Year: 1876

At the robbery Of the Grafton (Mass.)
Bank. the tools used were so numerous
aud bulky as 70 make fair load for
horse to draw.


The burglar decides to try the drill.
but the metal walls Of the safe are of
such hard temper that an ordinary drill
Is powerless on them. He is ready for
this. and sets the "combination blow
pipe to work. Thisis a blOw-pipe which
directs on the spot to be attacked
fame Of combined oxygen and nitrogen
gases, and the intense heat softens the
metal to that degree that the drill
makes speedy impression upon it. The
hole once made, the blast is introduced,
aud the safe blown open. But possibly
even the combination hlow.pipe fails.
but the modern burglar Is ready with
another appliance. lie has an air-pump
to which two rubber tubes are attached
To the end Of these a metal trough, with
fat edges. is Joined He places this
trough fat against the safe. so as to COW
er the joint of the door in the frame.
and carefully fixes it there with putty.
With the same material he stops up and
makes air-tight the remainder Of the
crack, only leaving one space uncovered
at the bottom of the door. The whole
safe is now practically part Of the air
pump. He begins to pump; the air in
the safe is exhausted, aud more rushes
in through the uncovered space under
the door. Here our burglar holds pa
per or card on which fine gunpowder is
spread, and the rush of air carries this
inside the safe. The pumping is contin-
ued till the requisite charge Is intro
duced. and it is then exploded.


The blOw-pipe and the air-pipe are
the latest as they are the most danger
Gus tools in the burglars outfit, and as
soon as they were known. which has not
been great while, it became evident
that safes must have some new appli-
ance specially adapted to resist them
Safes made only TO withstand the attacks
of steel wedges. crowbars, and sledges,
would give way at once before the more
subtle and silent operations of these new
est of tools. Therefore the safe man
constructed the doors Of his safe, and
made them fit into grooves which
were packed with rubber, so that be-
tween the doublings Of the grooves and
the great weight Of the door, when it
swung in and was locked. the elastic
material made the boint perfectly air
tight. Against this the air-pump was
useless; but the blow-pipe was not so
easily provided for.


To meet this it was necessary TO dis
cover some new material, or some new
combination Of old. The makers OF
safes claim that they have found this in
the metal called "Franklinitc, min
eral composed of peroxide Of iron, OK
idc of zinc, and oxide Of manganese, in
appearance much like the magnetic OK
ide Of iron. 1t is found in considerable
quantity only in Sussex County, n. j.
The popularity Of the metal which fits
it specially for the walls Of safes is that
it hardens on cooling to its original dens-
ity; and thus the burglar is little bet
ter of after using his blow-pipe than
he was before; whereas other metals are
SO softened that his drill goes right
through them. The use Of Franklinite
and the packed joints are the latest of
the improvements in safes, and it is
claimed that safes 50 constructed are
proof against anything that the burglar
can bring 70 bear on them. 80 far as ia
now known. But it should be remem-
bered that If the shoemaker is ahead
now, his friend. the burglar, may pass
him in the race again, and, finding some
new tools, rob the best safe made. Then
the safe. maker must start again from
the new ground, aud 90 it goes on.