FEATS OF CLEVER BURGLARS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3127, 25 January 1911, Page 8

FEATS OF CLEVER BURGLARS.

SOME REMARKABLE OUTFITS

To-day burglary is a scientific bi siiicss. The modern cracksman, finding that lie can no longer make big hauls meiely with the aid of a jemmy and drill, has set his brain to work with a ' lew to coping with the difficulties piact 1 in his way by those who wou.d defeat his nefarious tricks; and th-> re cent Birmingham burglary, when an attack was made upon a safe con tailing gold and platinum to the value of 000. provides a striking illustration of the manner in which he is keeping ~ace Altogether the outfit employed in tins bviglary weighed a ton, and must ha* o coat over £IOO. As many readers are doubt-less aware, the burglars rented idhuping vacant premises, and, mo/. led with a hydrogen blowpipe, two cyli’id"rs of oxygen, acetylene lights, irdianibber tubing, temporary telephone, and an electrical signal apparatus, ares, hammers, jemmies, and a curious assortment of keys, almost succeeded in carrying off the contents of the sefe. With a metal-cutting plant they succeeded in burning a large hole through 2*n of the steel of the safe. The nethod employed is based on the well-known fact that a jet of oxygen directed upon a previously-heated spot of metal ignites it, with the result that the metal, acting as its own fuel, burns rapidly awav in the form of iron oxide.

The operation of cutting is so simple time it can be mastered in a few hours. The surface of the plate (say the skle of a safe) is first heated hv the mixed j't of oxygen and gas. When this sect has been brought to a state of incandescence a fine cutting jet. of oxygen is discharged upon it. This immedia elv produces combustion of the metal, with the resulting formation of iron oxide. The jet of oxygen is made sufficiently strong to blow away this iron oxide in front of it, with the result that a < lean narrow cut is effected through the met.il at a speed comparable with hot sawing. Some years ago a couple of German criminals', who had been trained in the sc'er.tifie schools of their native country, used the blowpipe to rob a safe at Percy Street Post Office, Tottenham Court Road, London. They tan the fierce flame round the lock and t 1 e hinges, and melted the steel so easily, that within a very short time the door fell away and they were able to make off with the contents. Two years ago a desperate gang of American burglars began to work in London, and one niglit broke open a safe at a South London business house, and escaped with nearly £IOOO in cash. As the money was chiefly in gold and silver however, thev had to choose between leaving some of the money or their heavy burgling outfit. They chose tire money and left- a complete set of burgling tools, said to be one of the finest that have fallen into tbe hands of Scotland Yard. It is only what might be termed the tip-top gangs, however, an ex-detective informed the writer the other day, that elaborate outfits are employed, for the simple reason that the ordinary cracksman cannot afford to buv them. Generally speaking, he says, the modern cracksman’s "outfit, consists of the following: Ordinary jemmy, patent telescopic jemmy, electric tiepin and torch, silent matches, fine saw, diamond glasscutter, treacle and paper for removing glass silently, thin gloves, crepe mpk and revolver, brace and a set of bits, patent safe forcer, heelless socks to silence tread, knuckle-dnster. and joint rod to push through letter-boxes with poisoned meat for dogs.