DARING BURGLARY

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 71, 17 December 1928, Page 12

DARING BURGLARY

GENEROUS USE OF EXPLOSIVE SKILLED CRAFTSMEN AT WORK STRONG ROOM RESISTS THEIR EFFORTS Dominion Special Service. Auckland, December 15. Disdaining to make a selection from 8000 Christmas hams and sides of bacon hung iu the premises, burglars, with quite modern ideas of doing things, paid a visit to the Hydra bacon factory, owned by Frederick Harrison, at Ponsonby, last night. As the result of much labour and a somewhat indiscriminate use of gelignite, they made a mess of the strong room door, but failed to get the door open. Thwarted in their major enterprise, they turned their attention to the cashier's office and imide a very neat mid effective job of the safe with explosives and reaped a reward or ioU os. Employees of the firm were on the premises last night until 10 o clock, and when they returned this morning thev got a decided shock, the first impression being that a couple ot bombs must have burst in the buildim, dur iug the night. There were books and papers scattered about the floor of the main office and the door of the strong room looked as if it had been in co ision with a road roller. It was badly buckled, and with a huge jagged hole near the lock. The cashier’s office was in a state of general disorder with books, papers, and many cheques littered over the floor. The door of the safe was open. Hundreds of pieces “f putty were scattered around the room and on the ceiling. Fragments of flying putty had gone through the windows, making little holes in the glass. It is considered that the job is one of the most enterprising that has been planned in Auckland f° r some time, and that no one but an experienced burglar would have attempted to force the strongroom door, which was but a few feet from the street, and measured 6ft. by 2ft. 6in. Evidently gelignite had been inserted in the keyhole, but had fallen down inside the hollow door. When the detonator was exploded the effect was to muriate the front of the door and bulge it inwards, so much so that it had to be levered open this morning. The charge had exploded too low to smash the bar and lock. The operator had evidently been overgenerous with his supply of "jelly,” and this had the effect of causing large pieces of steel to fly in all directions, some penetrating thick books in the strongroom.