RAILWAY SAFE ROBBED

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 May 1937, Page 14

RAILWAY SAFE ROBBED

GELIGNITE USED [per press association.] AUCKLAND, May 28. The heavv steel door of a safe was torn from its mountings and hurled through the kauri panelling of a counter an inch thick, by a strong charge of gelignite, which was used by thieves who entered the railway station at Paparoa. Although they decamped with about £23 in notes and silver the intruders were apparently disturbed while at work, and left substantidl sums of money scattered about the premises. Doors were locked and windows were shuttered when the last member of the staff on duty left the station at 5.30 p.m. on Thursday, and although the stationmaster’s residence is only 100 yards from the building, nothing was heard during the night. The burglary was discovered at 5.45 a.m. to-day, when the guard of a passing train noticed the door of the office open.- , There was a scene of chaos inside the building. Although it was set in a concrete block six feet square, the safe was shattered to pieces, which were lying all about the floor of the office. The door, which had apparently received the full force of the explosion, had been thrown bodily through the thick panelling of the counter, which was extensively damaged. Scattered about the floor were a number of sacks which .had apparently been used to deaden .me noise of tiie explosion, and notes and small change were lying over every part of the room. An‘entrance was apparently gained by forcing a window at the 'front of the building. A considerable sum of money in an envelope was overlooked by the thieves, who also-left-several pounds in notes and silver lying on the floor. The sacks which were used by the thieves were apparently stolen from the home of a farmer several mues away. In addition, thieves removed from this house an overcoat and rug, and syphoned petrol from a car.

STORE BURGLARY

GERALDINE, May 28.

The second major theft within three weeks occurred at Geraldine in the early hours of this morning, when thieves took between £7O and £BO in notes and silver from Mr. W. T. Mole’s general store at the south end of the Township. Most of the money was taken from a safe in the office, but the cash register was also rifled, and cigarettes and chocolate were taken from the stock. An open cheque for £29 was untouched. When the shop was opened this morning it was found that £2/10/- had been rung up on the cash register, and that the drawers had been emptied. The safe was locked but the key was missing from the usual hiding place, and when it was opened with a duplicate key it was found that between £7O and £BO was missing, but that a cheque had been left.