IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON- TARWADER
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Skidmore,
Road, Wolverhampton, in the County of Stafford, Fire and Thief-
proof Safe Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
TARWADER
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Skidmore at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th
April 1865.
I, THOMAS SKIDMORE, of Cleveland Place, Tettenhall Road, Wolver
hampton, in the County of Stafford, Fire and Thief-proof Safe Maker, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF SAFES OR RECEPTACLES FOR SECURING AND PROTECTING VALUABLE
PROPERTY," to be as follows:-
In the manufacture of fireproof safes for the protection of valuable property
it has been the practice to throw the bolts into recesses formed in the fireproof
chamber, which is made of thin sheet iron, and it has been found that
by driving in a wedge where the door shuts into the safe, or using other
force, the door will give way easily, and a space will be made so as to admit of

page_text: a crowbar being introduced. The side of the safe can be forced out by the
wedges, and when the crow bar is applied to the edge of the door it can be
forced open bringing the lining with it. To obviate this I interpose an
obstacle to the insertion of the wedges, and I effect this by constructing the
safe in the following manner:-I first mitre round the inside of the safe strong
angle iron of about 3 inches wide, the angle iron not being cut through at the
corners, sufficient only being cut out to admit of bending it and make it mitre.
This angle iron which forms an inner framing is tenoned into the body of the
safe in two parts, which join half way down the side of the safe, and it is
firmly secured to the safe all round. A frame of solid iron about 3 inches by
1inches is dovetailed together and placed on the angle iron which is tenoned
into it as above mentioned. The angle iron framing and the sides of the safe
are thus firmly secured together, and on this is placed a steel plate, which fits
into a groove in the body plates of the safe one quarter of the way through,
and is made flush on the inside with the plate 3 inches by 1 inch. On the
front of this a plate of quarter-inch iron is fixed, so as to form with the steel a
rebate all round the safe. The whole of this is firmly screwed and rivetted to
the angle iron and body plates. The door of the safe is also rebated so as to fit
the inner rebate of the frame before mentioned; it will therefore be evident that
by inserting wedges anywhere round the edge of the door the wedges will come
in contact with the hardened steel and cannot be driven in. The front of the
safe will also be so strengthened by the strong iron frame that it cannot be
forced out by wedging. The interior capacity of the safe will not be decreased
by this arrangement, as all the parts are arranged within the space required by
the fireproof chambers.
The door is made drill proof by means of hardened steel plates so that the
whole of the safe will be proof against any external violence.
'SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the .conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Skidmore in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
October 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
SKIDMORE, of Cleveland Place, Tettenhall Road, Wolverhampton, in the
County of Stafford, Fire and Thief-proof Safe Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Skidmore, Her special licence, that I, the said Thomas Skidmore,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Thomas Skidmore, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time, and at all times there-
after 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SAFES OR RECEPTACLES FOR SECURING AND
PROTECTING VALUABLE PROPERTY," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Thomas Skidmore, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and im-
mediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Skidmore, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
:-
In the manufacture of fireproof safes for the protection of valuable property
it has been the practice to throw the bolts into recesses formed in the fireproof
chamber, which is made of thin sheet iron, and it has been found that by driving
in a metal wedge at the point where the door shuts into the safe, or using other
force, the door will give way easily, and a space will be made so as to admit of
a crowbar being introduced between the frame of the safe and the door, which
may then be forced open. The side of the safe will be forced out by the
wedges, and when the crowbar is applied to the edge of the door it can be
forced open and will bring the lining with it. To obviate this I interpose an
obstacle to the insertion of the wedges, and I effect this by constructing the
safe in the manner shewn in the accompanying Drawings in which Fig. 1
represents a front view of a safe with the door removed, and a portion of the
framing broken away to shew the mode of constructing and combining the
parts.
In carrying out my Invention I place round the inside of the safe a strong
frame a, a, a, a, constructed of angle iron of about three inches wide. The
angle iron is not cut through at the corners, but only cut away sufficient to
admit of bending the iron down and making it mitre. This angle iron, which

page_text: forms an inner framing is tenoned into the body of the safe, and may be formed
in two parts, which join half way down the side of the safe; it is firmly
secured to the safe all round by means of bolts or screws, as shewn in the
sectional plan view, Fig. 2. A frame b, b, of solid iron, about three inches
wide by half an inch thick is dovetailed together and placed on the angle iron
frame a, which is tenoned into the safe, as above mentioned. The angle iron
framing a, the iron frame b, and the sides c, c, of the safe are thus firmly
secured together, and on this iron frame b is placed a steel plate d, which fits
into a groove in the body plates of the safe one quarter of the way through
and is made flush on the inside with the iron plate b. On the front of this
steel plate d another plate e of quarter inch iron is fixed, so as to form with
the steel a rebate all round the safe; the whole of this is firmly screwed and
rivetted to the angle iron and body plates, as shewn in the sectional plan view.
The door of the safe is also rebated, so as to fit the inner rebate of the frame
before mentioned; it will therefore be evident that by inserting wedges any-
where round the edge of the door the wedges will come in contact with the
hardened steel plate d, and cannot be driven in. The front of the safe will
also be so strengthened by the strong iron frame b, and angle iron frame a, that
it cannot be forced out by wedging. The interior capacity of the safe will not
be decreased by this arrangement, as all the parts are arranged within the
space required by the fireproof chambers f, f. The door g, Fig. 2, and side
plates C of the safe are made drill proof by means of hardened steel plates,
so that the whole of the safe will be proof against any external violence.
Having now described my Invention of improvements in the construction
of safes or receptacles for securing and protecting valuable property, and
having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the
Invention secured to me by Letters Patent, as aforesaid, the combination of
parts a, b, c, d, and e, whereby the front of the safe is very greatly strengthened,
and the possibility of introducing a wedge between the edge of the door and
the frame is effectually prevented, as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Skidmore, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
THOMAS SKIDMORE. (L.S.)