A BANK STRONG ROOM.

Inangahua Times, Volume X, Issue 1629, 20 November 1885, Page 2

A BANK STRONG ROOM.

I (Scotsman, September 9.) There is ai»ont to bo erected in the. premises of the National B:ink of ' Scotland, St. Andrew gquiro, the. ' i latgest steel strong room or safe which , the well known firm of Chnt>b and Sons Imve hitherto niannfaetnred. ! Its external dimensions are 50ft. lon* j by 12ft. broad, and 10ft. birjh, ami a j cartful computation shows that within !it might be stored about 1250 tons weight nf gold bullion, eq-ial in value to £110.000,000. It is heavy i . pr-j portion to if* siz<>, wei him* 100 to:i8. Its wails ate believed to be thicker than those of a'sv other Steel room of 1 similar p.opo-ti.»iis in use in tire , United Kingdom. Messrs Chubb and Sons have put it together at their lock ; ai.d safe factory in 0-\ fact road, ■ London, prcp;i:atory to sending it ' north, and recently '»y invitation a J nmubot of gentleman were afforded an ;' Opportunity of inspecting this, fire and j bu r^liir proof stronghold. Some new ; and important features have '•eon introduced in its construction. With til* view of ensnring greater security " than lias hitherto been obtained, its ! walls are composed of a triple series of plates, similar to th'>se which the firm '. have for many years used in the ! manufacture of lakers' safes. These ! plates are so toughened and hardened I as to bo practically impervious alike to the force of blows, leverage, and cutt i:ig by drills. This " compounding of the phites," as it is termed, involved lan enormous amount of drilling, no fewer than 1000 holes being pieived in «ach section. The manner in whi h these drill holes are closed secures the structure from any weakness that tnighi have arisen from that source ; and as the various " compounded " spotioiis were completed they were joined together in a novel manner. !To ensure absolute accuracy and the m.itvhinij of al' hole*, every pi »te and '»ar was marked from a template, and then drilled with twist drills under a powerful multiple machine. Ad' luiisiou to the interior of this strong room is obtained by means of three massive doors and grills, measuring 7ft. hi^h by 3: v tin brotd. Each of thes» doors, which aveTii. thick, weigh *l>out a ton and a -half, bu on the hardened steel pins on which tiny are hnng they swing with the greatest »ise. Apart from the great thickness of compounded hard aud mild steel plates in these do<>rs, fh»> p?inpipal feature they present is the patent diagonal l>nlts, whkh. when piesonted at the International Exhibition, were so highly appreciated that the jurors awarded them the only gold medal given in that department. These »k>U«, of which there aw 20 in each door, shoot ou front the edge of the door at opposing angles of 45 degrees, and thus powerfully dovetail the door into the frame at wither side. Thus any attempte 1 wedging between the door and its frame, simply tends to hind these Mis tighter into their holes. The doors thems-lves, moreover, are *nnk about an eight of an inch into the frames so that any attempt at wedging becomes more impracticable, tin less, f were conceivable that the massivp Yame itsely conld be wrenched away. Hie brln an- simple in shape, and vhile they effect a result jMniiar. to, liat obtained l»y other methods in use

— snch as dutches, elaborate claws, md interlocking bars— they an> dike facile and snre in their hcmo >, md do not inrol\e excessively hv<e i»lt holes in the door fra-iie By various secret m thols <x:. 1 »|ipl <% i,u»s in tlie construction of the doors and grills, all possible security hue i^!> takeu against the entrance of b tj'-vs into the strong room V»y any ku wn means of attack •»• en to them. Th - grills, which are self locking, >ccnpy the space in each v-sti >u'e on tluve doors. Th«y are inton •? f>rme d -rin-j hank hours, when the d<v>r c»y l»e left open. The interior of ti»e s* o>2 t'toin is divided in o thive p i:i:.->pal compartment* v »y me*- 3of tiHa» - v st-e' partitions Tuese puutiixis outi n ca^es of a non c >'i'Uicti v com position, so that i-» the im >robV»le event of tire breakim* o:it in • i i-« coin* partrr.e it it w*»n,M bj cut! c y is ;VeJ from tue oilier s -ctfiis. 0 •<? of tb* I'onip.-irtment? is»«u'>livid'*d intost*on:» rooms, especialy c wst'iicted for t»ie safe keeping of goM »nd 3il wr. and all are fit Ud with . n t >boards, tr>>asnrii*t t shelving, n:id o»h«r Hcces-tories, futireiy of Steol— not :» chip of WOOI 'wing introduced in the whole s f ra-tar*». There are some 50 looks to do)r*. enpI»>>aid9, «fee, a;id no two of which are .ilike. Manholes, fitted wit i ntrmiij I doors and secret locks, are •• t into the partition walls, so that if »h- key« •>f any one of the I*r4« on'--r d<«>"S became lost, ennununicatun fouu one end of the stro n room to the o'her could be mii itainetl <-y etitering at another of the ou^er doorH, and passing through the manholes to any of the coinpAitine! tp The strong room is a costly piec;* of wotk. Great care in designing it 'ms lieeu displayed, and seven mo iths' labov h«s already »hh»ii expended in its c^nst motion. Its erection in its pe>'-tnniv-nt position within the walls of the National Bank at Edin ar«h, »"d its enclosnre within a concrete ca<«ii jj of neariy 2ft thick, with the f .r-nitiM of a pitrol pissige arou id i», w-ll probably occupy a further period )f a»K>ut two uioii til's time.