IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SAFES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Sagar and George Keighley, both of Burnley,
in the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SAFES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Sagar and
George Keighley, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 17th March 1866.
We, THOMAS SAGAR and GEORGE KEIGHLEY, both of Burnley, in the County
of Lancaster, Machine Makers, do hereby déclare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SAFES," to be as
follows:-
The main object in the construction of safes and other receptacles for
preserving valuable property is to render them proof against burglars, for it
is well known that safes can be made fireproof in various ways. Hitherto
safes have generally been made of a rectangular form, and therefore with flat
sides, which are naturally the weakest to resist the action of wedges, crowbars,
and other similar burglars' instruments. Now our Invention consists in
making safes of wrought-iron or steel plates, which are rolled, bent, or shaped
into a cylindrical, elliptical, or spherical form; these plates are joined or.
secured together by welding or otherwise, and the door is fitted to one end.:

page_text: or in other convenient part of the safe. Owing to the use of plates as above
described the safes constructed therefrom will likewise be circular, 'cylin-
drical, elliptical, spherical, or of other curved form, instead of square or
rectangular as heretofore. This peculiar form of safe renders the intro-
duction of wedges or crowbars perfectly impossible, for supposing the point of
a wedge were forced in between the edge of the door and the body of the
safe no amount of force could make the wedge enter sufficiently to prize
open the door, because of the curved form against which the wedge would
act. The safes are made of double plates, the space between which is filled
with the usual fire-resisting substance as. in safes of the usual construction,
and a lining of chilled cast-iron or other hard metal is placed within the outer
'case to resist drills or boring tools. As a further protection we also case-
-harden the outside of iron safes, and harden the plates if made of steel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Lotters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Sagar and George Keighley in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 14th September 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
SAGAR and GEORGE KEIGHLEY, both of Burnley, in the County of Lancaster,
Machine Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Iler
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Thomas Sagar and George Keighley, Her special license that we, the
said Thomas Sagar and George Keighley, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Sagar and George Keighley, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF.
SAFES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Sagar
and George Keighley, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or their, or one of our or their bands and seals, should.
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be.

page_text: : filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Thomas Sagar and George' Keighley
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
5. same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, that is to say:-
: ;
'
The main object of our Invention of improvements in the construction of
safes and other receptacles for preserving valuable property is to render them
proof against burglars, for it is well known that safes can easily be made fire-
. proof in various ways. Hitherto safes have generally been made of a
trectangular form, and therefore with flat sides, which are naturally the weakest
form to resist the action of wedges, crowbars, and other similar burglars'
-instruments..
.
±
"Now.our. Invention consists in making safes of wrought-iron or steel plates,
which are rolled; bent, or shaped into a cylindrical, elliptical, ör, spherical
form; and in order that our Invention may be more fully understood we will
proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, which represents
one mode of constructing a cylindrical safe according to our improvements.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of our; improved safe; Figure 2 is a
horizontal section, and Figure 3 is a section on an enlarged scale of part of
the safe.
a is the outer cylindrical plate, which by preference is bent inwards to form
a flange, but we do not confine ourselves to this mode of forming the flange,
as it can be made by any other known means. b-is the back plate; these
plates are joined or secured together by welding or otherwise, and the door c
is fitted to one end of the cylinder, or in other convenient part of the safe ;
the door is secured by hinges, locks, and bolts in the ordinary manner. This
peculiar form of safe renders the introduction of wedges or crowbars perfectly
impossible, for supposing the point of a wedge were forced in between the
edge of the door and the body of the safe no amount of force could make the
wedge enter sufficiently to prize open the door, because of the curved form
against which the wedge would act, and the outside of the safe being of greater
diameter than where the door fits the force applied would tighten the door at
every other point of its circumference, and in order to burst open the door the
force applied would have to tear the metal, and not simply to bend one side of
the safe as is the case in ordinary safes of a rectangular form which offer little
resistance.
In order to increase the strength of the safe we also form a ring and
groove around the inside of the door and a corresponding ring and groove in

page_text: the inner side of the safe, which rings and grooves fit into each other, as
shewn best in Figure 3. These rings and grooves would have to be torn off
before an entry could be made into the safe. The safes are made of double
plates, as shewn in Figure 2,.the space between which is filled with the usual
fire-resisting substance as in safes of the usual construction, and a lining of
chilled cast iron or other hard metal is placed within the outer case to resist
drills or boring tools; as a further protection we also case-harden the outside
of iron safes, and harden the plates if made of steel.
Our improved safes may also be made spherical, elliptical, or of other
curved form, and when so made they would possess the same advantages as
those above described in reference to the cylindrical safe. shewn in the
.Drawing...
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described a con-
venient mode of carrying the same into operation, we declare that we claim
making cylindrical, spherical, or elliptical safes of wrought-iron or steel plates
as described.
We also claim the peculiar ring and grooved joint for: the doors of safes, as
shewn best in Figure 3.
... In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Sagar, have hereunto set my
. hand and seal, this Eleventh day of September, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-six.