SKILLED BURGLARS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13781, 20 June 1908, Page 2 (Supplement)

SKILLED BURGLARS.

BREAK OPEN HEAVY SAFE AND .; l " " "STEAL £1000. V ! '"''.]' A. set of burglars' tools, so perfect that the police vain© them at £100, was left behind by a gang of burglars who ransacked the premises of the Tower Bridge Road depot, London, of Messrs. James Nelson and Co., the well-known meat importers and provision merchants. Early on the Sunday the takings of many of the 33 branches which Messrs. Nelson have in the metropolis were taken to Tower Bridge Road and placed in a very carefully constructed burglar and fireproof safe. The amount was well over £1000—part of it in .gold and the- remainder in silver, At four o'clock on the day the premises were visited by officials, aud they were then safe and the premises intact. When the offices were opened on t-ne Monday morning, however, it was found, that a side door had been forced and subsequently screwed up again to avert suspicion. The safe hud been forced open, and the whole of tHe contents looted. Upon the floor lay the burglars' outfit, which is said to be of American make. There were two jemmies, each nearly two feet in length, and fitted at the end with American shears, sharp and strong pieces of steel shaped- like the blades of a pair of scissors, which are used to force a safe, much the same as a tin-opener takes the cover off a tin of sardines. There were also three braces and bits of powerful make well adapted for boring through steel. Most interesting of all was a dark lantern of a'type unfamiliar to our police. It was like the ordinary bull's-eye lamp, except that it was covered with black velvet, through the front of which a tiny hole had been pierced, allowing a pin-prick of vivid light to plav on the part of the safe towards which operations were, being directed, thus materially minimising any risk of the light being .'observed. As the burplars had to bore through two inches of solid steel and iron, of which the safe was composed, thfv must have taken between three and four hours at the ta*fc T ina ffuncr. it is believed, consisted of six, all of whom wore gloves, as no fingerprints were left. It is presumed that th« thieves found they would have so much difficulty- in removing the bulky gold and silver that they were forced to leave their outfit, Thev must have had a conveyance close at hand into which the booty was taken. During the afternoon the set of tools and the safe were removed to New Scotland Yard, in order to ascertain if the burglarv is the work of a noted gang wanted for daring thefts in many parts of the world. A search is being made for a cab or carriage driven by a confederate, for it is known that the gane could not have walked far with the heavy bags of coin.