Anti-Burglar, Fire and Explosive Devices

The never-ceasing war between the locksmith and safe engineer on the one hand, and the burglar and what the old-time journalist termed "the devouring element" on the other, has been the means of producing hundreds of devices for adding to the security of valuables, and countering those dangers which are ever present owing to the skill of the scientific thief, the ravages of fire, the carelessness constantly displayed over the custody of keys, and the neglect of ordinary precautions against fire which often have such serious results. The latter day burglar is, in many cases, not only a highly skilled specialist, supplied with the finest of tools, but he carries out his work with a coolness, skill and foresight that renders it difficult to effectually frustrate his efforts. To go fully into either the devices of the cracksman, or the methods adopted by the locksmith and safe engineer to combat and even anticipate them, would afford material for an extensive volume.

As in the past the skeleton key and the picklock, which rendered the warded lock vulnerable, caused the introduction of the tumbler lock with its levers, barrel, curtain and detector; so the drill, wedge, explosive and blowpipe have brought into being the safe lock protected by compound steel plates, the keyless combination lock, the automatic time lock, the bent-cornered safe, the diagonal bolt binding the safe door to its frame, compound armour plate, and many other devices for the defeat of the skilled burglar.

The latest patent taken out by Messrs. Chubb protects a clever improvement of the principle embodied in keyless combination locks used chiefly for the doors of safes. Much is heard from time to time of arrangements by which valuables displayed in a shop window or showcase are lowered at night into a safe or armoured recess, yet this method was used by Chubb's as early as 1839, and was applied by them to the receptacle made for the safeguarding of the Koh-i-noor diamond at the Great Exhibition in 1851. The cage-like structure, which is illustrated from the original woodcut, was again requisitioned in recent years for the display of some notable diamonds of great value, the stones disappearing into a vault at night.

In "Punch" of June I4th, 1851, appears a fanciful dialogue between policemen guarding the Koh-i-noor during the daytime, which ends: "It strikes seven; the Koh-i-noor sets in its iron safe, and the policemen depart."

The cage for the protection of the Koh-i-noor diamond at the 1851 Exhibition, London.

Freak Contrivances

Such excellent latter day contrivances as the keyless combination safe lock and the electric alarm had early prototypes. The present letter lock opening on a certain word or number is the modern adaptation of a lock existing in early times. In Beaumont and Fletcher's "The Noble Gentleman" (1615) reference is made to "a strange lock that opens with A.M.E.N.": while in some verses

by Carew addressed to May on his "Comedy of the Heir," there is the following passage:

" . . . As doth a lock that goes with letters; for, till everyone be known, the lock's as fast as if you had found none."

In 1827 a locking device was introduced for use on stagecoach boot doors and similar receptacles, by which attempts at robbery were announced on an alarm bell incorporated in the lock; the advertisement stating that this "notice latch" had been tested on a coach from the Bolt-in-Tun, Fleet Street, London, "with great satisfaction to the proprietor." In 1871 this invention appeared again, the bell-ringing being supplemented by the lighting of a taper. About 1905 we again meet with it in the form of a cash box, which on being lifted evinced its dissatisfaction by the continuous ringing of a bell.

Antique locks and keys in the Chubb collection.

This is not surprising, for many of the principles embodied in modern locks and safes are of ancient origin, and only adapted to modern requirements by the skill of the experienced craftsman. The bolt work of many modern safes is, in arrangement, very similar to that of the so called Armada chests of the Tudor period; while certain American locks with flat keys are kindred in principle to ancient Egyptian locks contemporary with the Pyramids.

The truth of the old saw, "Nothing new under the sun," has been tardily admitted by many an enthusiastic inventor, who, after laboriously working out what appears to him to be a novel idea, has found himself anticipated by a craftsman of the Middle Ages.

It is almost impossible to say how many so called patents have been taken out for locks and keys, probably many thousands in Great Britain alone: and by far the largest number are worthless from a practical point of view.

Imitations and Infringements

A search at the Patent Office reveals the fact that owing to the faulty Patent laws of this country in bygone days, silly notions, impossible ideas and duplicated inventions, even devices in vogue in the times of the Pharaohs, were allowed to be patented at the expense of the unfortunate inventor, alone benefiting the funds of the Patent Office. Happily a better system now prevails, in that a search is undertaken by the Patent Authorities, which may prevent a man wasting his time and money in protecting an idea which he fondly, but often wrongly, imagines has never before occurred to anyone else.

A number of suggested improvements are annually brought before the experts of Chubb's Company by people who know little of the technical side of lock and safe-making, and all that need be said about these suggestions is that perhaps not one in a hundred ever comes before the public as a practical and useful article. The amateur inventor, however, is not easily discouraged, and Chubb's have hid a wide experience of him, his weak points and his views on the value of his inventions.

In 1855 one gentleman offered a lock whose many virtues appear to have impressed its originator more than the maker to whom it was offered. He wrote to Messrs. Chubb as follows: "As you doubtless desire to possess a lock which possesses perfect security, I may without apologising call your attention to a lock which I have planned, which possesses perfect security. It is simple in construction, strong, not easily deranged by dirt, and great pressure may be applied to the bolt without injuring the small works. It can be made to lock without the key; the key may either move both the bolt and small works or the small works only; the key has but one motion. Being blind I have had ample leisure to examine and re-examine every part of my lock, and I am certain that its security cannot be surpassed. As I have several inventions which my humble circumstances do not enable me to patent, I would willingly sell to you the right to patent my lock for two thousand pounds sterling. You will oblige me if you let me know at your earliest leisure whether you will purchase it or not."

The fate of this masterpiece is not placed on record, and the name of its ultimate purchase, if any, is not known, but it seems reasonable to surmise that the various virtues of this mechanical paragon were discounted by some drawback which failed to appeal to the instincts of the Chubb experts, and that "the Noes had it."

Chubb's firm, like other old ones, has ever been jealous of attempts to make wrongful use of their name or trademarks. In 1849 we find them petitioning Parliament. The method then necessary to extend to their manufactures the protection afforded to cutlery, and citing the case of a Birmingham locksmith, who, having made use of their name on his locks and being mulcted in damages and costs, left the City without going through the formality of paying either.

That manufacturers had to take stern measures to protect themselves is indicated by an advertisement dated February 4th, 1845, in which a defendant named Thomas Davis writing from Warwick Gaol, intimates that he is at present there resident at the suit of Messrs. Chubb, whose name he had placed on locks not of their manufacture, but who in consideration of the "distressed state of my wife and family, by reason of my imprisonment, consented to my discharge.

I do hereby declare that I deeply regret having ever put their names on my locks, or having passed off locks of my make for articles of their manufacture, and I solemnly promise that I will never again, under any circumstances, commit the same offence." This declaration is significantly witnessed by "Thomas Maycock, Turnkey." Human nature in 1845 was much the same as in this year of grace.

Thomas Davis's prototype of today still fails to indicate how solicitous he is for the welfare of his unfortunate wife and family until his misdemeanours have placed his own person in danger.

The Chubb archives record several attempts to make improper use of their name in connection with goods not of their manufacture; but protective legislation has enabled the Courts to emphatically confirm Chubb's absolute right to the sole use of their name in connection with the production of locks and safes.

Perhaps one of the most recent and interesting latter day decisions in connection with trademarks was that by which the blanket makers of the Oxfordshire town of Witney were granted definite legal confirmation of their ancient right to the exclusive use of the name of their town as applied to their well known Witney blankets. Apart from its importance as a trade decision, the Witney case seems specially pertinent to our present subject, as the ancient blanket making family of Early, prominent joint plaintiffs in that action, is closely allied by family ties with the House of Chubb.