PREFACE.
A SMALL book, embracing such subjects as herein treated of, is necessarily somewhat disconnected in its character. In endeavouring to be strictly practical, I fear I have made some portions of the book uninteresting to the general reader; if so, it must be remembered that my chief aim has been to place certain facts before professional and business men, at the same time introducing matter that may be useful to everyone.
I have to offer my best thanks to Colonel Fraser, Colonel Henderson, Captain Shaw, and other Gentlemen, who have afforded me valuable help.
If the importance of protecting life and property becomes in the least degree better understood and appreciated, I shall feel amply repaid for the time and trouble incurred in the preparation of the book.
57 St. Paul’s Churchyard, London:
January 1875.
CONTENTS.
| [CHAPTER I.] LOCKS, KEYS, ETC. | |
|---|---|
| PAGE | |
Introduction—Locks, ancient and modern—Copying keys—Ornamentalkeys—Breaking open padlocks—Chubb’s detector lock—Sets oflocks—Elements of a good lock—Common locks | [1] |
| [CHAPTER II.] THE ART OF BURGLARY. | |
Planning burglaries—Bank robbery—The Cornhill burglary of 1865—Providingfit receptacles for valuables—False keys—Insecure premises—Modesof house-robberies, and means of prevention—Burglars’tools—Statistics—Police notice—South-Eastern Railway robbery—Jewelrobberies—Notice by Colonel Fraser | [10] |
| [CHAPTER III.] SAFES AGAINST THIEVES. | |
Patents for safes—Safes by Milner, Tann, Hobbs, and Chatwood—Chubb’sdiagonal and new patent safes—Wedging open safes—Drilling,and mode of protection—Other methods for opening safes—Thesafe custody of keys—Amount of space required for bullion | [30] |
| [CHAPTER IV.] SAFES AGAINST FIRE. | |
The heat to be resisted—Three qualities necessary—Refractory andevaporating systems—Best materials to use for fireproofing—Publictests—Double enclosure for parchments—Safes once in fire to bere-proofed—Effects of Pantechnicon fire on safes—French safes—Gunpowdersafes | [44] |
| [CHAPTER V.] SECOND-HAND SAFES, ETC. | |
Real and sham second-hand safes—Apparent and actual strength—Garden-turffor fireproofing—Bolts and locks unsuitable—Patentees’names illegally used—Directions for purchasing safes—Weights ofgood safes—Worthlessness of guarantees | [51] |
| [CHAPTER VI.] STRONG-ROOMS. | |
Planning a strong-room—Its position—Dampness and ventilation—Robberiesby excavating through floor—Floor, walls, and roof—Entrance—Lighting—Fixingthe door—Fittings—Design and estimate—Strong-roomin a London bank—McNeill’s floating strong-room—Bullionon board ships | [57] |
| [CHAPTER VII.] FIREPROOF BUILDINGS—GENERAL CONSTRUCTION. | |
Fireproof buildings for business purposes—Mr. Braidwood’s opinionon warehouse construction—Use and strength of iron—Iron supportsfor house-fronts—Wood posts versus iron columns—CaptainShaw’s experiments—Dennett’s column—Danger from faulty building—Stoneand concrete as fireproof materials—Iron girders—Stairsand doorways—Danger from windows—Iron sashes and shutters—Roofsand ceilings—Brick the best material | [70] |
| [CHAPTER VIII.] FIREPROOF BUILDINGS—PATENT SYSTEMS OF CONSTRUCTION. | |
Names of patentees—Dennett’s construction—Patent concrete—Modeof constructing arches for floors, ceilings, and roofs—Vaults anddomes—St. Thomas’s Hospital—Cost of arching—Insecurity of theBodleian Library—Parliamentary report on British Museum,National Gallery, etc.—Extinguishing fire at South Kensington—Water-supplyin public buildings—St. Paul’s Cathedral—Paris firesduring the Commune | [85] |
| [CHAPTER IX.] FIRE AND ITS DANGERS. | |
Loss from fire preventible—Official enquiries into fires—Rapid increaseand statistics of fires—Causes of London fires in 1873—Tin, lead,etc. combustible—Watching buildings—Sweeping chimneys—Precautionsagainst fire—Detection of fire—Danger to life—The smokerespirator—Escape from a burning house—Fire-escapes—Directionsfor saving and restoring life—Curious instances of fires | [98] |
| [CHAPTER X.] EXTINCTION OF FIRE. | |
Two methods of fire-extinction, mechanical and chemical—Sinclair’sfire-exterminator—Hand fire-engines—Steam fire-engines—Messrs.Shand and Mason’s engines—Messrs. Merryweather and Son’s engines—Boilersof steam fire-engines—Water-supply at fires—Particularsof London Fire Brigade—Fires at country houses—Destructionof mills | [118] |
| APPENDIX. | |
Designs and Description of a Fireproof Warehouse | [137] |
| [142] | |