IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTIC TION OR WROUGHT IRON SARES "
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Price, of Wolverhampton, in the County of
Stafford, Iron Safe and Lock Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTIC
TION OR WROUGHT IRON SARES
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Price at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th.
March 1866.
I, GEORGE PRICE, of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, Iron Safe
and Lock Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WROUGHT-IRON SAFES," to be as:
follows:-
Firstly, I form the opening for the doors of wrought-iron safes, chests, or
strong rooms out of boiler plate of any required thickness by cutting out a
piece of such plate the exact size of the opening required for the door, leaving
around such opening a width of the plate of not less than three inches. This
plate so prepared is dovetailed to the front edges of the four plates forming
the four sides of the safe and rivetted to angle iron inside all round the front
in the same manner as is now usual in fastening the body plates together.
Secondly, I shape the edges of the door plate or plates of such form as to
leave one or more dovetails or projections on each of the four sides with
corresponding places or indents formed in the inside edges of the front pláte,,
in which is cut the opening for the door to work in as above described. This

page_text: construction forms a novel, simple, and effectual method of preventing the
safe so made from being opened by the aid of the wedge and crowbar.
Thirdly, instead of, as in safes of the ordinary construction, jointing the four
front strengthening bars of iron by dovetailing them together at the four
angles, as has hitherto been done, I prepare four pieces of bar or plate iron
of the required width and thickness, which I bend into an angle shape of
about six inches each way; into each end of these angles pieces I cut a dovetail
shaped opening, into which I fit the four straight bars which have a dovetail
at each end, and which thus forms a continuous bar or ring, which I rivet to
the inside of the plates forming the body of the safe flush with the front.
also case-harden this strengthening continuous bar or ring, against which I
fasten another case-hardened ring formed in a similar manner, and I rivet or
screw both firmly to the outer body plates. This construction gives such
great strength to the four angles of the front of the safe as to prevent it being
forced asunder by violence.
Fourthly, I securely, fasten to the back of the door plate about half way up
a link or links made of, say, half-inch square iron, and formed so as to leave
an opening at each end of about one inch in diameter. In the act of closing
the door this link at each end hooks on to a stud or hook securely fastened to
each side of the interior of the body of the safe. This stud or hook may be
formed on a bracket rivetted to the body plates, or shaped as a hook with a plate
and rivetted or screwed to the body plates. The Cornhill and other robberies
of iron safes have proved that the weakness in the construction of the safes in
general use lies about halfway up each side at the front, and at the four
angles, and the improvements above described are intended to remedy these
defects. The angle pieces, bars, link, and hooks or studs may be made
either of case-hardened iron or steel, or of iron as above stated, as may be
found most desirable.
2
....
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed.
by the said George Price in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30
1st September 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
PRICE, of Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, Iron Safe and Lock
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 35
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of March, in the year of our Lord'

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did; for Herself, Her heirs and successors; give and grant unto me,
the said George Price, Her special licence that I, the said George Price, my
executors, adininistrators, and' assigns, or such others as. I, the said George
Price; my, 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 CON-
STRUCTION OF WROUGHT-IRON SAFES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said George Price, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly.
describé and ascertain the nature, of the said Invention, and in what manner.
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be 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 I, the said George Price, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and, in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following,
statement:
My Invention consists, firstly, of an improved mode of constructing the
front or the door frame of wrought-iron safes, chests, and strong rooms, by
which the application of the wedge and crowbar for forcing the doors open is
rendered inopérative. Figure 1 represents a boiler plate with the opening for
the door cut out, leaving the part a, a, a, a, to form a solid flat, ring of any
desired thickness; Figure 2 is a section of the same and the door complete.
This perforated plate or flat ring is dovetailed to the four sides of the safe all.
round the front in the usual way, and also rivetted to angle iron, as shewn at
C, C, Figure 2. The lateral strength obtained by this construction to the
four sides forming the frame for the door, and especially the four corners, is so,
great that no wedge can be driven in sufficiently between the door frame and
the edge of the door to gain. a." bite."
The second part of my Invention is for the same object as the first, and
consists in fixing a dovetail-shaped projection on each of the four sides of the
door frame with corresponding recesses or indents cut in the edges of one or.
two of the plates forming the door ; c, c, c, c, Figure 3, shews these projections,
aud Figure 2 shews a section of the three plates (1, 2, 3), forming the door,
which are screwed to each other from the back or inside. Figure 4 is a
perspective view of the safe in its finished state.

page_text: The third part of my Invention is for the same object as the two previous
improvements, and may be used separately or in combination with either one
or both of them. I construct the body of the safe of half-inch boiler plates d, d,
Figure 5, in the usual way, and form the inside strengthening band or ring.
of four or eight pieces of bar iron of any required strength, but I prefer that
of 5 inch by 1 inch, two or four pieces of which instead of being: dovetailed
or tennoned at the corners, as has been the custom hitherto, I bend and fit to
each angle, as shewn by a, a, Figure 6, and the other straight pieces b, b, I,
dovetail into them with a taper dovetail driven. home from the inside, thus
forming a continuous band or. ring, which is strongly rivetted to the outer-body
plates all round the front; this band or ring I. case-harden. Within and.
against this I rivet another band of bar iron 43ths by 1 inch; b, b,. Figures 3
and 5, into which I cut the bolt holes for the bolts of the large lock, and which
forms the rebate bar for the door plates to rest upon. This bar: has a rebate
planed out of its thickness, so that the outer plate of the door rests upon the
stop edge of the bar and the other two plates of the door rest upon the rebated.
part of the bar, as shewn at e, Figure 5. This rebate bar or ring b, b, with
the case-hardened continuous band or ring a, a, I firmly rivet or screw to the
outer body plates d, d; the case-hardened continuous band or ring, Figure 6,
and a, a, Figure 5, effectually prevents the door frame from being: cut away
for the purpose of getting a wedge behind or at the back of the door, by which
means the safe at the Manchester stamp office was opened, and also protects
the large bolts f, f, from being operated upon through the sides of the safe.
As a further security against violence I also form a solid band of iron 4 by
gths inch, k, k, Figures 5 and 7, which I bend, weld, and shrink on hot to the
outside of the safe at both the front and back, thus making the front of the
safe 2 th inch thick of solid iron all round, and including the solid bolt or
rebate bar 3th inches, as shewn in the sectional view, Figure 5, and in the
perspective view, Figure 7. The resistance which this construction, this
combination of simple improvements, offers to the operation of the wedge is
all that could be desired, as in operating the wedges rebound or fly off, or
their points break off at every attempt, it being steel against steel not the
slightest "bite" or "hold" can be obtained.
The fourth part of my Invention consists in securely fastening to the back
of the door plate about half way up a link or links made of half-inch square
iron, and formed so as to leave an opening at each end of about one inch in
diameter, in the act of closing the door this link at each end hooks on to a
stud or hook securely fastened to each side of the interior of the body of the
safe. This stud or hook may be formed on a bracket rivetted to the body

page_text: plates or shaped as a hook with a plate and rivetted or screwed to the body
plates. The angle picces, bars, links, and hooks or studs may be made of
either case-bardened iron or steel, or of iron as above stated, as may be found
most desirable.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details or arrangements herein described and represented;
but I claim,
First, the forming the opening for the doors of iron safes, chests, and strong
rooms by cutting it out of a solid boiler plate as herein-before described.
Secondly, the constructing within the door frame one or more dovetail-
shaped projections on each side of the door frame with corresponding recesses
or indents cut in one or two of the inner plates forming the door, as herein-
before described.
Thirdly, the constructing a continuous band or ring of bar iron as herein-
before described.
Fourthly, the constructing at the back of the door a link or links with studs
or hooks secured to the door frame or body plates of the safe, as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Price, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
GEORGE PRICE. (L.S.)
Witness,
BENJ. T. BECK.