EARTH’S STRONGEST PLACE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 109, 11 May 1931, Page 11

EARTH’S STRONGEST PLACE

NEW BANK OF ENGLAND DOORS WEIGHING MANY TONS The Bank of England is being rebuilt, and already three years have been spent on the work. It bl another three years before the task is finished, but recently the hoarding was taken down and the public ca.i now rec- the outside of the new building. But it is not the outside of the now lank which will be the real wonder; it will be the marvellous anrt ingenious devices inside that will guard its treasures from thieves that wih be the bank’s greatest triumph. a modern bank is one of the wonders of the world. Its string rooms, with. their massive doors and marvellous locks, ccst hundreds of thousands of pounds. Some of the nickel steel plates in th*, walls weigh sixty tons each, and under the floor is a bed of concrete and steel ten feet thick. The door is the greatest marvel of all. Often these doors are round in shape and weigh twenty-five tons. Each is held fast by twenty-four massive bolts, and every bolt weighs nearly a hundredweight. The locks that fasten the door are among the cleverest inventions of man’s ingenuity. They have no key holes into which explosives could be put by burglars, but are turned on spindles, and have a wonderful combination of parts, so that no one cn i open them without the clue. Clockwork set for a certain hour prevents them from being opened before the proper time. There arc corridors right round the strong rooms, with mirrors placed at angles, so that watchmen can keep a look-out all round. Sometimes steam pipes run in these corridors, and in case of attack by thieves jets of steam can be. turned upon the burglars. At other times the corridors can be quickly flooded with water. When finished the Bank of England will be the strongest place in the world.