame and from each other, substantially
as described.
13. A wall for vaults, safes, etc. comprising a supporting structure or frame
containing tool resisting metallic inserts of varying dimensions embedded in a
material of high electrical resistance, and so disposed as to be electrically insulated
from said frame and from each other, substantially as described.
14. A wall for vaults, safes, etc. comprising a supporting structure, and tool
resisting metallic rods inserted therein, and electrically insulated from said frame
and from each other, substantially as described.
15. A wall for vaults, safes, etc. comprising a supporting structure, and tool
resisting metallic rods of varying dimensions inserted therein, and electrically
insulated from said frame and from each other,. substantially as described.
Dated this 7th day of April 1898.
BOTTOMLEY & LIDDLE,
154, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Patent Agents.