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text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: top; text-align: left;} - table.toc td.chapno - {text-align: right; white-space: nowrap;} - table.toc td.pageno - {text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap; padding-left: 1em;} - td.highline2 - {line-height: 2em;} - th - {font-weight: normal;} - .tnbot - {border: dashed thin; margin: 1em 10%; padding: .5em;} - .tnbot h2 - {font-size: 1em;} - .tnbot p - {text-indent: -1em; margin-left: 1em;} - .tnbox - {border: dashed thin; margin: 1em 20%; padding: 1em;} - ul.index - {list-style: none; margin: 1.25em 0;} - ul.index li - {margin: 0 0 0 1em; text-indent: -1em;} - ul.index li.letterstart - {margin-top: .75em;} - - - h1.pgx { text-align: center; - clear: both; - font-weight: bold; - font-size: 190%; - margin-top: 0em; - margin-bottom: 1em; - word-spacing: 0em; - letter-spacing: 0em; - line-height: 1; } - h2.pgx { text-align: center; - clear: both; - font-weight: bold; - font-size: 135%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 1em; - word-spacing: 0em; - letter-spacing: 0em; - page-break-before: avoid; - line-height: 1; } - h3.pgx { text-align: center; - clear: both; - font-weight: bold; - font-size: 110%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 1em; - word-spacing: 0em; - letter-spacing: 0em; - line-height: 1; } - h4.pgx { text-align: center; - clear: both; - font-weight: bold; - font-size: 100%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 1em; - word-spacing: 0em; - letter-spacing: 0em; - line-height: 1; } - hr.pgx { width: 100%; - margin-top: 3em; - margin-bottom: 0em; - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; - height: 4px; - border-width: 4px 0 0 0; /* remove all borders except the top one */ - border-style: solid; - border-color: #000000; - clear: both; } - </style> -</head> -<body> -<h1 class="pgx" title="">The Project Gutenberg eBook, Rudimentary Treatise on the Construction of -Locks, by A. C. Hobbs, Edited by Charles Tomlinson</h1> -<p>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States -and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no -restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you are not -located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this ebook.</p> -<p>Title: Rudimentary Treatise on the Construction of Locks</p> -<p>Author: A. C. Hobbs</p> -<p>Editor: Charles Tomlinson</p> -<p>Release Date: September 5, 2020 [eBook #63128]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: UTF-8</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RUDIMENTARY TREATISE ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS***</p> -<p> </p> -<h4 class="pgx" title="">E-text prepared by deaurider, Harry Lamé,<br /> - and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (<a href="http://www.pgdp.net">http://www.pgdp.net</a>)<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - Internet Archive<br /> - (<a href="https://archive.org">https://archive.org</a>)</h4> -<p> </p> -<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> - <tr> - <td valign="top"> - Note: - </td> - <td> - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - <a href="https://archive.org/details/rudimentarytreat00hobb"> - https://archive.org/details/rudimentarytreat00hobb</a> - </td> - </tr> -</table> -<p> </p> -<div class="tnbox"> -<p class="center">Please see the <a href="#TN">Transcriber’s Note</a> at the end of this text.</p> -</div> -<p> </p> -<hr class="pgx" /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - - -<div class="scr"> - -<div class="container60"> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="Cover" /> -</div> - -</div><!--container--> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div><!--scr--> - -<h1><span class="fsize90">RUDIMENTARY TREATISE</span><br /> -<span class="fsize50">ON THE</span><br /> -<span class="fsize110"><span class="gesp1">CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS</span>.</span></h1> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="center highline15">LONDON:<br /> -PRINTED BY LEVEY, ROBSON, AND FRANKLYN,<br /> -Great New Street and Fetter Lane.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Pageiii">[iii]</span></p> - -<p class="center blankbefore2 highline4"><span class="fsize150">RUDIMENTARY TREATISE</span><br /> -<span class="fsize60">ON THE</span><br /> -<span class="fsize200">CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS.</span><br /> -<span class="fsize60">EDITED BY</span><br /> -<span class="fsize150">CHARLES TOMLINSON.</span></p> - -<div class="reamurquote"> - -<p>“Il n’y a point de machines plus communes que les serrures: elles sont assez -composées pour mériter le nom de <i>machine</i>; mais je ne sais s’il y en a qui -soient aussi peu connues par ceux qui les emploient. Il est rare qu’on sache en -quoi consiste la bonté d’une serrure, le degré de sûreté qu’on peut s’en promettre. -Leur extérieur est presque la seule chose à quoi l’on s’arrête. Les usages importans -auxquels elles sont employées devraient cependant exciter la curiosité -à les connaître, si la curiosité était toujours excitée raisonnablement.”—<span class="smcap">M. de -Réaumur</span>, “<i>Des Serrures de toutes les espèces</i>,” forming the fifth chapter of M. -Duhamel’s Treatise “<i>Art du Serrurier</i>,” in the “<i>Descriptions des Arts et Metiers -faites ou approuvées par Messieurs de l’Académie Royale des Sciences</i>.”</p> - -</div><!--reamurquote--> - -<p class="center blankbefore4"><span class="fsize110"><span class="gesp1">LONDON</span>:</span><br /> -<span class="fsize110"><span class="gesp1">JOHN WEALE, 59 HIGH HOLBORN</span>.</span><br /> -MDCCCLIII.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Pageiv">[iv]</span></p> - -<div class="reamurquote"> - -<p>“There are no machines more common than locks: they are sufficiently complex -to merit the name of <i>machine</i>; but I know of no others the structure of -which is so little understood by those who use them. It is rare to find any one -who knows wherein the goodness of a lock consists, or the degree of security that -he can attach to it. The outside of a lock is usually all that attracts attention. -Doubtless the important uses to which locks are applied would excite curiosity -respecting their structure, if curiosity were always excited for worthy objects.”—<span class="smcap">M. -de Réaumur.</span></p> - -</div><!--reamurquote--> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Pagev">[v]</span></p> - -<h2 class="front">PREFACE.</h2> - -<p class="noindent">The reader is entitled to know the origin of the small work which -he holds in his hands.</p> - -<p>In August 1852, being about to write a short article on -Locks for a Cyclopædia of Useful Arts, of which I am the editor, -I consulted my esteemed and lamented friend, the late Professor -Cowper, of King’s College, as to the desirability of explaining to -the general reader the defects of some of our English locks, which, -previous to the celebrated “lock controversy” of 1851, had borne -a high character for skilful construction, beauty of workmanship, -and undoubted security. Professor Cowper expressed his strong -conviction that by exposing the defects of our locks, the cause of -mechanical science, as well as the public in general, would be -benefited; that if our locks were defective, inventors would be -stimulated to supply the defects, and the art of the locksmith -would be raised accordingly. He considered that Mr. Hobbs had -made a considerable step in advance in the constructive details of -his art, not only in having detected the weak points of some of -our best English locks, but also in having introduced two or three -new locks, which appeared to be more secure than any of those -previously produced. Professor Cowper gave me an introduction -to Mr. Hobbs, who placed at my disposal a variety of literary -materials relating to the history and construction of locks, and -stated his intention at some future time of bringing out a small -book on the subject, if he could meet with a publisher. I recommended -him to offer the work to Mr. Weale, for insertion in his -series of Rudimentary Works. This was accordingly done, and I -was invited to prepare the work; but as my engagements did not -leave me sufficient leisure to write the book, I requested my friend -Mr. George Dodd to put the materials together, and to search for<span class="pagenum" id="Pagevi">[vi]</span> -more. Mr. Dodd acceded to my request; and having completed -his part of the work, I subjected it to a careful revision, and added -various details which seemed to be necessary to completeness, at -least so far as the narrow limits of a small rudimentary work would -admit of completeness. The manuscript was then sent to press: -each sheet as it was received from the printer was submitted to -Mr. Hobbs, who read it with care, and made his annotations and -corrections thereon. Mr. Hobbs and I then had a meeting, when -the additions and corrections were read and discussed, and admitted -or rejected as the case might be. The sheet having been -thus corrected was sent to press.</p> - -<p>It should also be stated that, during the progress of the work, -Mr. Weale, at my request, wrote to Messrs. Bramah, and also to -Messrs. Chubb, informing them that a Rudimentary Treatise on -the Construction of Locks was being prepared, and requesting -them to state in writing what alterations or improvements they -had made in their locks since the date of the Great Exhibition. -The communications which we have received from these celebrated -firms are inserted <i>verbatim</i>, in their proper places, in the present -work.</p> - -<p>Such is the mode in which this small volume has been prepared. -I have endeavoured to perform an editor’s duty conscientiously, -without entertaining the feeling of a partisan in the matter. My -chief object in superintending the production of this book (an object -in which the Publisher fully participates) is to advance the -cause of mechanical science, and to supply a deficiency in one of -the most interesting portions of its English literature.</p> - -<p class="right padr2 highline2">C. TOMLINSON.</p> - -<p class="fsize90"><i>Bedford Place, Ampthill Square,<br /> -<span class="padl10">July 1853.</span></i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Pagevii">[vii]</span></p> - -<h2 class="front">ADVERTISEMENT.</h2> - -<p class="noindent highline15">The first edition of this volume, though at the date of -its appearance co-ordinating with the state of knowledge -of the period, and containing matter well arranged -and lucidly described—as must have been expected -from the reputation of its author—had, through the -lapse of the few intervening years, inevitably become -somewhat behind the state of the art of which it treats—one -which is daily receiving the attentive consideration -of many skilful men, and occasional marked improvements. -Amongst those of later years none are -more noteworthy than the locks patented by Mr. Fenby, -of Birmingham; of these an account, with accurate -illustrations, for which the drawings are supplied by -the inventor, is now added,—together with a brief -essay upon the important but popularly ill-understood -subject of iron safes.</p> - -<p class="right padr2 highline2">ROBERT MALLET.</p> - -<p class="fsize90"><i>April, 1868.</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Pageviii">[viii]</span></p> - -<p>In reference to Mr. Smyth’s letter, which is given at -<a href="#Page130">pp. 130</a>, <a href="#Page131">131</a>, that gentleman is desirous to state that -it was in consequence of the defects there pointed out -that Mr. Hobbs was enabled to pick the Bramah lock -operated upon, which had been manufactured forty -years previously, when the sliders were made of iron -instead of steel as they now are, and yet, notwithstanding -that and the other defects pointed out, it -took Mr. Hobbs sixteen days to pick it. In proof of -the security of the Bramah lock, Mr. Smyth mentions -that Mr. Hobbs’s best workman failed in picking an -ordinary 3-inch Bramah box lock; and that a person -in the employ of Messrs. Johnson and Ravey, of Conduit -Street, failed also in his attempt to pick a 6-inch -cellar-door lock, though he had the lock in his possession -for twelve months, employing his evenings in -making instruments and trying to pick it. Mr. Smyth -contradicts the statement made at <a href="#Page128">page 128</a>, that the -new lock was removed from the window through any -fear of its being opened. On the contrary, it was put -up especially to afford an opportunity for Mr. Hobbs -to make, if he thought fit, another trial, and it remained -in the window four months. The sole cause of -its removal was to stop the impertinent applications of -men and boys, which interfered too much with the -general business of the firm.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Pageix">[ix]</span></p> - -<h2 class="front">CONTENTS.</h2> - -<table class="toc" summary="ToC"> - -<tr> -<th colspan="2" class="left fsize80">CHAP.</th> -<th class="right padl1 fsize80">PAGE</th> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="chapno">I.</td> -<td class="chapname">On Locks and Lock-literature</td> -<td class="pageno"><a href="#Page1">1</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="chapno">II.</td> -<td class="chapname">Ancient Locks: Grecian, Roman, Egyptian</td> -<td class="pageno"><a href="#Page8">8</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="chapno">III.</td> -<td class="chapname">Lock classification. The Puzzle-Lock and the Dial-Lock</td> -<td class="pageno"><a href="#Page16">16</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="chapno">IV.</td> -<td class="chapname">Warded Locks, with their varied appendages</td> -<td class="pageno"><a href="#Page27">27</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="chapno">V.</td> -<td class="chapname">On Tumbler or Lever Locks</td> -<td class="pageno"><a href="#Page43">43</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="chapno">VI.</td> -<td class="chapname">The Bramah Lock</td> -<td class="pageno"><a href="#Page64">64</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="chapno">VII.</td> -<td class="chapname">American Locks</td> -<td class="pageno"><a href="#Page82">82</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="chapno">VIII.</td> -<td class="chapname">The Lock Controversy: previous to the date of the Great Exhibition</td> -<td class="pageno"><a href="#Page102">102</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="chapno">IX.</td> -<td class="chapname">The Lock Controversy: during and since the time of the Great Exhibition</td> -<td class="pageno"><a href="#Page115">115</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="chapno">X.</td> -<td class="chapname">Effects of the Great Exhibition of 1851 in improving English Locks</td> -<td class="pageno"><a href="#Page140">140</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="chapno">XI.</td> -<td class="chapname">The Lock and Key Manufacture</td> -<td class="pageno"><a href="#Page154">154</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="chapno">XII.</td> -<td class="chapname">English Patents for Locks. Aubin’s Lock Trophy. Conclusion</td> -<td class="pageno"><a href="#Page164">164</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td colspan="3" class="center highline2"><span class="smcap">Appendix.</span></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="chapno">XIII.</td> -<td class="chapname">On an Improved Construction of Lock and Key: Fenby’s Adytic Lock</td> -<td class="pageno"><a href="#Page176">176</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="chapno">XIV.</td> -<td class="chapname">Fenby’s Stop Lock</td> -<td class="pageno"><a href="#Page193">193</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="chapno">XV.</td> -<td class="chapname">Note upon Iron Safes</td> -<td class="pageno"><a href="#Page201">201</a></td> -</tr> - -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page1">[1]</span></p> - -<p class="center highline4">ON THE<br /> -<span class="fsize200">CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS.</span></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<h2><span class="h2nr">CHAPTER I.</span><br /> -<span class="h2name">ON LOCKS AND LOCK-LITERATURE.</span></h2> - -<p class="noindent">The manufacture of locks, and a consideration of the mechanical -principles involved in their construction and security, -have never yet been treated with any degree of fulness in an -English work. Lock-making has occupied a large amount of -ingenuity, and lock-patents have been obtained in considerable -number, though not always, we are satisfied, with a commensurate -return for the expense incurred,—but lock-philosophy -(if so it may be designated) has not been largely attended to.</p> - -<p>And yet it may safely be said that much which is both -mechanically and commercially important is comprised in a -lock. Every improvement in the manufacture of iron, steel, -and brass—that is, in the tool-making and machine-making -processes—may be made to reflect its light on the lock-manufacture; -the stamping, the casting, the planing, the -slotting, the screw-cutting, the polishing of metals,—all, in -proportion as they are improved, impart some of their aid -to the lock-maker. Then, in the finer kinds of locks, the -works are so delicate as to approach to the nicety of clockwork; -thereby combining the manipulative skill of a talented<span class="pagenum" id="Page2">[2]</span> -artisan with the rougher mechanical work of the smith. The -principles of mechanical science are also appreciated by many -lock-makers. The lever, the inclined plane, the eccentric, the -cam, the screw, the wheel and pinion, the ratchet, the spring,—all -are brought to bear on the internal mechanism of locks, -frequently in many novel combinations.</p> - -<p>The commercial importance of locks—though of course -never seriously questioned when once fairly brought before -one’s attention—has been recently rendered so apparent as to -have risen to the position of a public topic. If a strong room, -containing gold and silver, notes and bills, books and papers—if -such a room be necessarily shielded from intrusion, it becomes -no less necessary that the shield should be really worthy of -its name, trusty and reliable: a good lock is here nearly as -indispensable as a faithful cashier. And without dwelling on -such an auriferous picture as a room fall of gold, we shall -find ample proof of the commercial importance of lock-making -in the ordinary circumstances by which we are every day -surrounded. Until the world becomes an honest world, or -until the honest people bear a larger ratio than at present to -the dishonest, the whole of our movables are, more or less, at -the mercy of our neighbours. Houses, rooms, vaults, cellars, -cabinets, cupboards, caskets, desks, chests, boxes, caddies,—all, -with the contents of each, ring the changes between <i>meum</i> and -<i>tuum</i> pretty much according to the security of the locks by -which they are guarded.</p> - -<p>A commercial, and in some respects a social, doubt has -been started within the last year or two, whether or not it is -right to discuss so openly the security or insecurity of locks. -Many well-meaning persons suppose that the discussion respecting -the means for baffling the supposed safety of locks offers -a premium for dishonesty, by shewing others how to be dishonest. -This is a fallacy. Rogues are very keen in their -profession, and know already much more than we can teach -them respecting their several kinds of roguery. Rogues knew -a good deal about lock-picking long before locksmiths discussed<span class="pagenum" id="Page3">[3]</span> -it among themselves, as they have lately done. If a -lock—let it have been made in whatever country, or by -whatever maker—is not so inviolable as it has hitherto been -deemed to be, surely it is to the interest of <i>honest</i> persons -to know this fact, because the <i>dishonest</i> are tolerably certain -to be the first to apply the knowledge practically; and the -spread of the knowledge is necessary to give fair play to those -who might suffer by ignorance. It cannot be too earnestly -urged, that an acquaintance with real facts will, in the end, -be better for all parties. Some time ago, when the reading -public was alarmed at being told how London milk is adulterated, -timid persons deprecated the exposure, on the plea -that it would give instructions in the art of adulterating milk; -a vain fear—milkmen knew all about it before, whether they -practised it or not; and the exposure only taught purchasers -the necessity of a little scrutiny and caution, leaving them to -obey this necessity or not, as they pleased. So likewise in -respect to bread, sugar, coffee, tea, wine, beer, spirits, vinegar, -cheap silks, cheap woollens—all such articles as are susceptible -of debasement by admixture with cheaper substances—much -more good than harm is effected by stating candidly -and scientifically the various methods by which such debasement -has been, or can be produced. The unscrupulous have -the command of much of this kind of knowledge without our -aid; and there is moral and commercial justice in placing on -their guard those who might possibly suffer therefrom. We -employ these stray expressions concerning adulteration, debasement, -roguery, and so forth, simply as a mode of illustrating -a principle—the advantage of publicity. In respect -to lock-making, there can scarcely be such a thing as dishonesty -of intention: the inventor produces a lock which he -honestly thinks will possess such and such qualities; and he -declares his belief to the world. If others differ from him in -opinion concerning those qualities, it is open to them to say -so; and the discussion, truthfully conducted, must lead to -public advantage: the discussion stimulates curiosity, and the<span class="pagenum" id="Page4">[4]</span> -curiosity stimulates invention. Nothing but a partial and -limited view of the question could lead to the opinion that -harm can result: if there be harm, it will be much more than -counterbalanced by good.</p> - -<p>The literature of lock-making is, as we have implied, very -scanty, both in England and America. The French and Germans, -though far below our level as lock-makers, are very superior -to us in their descriptions of the construction and manufacture -of locks. Take, for instance, the French treatise published -more than eighty years ago by the <i>Académie des Sciences</i>, -and forming part of a folio series of manufacturing treatises, -illustrated very fully by engravings. It is worth while to examine -this work, to see how minutely and faithfully the writers -of such treatises performed their task nearly a century ago. -The <i>Art du Serrurier</i>, with the distinguished name of M. Duhamel -du Monceau as the author or editor, was published in -1767. It occupies 290 folio pages, and is illustrated by 42 -folio plates. The first chapter gives us an introduction and -general principles, in which the choice and manipulation of -materials are touched upon; the different qualities of iron and -steel; and the processes of forging, founding, welding, stamping, -filing, polishing, &c. In the copper-plates representing -these smiths’ operations and the tools employed,<a id="FNanchor1"></a><a href="#Footnote1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> there -is a smithy, with about a dozen smiths engaged in all these -various occupations, with stockings down, and a due amount -of workshop slovenliness. The next chapter takes us into -what may perhaps be called “smith’s work in general,” or -at least it treats of the manufacture of various kinds of ironmongery -for doors, windows, and house-fittings generally. -Then the third chapter treats of “smith’s work which serves -for the security of houses,” consisting of railings, palings, -bars, and gates of various kinds—such at least as are made -of iron. In chapter four we have a notice of such kinds of<span class="pagenum" id="Page5">[5]</span> -smith’s work as relate to the fastenings for doors, windows, -closets, chests, &c.; such as hinges, hasps, latches, bolts, and -other contrivances less complex than an actual lock. This -brings us, by a natural transition, to locks in general, which -form the subject of chapter five, to which is attached the illustrious -name of M. de Réaumur as the author. Here are given -a hundred folio pages of description, illustrated by twenty folio -plates relating to locks, lock-making, and locksmiths. The -sixth chapter relates to the iron-work of carriages, or the -labours of the coachsmiths; while chapter seven, to wind up -the work, relates to bell-hanging.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote1"></a><a href="#FNanchor1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> -It is worthy of remark, that the tools described are the same as those -which are used by the locksmith at the present day; shewing how little -improvement has been made in the means of producing locks.</p> - -</div><!--footnote--> - -<p>That chapter of the work which has reference to locks is -the only one with which we have to do here. It is arranged -in a systematic manner, beginning with the simpler locks, -without wards or tumblers, and proceeding thence to others of -more complex construction. The period at which the work -was written was too early to lead us to expect to find a -tumbler-lock described and delineated: there are, however, -numerous examples of single tumbler-locks, many of them of -great ingenuity. The use of multiple bolts, that is, of many -bolts shot at once by one action of the key, seems to have been -familiar enough to the locksmiths of those days. One lock represented -is remarkable; it is attached to a strong and ponderous -coffer or chest. The chest is open; and the whole under -or inner surface of the cover is seen to be occupied by a lock -of intricate construction; there are no less than twelve bolts, -three on each long side, one on each short side, and one in -each corner; these bolts are so placed as to catch under a projecting -rim fixed round the top of the coffer. The collection -of keys, exhibited on a separate plate, is remarkable for the -great variety of forms given to them. We shall by and by -copy some of the drawings of this curious work.</p> - -<p>It was to be expected that in the <i>Encyclopédie Méthodique</i>, -published in the same country and in the same century, the -locksmith’s art would be treated at some such length as in the -work just described. Among the two hundred volumes of<span class="pagenum" id="Page6">[6]</span> -which the <i>Cyclopédie</i> consists, several are devoted to arts and -manufactures; and one of them contains the article in question. -It occupies 168 quarto pages, and is illustrated by 35 copper-plate -engravings, shewing in detail not only the parts of various -locks, but the tools used by the lockmaker. It is proper, -however, to remark, that much of the letterpress and many -of the plates relate to smith’s work generally, and not exclusively -to lock-work; the French name <i>serrurerie</i> being -applied not only to lock-making, but to most of the smith’s -work required in dwelling-houses. This affords, indeed, a -striking illustration of the fact, that until lately a lock-maker -has been regarded rather as a smith than as a machinist, -rather as a forger and filer of pieces of iron, than as a -fabricator of delicate mechanism. One of the most curious -features in this treatise is a vocabulary, containing, in alphabetical -arrangement, a minute account of all the French technical -terms employed in the locksmith’s art. This vocabulary -alone occupies 38 quarto pages.</p> - -<p>The Germans, like the French, bestow great attention on -their treatises relating to the manufacturing arts. Some of -these are, indeed, worked up to a degree of minuteness -which would seem superfluous, where little distinction is -drawn between the importance of fundamental principles and -that of mere technical details. Locks have had their due -share. The article on locks in Prechtl’s <i>Technological Encyclopædia</i> -written by Karmarsch, and published in 1842, -occupies about 140 pages. Locks are very minutely classified -by the author, according to their purposes and their -modes of action, and are illustrated by many plates. One of -his classifications is into <i>German</i>, <i>French</i>, and <i>Bastard</i> locks, -referring in part to the extent to which the key turns round -in the lock; and the last of the three having an intermediate -character between the other two. After treating of the ordinary -warded locks, he comes to the combination principle; -and it is profitable here to notice, how well the works of our -machinists are understood on the continent, when they have<span class="pagenum" id="Page7">[7]</span> -any thing to recommend them; there are a dozen closely -printed pages devoted to a minute description of Bramah’s -invention, with all the separate parts illustrated by copper-plate -engravings. After this comes a more general account -of the details and manufacture of locks, similarly illustrated -by engravings.</p> - -<p>Whatever may be the merits of the different articles relating -to locks in the various English cyclopædias, there are -none approaching in length to the article in Prechtl’s work. -But when we consider that Prechtl devotes twenty large volumes -to technological or manufacturing subjects, he is of -course able to devote a larger space to each article than is -given in English works. Both in England and in America, -men are more disposed to do the work than to describe it -when done. In the <i>Encyclopædia Britannica</i>, in Rees’ <i>Cyclopædia</i>, -in Hebert’s <i>Engineers’ and Mechanics’ Cyclopædia</i>, in -the <i>Encyclopædia Metropolitana</i>, in the <i>Penny Cyclopædia</i>, and -in other similar works, locks are described as well as can -be expected within the limits assigned to the articles. Mr. -Bramah’s essay on locks, and on his own lock in particular, -is one of the few English pamphlets devoted expressly to this -subject. An excerpt from the proceedings of the Institute of -Civil Engineers, in 1851, gives an interesting paper on locks -by Mr. Chubb; and shorter reports of papers and lectures -have been published in various ways. Perhaps the best account -of locks which we have, considering the limited space -within which a great deal of information is given in a very -clear style, is that contained in Mr. Tomlinson’s <i>Cyclopædia of -Useful Arts</i>.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page8">[8]</span></p> - -<h2><span class="h2nr">CHAPTER II.</span><br /> -<span class="h2name">ANCIENT LOCKS: GRECIAN, ROMAN, EGYPTIAN.</span></h2> - -<p class="noindent">Locks and door-fastenings have not, until modern times, been -susceptible of any classified arrangement according to their -principles of construction. They have been too simple to require -it, and too little varied to permit it. That some such fastenings -must be employed wherever doors of any kind are used -is sufficiently apparent; and there is a little (though only a -little) information obtainable, which shews the nature of the -fastenings adopted in early times. The bolt, the hasp, the chain, -the bar, the latch, the lock, all were known, in one or other of -their various forms, in those ages which we are accustomed to -consider classical. Travellers, generally speaking, do not descend -to locks, or rather they do not think about them; -otherwise they might have collected much that would have -been novel and applicable to the present work; and, indeed, -there is some ground for the assertion, that a notice of the -door-fastenings of all nations would reveal to us something -of the social and domestic habits of various members of -the great human family. Be this as it may, however, we -may profitably make a little inquiry into the locks of ancient -times.</p> - -<p>In the volumes of Lardner’s <i>Cyclopædia</i> relating to the -“Manners and Customs of the ancient Greeks and Romans,” -we do not find any mention of the kinds of locks used by those -nations; but the author, while describing the houses, says:—“Doors -turned anciently upon large pivots in the centre, let -into sockets in the lintel and threshold, so that one of the sides -opened inwards, the other outwards; and Plutarch gives the -following curious reason why persons were to knock and<span class="pagenum" id="Page9">[9]</span> -alarm the porter, viz. lest the visitor entering unawares -should surprise the mistress or daughter of the family busy or -undressed, or servants under correction, or the maids quarreling.” -As the visitors had thus the power (if permitted so to -do) to open the outer door of a house, it would appear that -very little in the nature of a lock was employed under ordinary -circumstances, unless indeed it were a mere latch. In -respect to Roman houses it is stated, that “the doors revolved -upon pivots, which worked in a socket below, and were fastened -by bolts which hung from chains.” There is no mention -of locks here. Mr. St. John, in his work on the same subject, -says: “The street-door of a Grecian house, usually, when -single, opened outwards; but when there were folding-doors -they opened inwards, as with us. In the former case it was -customary, when any one happened to be going forth, to knock, -or call, or ring a bell, in order to warn passengers to make -way.” After describing the various kinds of wood of which -the doors were made, he proceeds: “The doors at first were -fastened by long bars passing into the wall on both sides; and -by degrees smaller bolts, hasps, latches, and locks and keys, -succeeded. For example, the outer door of the thalamos in -Homer was secured by a silver hasp, and a leathern thong -passed round the handle, and tied, perhaps, in a curious knot.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Yates, in a learned article on this subject in Smith’s -<i>Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities</i>, collects numerous -details scattered through various early writers. We will string -together a few of these details, so far as they have any relation -to the fastenings of doors. The outer door of a Roman house -was generally called <i>janua</i>; whereas the inner doors were -called <i>ostia</i>. The doorway, when complete, consisted of four -indispensable parts—the threshold or sill, the lintel, and the -two jambs. The threshold, on which the feet trod, was often -regarded with a kind of superstitious reverence; the lintel, -which crossed the doorway at the top, having a considerable -superincumbent weight to bear, was usually made of one -piece of timber or stone of great strength; the jambs, or side<span class="pagenum" id="Page10">[10]</span> -uprights, were also made in one piece each. The doorway, in -every building of the least importance, contained two doors -folding together; even the internal doors had their bivalve construction. -But in every case each of the two valves was wide -enough to allow persons to pass through without opening the -other; in some cases even each valve was double, so as to fold -like our window-shutters. These doors, or valves, were not -hinged to the side-posts, as with us, but were, as has already -been stated, pivoted to the lintel above and the threshold below. -The fastening usually consisted of a bolt placed at the -base of each valve or half-door, so as to admit of being pushed -into a socket made in the sill to receive it. The doorways in -some of the houses at Pompeii still shew two holes in the sill, -corresponding to the bolts in the two valves. At night, the -front door of the house was further secured by means of a -wooden and sometimes an iron bar placed across it, and inserted -into sockets on each side of the doorway; hence it was -necessary to remove the bar in order to open the door. -Chamber-doors were often secured in the same manner. In -the <i>Odyssey</i> there is mention of a contrivance (adverted to by -Mr. St. John) for bolting or unbolting a door from the outside; -it consisted of a leather thong inserted through a hole in -the door, and by means of a loop, ring, or hook, capable of -taking hold of the bolt so as to move it in the manner required. -We have here evidently the elements of a more complete -mechanism; for the bolt was a rude lock in the same -degree that the thong was a rude key. That the Romans -afterwards had real locks and keys is clear; for the keys found -at Herculaneum and Pompeii, and those attached to rings, -prove that a kind of warded lock must have been well known.<a id="FNanchor2"></a><a href="#Footnote2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> -There are the remains of a tomb at Pompeii, the door of which -is made of a single piece of marble, including the pivots, which -were encased in bronze, and turned in sockets of the same -metal; it is three feet high, two feet nine inches wide, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page11">[11]</span> -four and a quarter inches thick; it is cut in front to resemble -panels, and thus approaches nearer in appearance to a modern -wooden door; and it was fastened by some kind of lock, traces -of which still remain.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote2"></a><a href="#FNanchor2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> An examination of the Roman keys in the British Museum sufficiently -attests this fact.</p> - -</div> - -<p>The same facts frequently become more clear when described -in different words by different writers. We shall -make use of this circumstance. Mr. Donaldson, in his <i>Essay -on Ancient Doorways</i>, presents us with details which illustrate -many of the foregoing remarks. “Homer describes the treasures -and other valuable objects (mentioned in the <i>Odyssey</i>) -as being kept in the citadel, secured merely by a cord intricately -knotted. This, of course, was soon found to be a very -insufficient protection, and therefore a wooden bar was adopted -inside the doors of houses, to which it was attached by an iron -latch, fastened or removed by a key adapted to it; this key -was easily applied from within; but in order to get at it from -without, a large hole was made in the door, allowing the introduction -of the hand, so as to reach the latch and apply the -key. The lock called the Lacedæmonian, much celebrated by -ancient writers, was invented subsequently; it was especially -fitted for the inner chambers of houses, the bar fastenings continuing -to be employed for closing the outer doors of dwellings -and the entrance-gates to cities. The Lacedæmonian lock did -not require a hole to be made in the door, for it consisted of -a bolt placed on that side of the entrance-door which opened, -and on the inside of a chamber-door. When a person who -was outside wished to enter, it was necessary for him to insert -the key in a little hole and to raise the bolt; and in time -this species of fastening was improved by the insertion of the -bolt in an iron frame or rim permanently attached to the door -by a chain, and fastening the door by the insertion of the hasp, -through the eye of which was forced the bolt inside the lock -by applying the key.” After quoting a Latin sentence from -Varro in elucidation of his subject, Mr. Donaldson proceeds to -observe, that for the most part the locks of the ancients were -different in principle from those of modern days, not being inserted<span class="pagenum" id="Page12">[12]</span> -or mortised into the doors, nor even attached except by -a chain; they were, in fact, padlocks.</p> - -<p>One of the passages in the <i>Odyssey</i> alluding to the primitive -mode of fastening the valves or folding-doors of a house -runs thus:—</p> - -<div class="poemcenter"> - -<div class="poem"> - -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i00">“Whilst to his couch himself the prince addressed,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The duteous nurse received the purple vest:<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The purple vest with decent care disposed,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The silver ring she pulled, the door reclosed;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The bolt, obedient to the silken cord,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">To the strong staple’s inmost depth restored,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Secured the valves.”<br /></span> -</div> - -</div><!--poem--> - -</div><!--poemcenter--> - -<p>Most of the other great nations of antiquity resembled -either the Egyptians or the Greeks and Romans, more or less -closely, in their domestic and domiciliary arrangements; or, -at any rate, so far as such humble matters as locks and keys -are concerned, we need not seek far from those nations for -examples. The Nineveh and other Assyrian explorations -have, however, revealed many curious and unexpected facts; -from the temples and the palaces we may by and by penetrate -into the houses and rooms of the citizens sufficiently to -know how their doors were fastened. In the mean time -ancient Egypt awaits our notice.</p> - -<p>Sir J. Gardner Wilkinson, in his <i>Manners and Customs of the -Ancient Egyptians</i>, gives the following information concerning -the doors and door-fastenings of that remarkable people, on -the authority of models, sculptures, and paintings, still existing. -The doors were frequently stained so as to imitate foreign -and rare woods. They were either of one or two valves, turning -on pieces of metal, and were secured within by a bar or by -bolts. Some of these bronze pins have been discovered in the -tombs of Thebes; they were fastened to the wood with nails of -the same metal, the round heads of which served also as ornaments. -In the stone lintels and floors behind the thresholds -of the tombs and temples are still frequently to be seen the -holes in which the pivot-pins turned, as well as those of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page13">[13]</span> -bolts and bars, and the recess for receiving the opened valves. -The folding-doors had bolts in the centre, sometimes above as -well as below; a bar was placed across from one wall to the -other.</p> - -<p>In many of the ancient Egyptian doors there were wooden -locks fixed so as to fasten across the centre at the junction -where the two folds of the door met. It is difficult, by mere -inspection of the bas-reliefs and paintings, to decide whether -these locks were opened by a key, or were merely drawn backwards -and forwards like a bolt; but if they were really locks, -it is probable that they were on the same principle as the Egyptian -lock still in use. For greater security, these modern locks -are occasionally sealed with a mass of clay; and there is satisfactory -evidence that the same custom was frequently observed -among the ancient inhabitants of that country. Sir -J. G. Wilkinson gives a representation of an iron key, now in -his possession, which he procured among the tombs at Thebes, -and which looks very much like a modern burglar’s picklock. -In relation to keys generally, and after mentioning the use of -bronze for their manufacture, he says: “At a later period, -when iron came into general use, keys were made of that -metal, and consisted of a straight shank about five inches in -length, and a bar at right angles with it, on which were three -or more projecting teeth. The ring at the upper extremity -was intended for the same purpose as that of our modern keys; -but we are ignorant of the exact time when they were brought -into use; and the first invention of locks distinct from both -is equally uncertain; nor do I know of any positive mention -of a key, which, like our own, could be taken out of the lock, -previous to the year 1336 before our era; and this is stated -to have been used to fasten the door of the summer parlour of -Eglon, the king of Moab. The description here adverted to -is that contained in Judges iii. 23-25: ‘Ehud went forth -through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour upon -him, and locked them ... his servants ... took a key, -and opened them.’”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page14">[14]</span></p> - -<p>The curious and ingenious wooden lock of ancient Egypt -is still in use in Egypt and Turkey. In Eton’s <i>Survey of -the Turkish Empire</i>, published towards the close of the last -century, the locks then and there in use are thus described: -“Nothing can be more clumsy than the door-locks in Turkey; -but their mechanism to prevent picking is admirable. -It is a curious thing to see wooden locks upon iron doors, -particularly in Asia, and on their caravanserais and other -great buildings, as well as upon house-doors. The key -goes into the back part of the bolt, and is composed of a -square stick with five or six iron or wooden pins, about half -an inch long, towards the end of it, placed at irregular distances, -and answering to holes in the upper part of the bolt, -which is pierced with a square hole to receive the key. The -key being put in as far as it will go, is then lifted up; and -the pins, entering the corresponding holes, raise other pins -which had dropped into these holes from the part of the lock -immediately above, and which have heads to prevent them -falling lower than is necessary. The bolt, being thus freed -from the upper pins, is drawn back by means of the key; the -key is then lowered, and may be drawn out of the bolt. To -lock it again, the bolt is only pushed in, and the upper pins -fall into the holes in the bolt by their own weight.” Mr. -Eton, probably seeing how well the tumbler-principle is here -understood, says: “This idea might be improved on; but -the Turks never think of improving.” The locks on the -doors of modern houses in Cairo seem to be of this long-established -form, except where iron locks have been imported -from Europe.</p> - -<p>A letter was inserted in the <i>Journal of Design</i> for July -1850 from Mr. W. C. Trevelyan; in which, after adverting to -the Egyptian lock, he says: “It is remarkable that the locks -which have been in use in the Faröe Islands, probably for -centuries, are identical in their construction with the Egyptian. -They are, lock and key, in all their parts made of -<i>wood</i>; of which material, if I mistake not, they have also<span class="pagenum" id="Page15">[15]</span> -been found in Egyptian catacombs; and so identical with the -Faröese in structure and appearance, that it would not be -easy to distinguish one from the other.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig1"> -<img src="images/illo015a.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 1.</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig2"> -<img src="images/illo015b.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 2.</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig3"> -<img src="images/illo015c.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 3.</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig4"> -<img src="images/illo015d.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 4.</p> -</div> - -<p>The construction of this remarkable Egyptian or pin-lock -will be understood from the accompanying engravings. The -quadrangular portion, <i>a a</i> <a href="#Fig1">fig. 1</a>, is the case of the lock, screwed -or otherwise fastened to the door, having a wooden bolt, <i>b b</i>, -passing horizontally through a cavity in it. In the part of the -case above the bolt are several small cells containing headed -pins, arranged in any desired form; and in the top of the bolt -itself are an equal number of holes similarly arranged. The -effect of this arrangement is such that, when brought into the -right positions, the lower ends of the headed pins drop into the -corresponding holes in the bolt, thereby fastening the bolt in -the lock-case. A large hollow, or cavity, is made at the exposed -end of the bolt, the cavity extending as far as and beyond -the holes occupied by the pins. The key consists of a -piece of wood (shewn in two positions, <a href="#Fig3">figs. 3</a> and <a href="#Fig4">4</a>,) having -pins arranged like those in the lock, and projecting upwards -just to a sufficient distance to reach the upper surface of the -bolt. This being the arrangement, whenever the key is introduced -and pressed upwards, its pins exactly fill the holes -in the bolt, and by so doing dislodge those which had fallen<span class="pagenum" id="Page16">[16]</span> -from the upper part of the case. The bolt may, under these -circumstances, be withdrawn (as shewn in <a href="#Fig2">fig. 2</a>), leaving the -headed pins elevated in their cells, instead of occupying the -position shewn by the dotted lines in <a href="#Fig1">fig. 1</a>. The cavity in -the bolt must of course be high enough to receive the thickness -of the key, and also the length of the pins protruding -from the key.</p> - -<p>This primitive lock comprises many of the best features of -the tumbler or lever-locks of later days, as will be seen in a -future chapter. There will also be opportunities of shewing -how the pin-action has been applied in other ways in some of -the modern locks.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2><span class="h2nr">CHAPTER III.</span><br /> -<span class="h2name">LOCK CLASSIFICATION. THE PUZZLE-LOCK AND THE DIAL-LOCK.</span></h2> - -<p class="noindent">In approaching the subject of modern locks it becomes necessary -to decide upon some method of treating the widely-scattered -and diverse materials which are presented to our notice. One -plan would be to trace the subject chronologically, by describing, -in the order of their invention, the most important locks -which have been presented to public notice. But this would be -attended with some disadvantages: the peculiar characters of the -several locks would not be brought out with sufficient distinctness; -and the result, so far as the reader is concerned, would -rather tend to confusion than to a clear appreciation of the -subject. There are more advantages belonging to a classification -of locks under certain headings, according to some marked -peculiarities in their modes of action. This is a convenient -plan, but it is not an easy one to put in execution; for inventors -have not sought to place their locks in any particular -class, but rather to call attention to their merits. Moreover,<span class="pagenum" id="Page17">[17]</span> -many locks embody two or three distinct principles so equally, -that it will often be difficult to decide in which class to place -them. This, nevertheless, may be done with an approach -to correctness. It is necessary first, however, to explain certain -technical terms by which locks are distinguished one from -another.</p> - -<p>Locks, in truth, admit of an immense variety, which, however -important to be known to locksmiths, carpenters, and -others employed on them, need only be glanced at very cursorily -by the general reader. Some locks are named according -to the purposes to which they are to be applied; others -according to their shape, or the principles of their construction. -In the first place, there is the distinction between <i>in-door</i> -and <i>out-door</i> locks. Of in-door locks, one principal kind is the -<i>draw-back</i> lock, for street-doors, in which the bolt is capable of -maintaining any one of three positions: it may be locked by -the key, or left half-way out by the pressure of a spring, or be -drawn back by a handle. In the first position, it can only be -withdrawn by the key; in the second, it closes the door, but -can easily be withdrawn by the handle; and in the third, it -leaves the door unfastened. If these locks are made of iron -and carefully finished, they are further called <i>iron-rim</i>; but -if made of wood, suitable for back-doors and inferior purposes, -they are <i>spring-stock</i>. For the doors of rooms, there -are the <i>iron-rim</i>, the <i>brass-case</i>, and the <i>mortise</i> lock; the second -supplants the first, and the third the second, as we advance -in the elegance of the door-fittings. Other designations for -room-locks depend on the number of the bolts: thus, if there -be only one bolt, it is a <i>dead lock</i> or <i>closet lock</i>; if there be a -second bolt, urged by a spring and drawn back by a handle, -it is a <i>two-bolt lock</i>; and if there be also a third, a private -bolt acting only on one side of the door, it is a <i>three-bolt lock</i>. -Again, according to the kind of handle employed, it may be a -<i>knob lock</i> or a <i>ring lock</i>. According to which edge of the door -it is to be fixed, it becomes a <i>right-hand</i> or a <i>left-hand</i> lock. -If the wards of the lock are of somewhat superior quality, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page18">[18]</span> -bend round nearly to a circle, the lock is <i>one-ward round</i>, <i>two-ward -round</i>, and so forth. If the lock has no wards at all, it -is <i>plain</i>; if the wards are of common character, they are often -called <i>wheels</i>, and then the lock becomes <i>one-wheel</i>, <i>two-wheel</i>, -&c. Sometimes the lock is named from certain fancied resemblances -in the shape of the ward, as the L-<i>ward</i>, T-<i>ward</i>, or -Z-<i>ward</i>. If the wards are cast in brass, instead of being made -of slips of iron or copper, the lock is termed <i>solid ward</i>.</p> - -<p>Of the numerous but smaller varieties known by the collective -name of <i>cabinet locks</i>, there are the <i>cupboard</i>, the <i>bookcase</i>, -the <i>desk</i>, the <i>portable desk</i>, the <i>table</i>, the <i>drawer</i>, the <i>box</i>, -the <i>caddy</i>, the <i>chest</i>, the <i>carpet-bag</i>, and many other locks. All -these locks are further called <i>straight</i>, when the plate is to be -screwed flat against the wood-work; <i>cut</i>, when the wood is to -be so cut away as to let in the lock flush with the surface; -and <i>mortise</i>, when a cavity is excavated in the edge of the door -for the reception of the lock.</p> - -<p>Out-door locks are usually <i>wooden stock locks</i>, for stables, -gates, &c.; comprising many varieties of <i>Banbury</i>, <i>bastard</i>, <i>fine</i>, -&c. There are D <i>locks</i> and P <i>locks</i>, for gates, designated from -their shapes; and there are the numerous kinds of <i>padlocks</i>.</p> - -<p>The above terms are employed chiefly between the makers -of the locks and the persons who fix them in their places; but -there are other terms and names, more familiarly known, which -will come under notice in future pages.</p> - -<p>It is scarcely worth while to descant upon the “middle age” -of lock-making—to impart to the subject so much of dignity -as to be susceptible of regular historical treatment. True, we -know that <i>wards</i> were employed before <i>tumblers</i> (unless, indeed, -the pins of the Egyptian lock be considered as tumblers—a -character to which they present considerable claim), and -that wards may be taken as the representative of the medieval -period of lock-making; but it may be more profitable -to proceed in our notice of the different kinds of locks in -an order which will in itself partake somewhat of the historical -character.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page19">[19]</span></p> - -<p>Apart from all the warded and tumbler locks are the very -curious <i>puzzle</i> or <i>letter-locks</i>; a construction which we propose -to dismiss out of hand in the present chapter, before treating -of those which have more commercial importance.</p> - -<p>The puzzle-lock is generally in the form of a padlock, -which is opened and closed without the use of a key, and -which has certain difficulties thrown in the way of its being -opened by any one who is not in the secret of the person who -closed it. It is, in fact, one of the locks in which the doctrine -of permutation is made to contribute to the means of security. -The key to open it is a <i>mnemonic</i> or <i>mental</i> one, instead of one -of steel or iron. Two centuries ago, the puzzle-lock attracted -far more attention than any other. It has always certain -movable parts, the movement of which constitutes the enigma. -Some of these very curious and out-of-the-way locks are so -formed as to receive the name of <i>dial-locks</i>; but the chief -among them are <i>ring-locks</i>—a name the meaning of which -will be presently understood.</p> - -<p>The puzzle or letter-lock of the ring kind, then, consists -essentially of a spindle; a barrel, encompassing the spindle; -two end-pieces, to keep the spindle and barrel in their places; -and the shackle, hinged to one of these end-pieces. To unfasten -the lock, one of the end-pieces must be drawn out a -little, to allow the shackle or horse-shoe to be turned on its -hinge; and the question arises, therefore, how this end-piece -is to be acted upon. This is effected in a very ingenious way: -there are four studs or projections in a row on the spindle, -and as the spindle fits pretty closely in the barrel, the former -cannot be drawn out of the latter unless there be a groove in -the interior of the barrel, as a counterpart to the studs on the -exterior of the spindle; four rings fit on the barrel, on the -interior of each of which there is a groove; and unless all -these four grooves coincide in direction, and even lie in the -same plane as the groove in the barrel, the studs will not be -able to pass, and the spindle cannot be drawn out. Each ring -may be easily made to work round the barrel by means of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page20">[20]</span> -fingers, and to maintain any position which may be given to -it. There are outer rings, one over each of the rings just -described, with the letters of the alphabet (or a considerable -number of them) inscribed on each; and these outer rings, by -means of notches on the inside, govern the movements of the -inner rings.</p> - -<p>The action is, therefore, as follows: when the padlock is -to be locked, the rings are so adjusted that all the grooves -shall be in a right line; the spindle is thrust in, the end-piece -is fixed on, and the shackle is shut down. The padlock is now -fastened; but a reverse order of proceeding would as easily -open it again, and therefore the “safety” or “puzzle” principle -is brought into requisition. The outer rings are moved -with the finger, so as to throw the various interior grooves out -of a right line, and thus prevent the withdrawal of the spindle. -As each ring may be turned round through a large or a -small arc, and all turned in different degrees, the variations -of relative position may be almost infinite. The letters on the -outer rings are to assist the owner to remember the particular -combination which he had adopted in the act of locking; for -no other combination than this will suffice to open the lock. -There may, for instance, be the four letters <span class="smcapall">L O C K</span> in a line, -which line is brought to coincide with two notches or marks -at the ends of the apparatus; and until all the four outer -rings are again brought into such relative position as to place -the letters in a line, the lock cannot be opened.</p> - -<p>There are many allusions to locks, apparently belonging to -the letter or puzzle principle, in authors who flourished two -or three centuries ago. Thus, in Beaumont and Fletcher’s -play of the <i>Noble Gentleman</i>, written in the early part of the -seventeenth century, one of the characters speaks of</p> - -<div class="poemcenter"> - -<div class="poem"> - -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i00">“A cap-case for your linen and your plate,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">With a strange lock that opens with A·M·E·N.”<br /></span> -</div> - -</div><!--poem--> - -</div><!--poemcenter--> - -<p class="noindent">And in some verses by Carew, written about the same time, -there is an analogy drawn, in which one of the things compared -is—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page21">[21]</span></p> - -<div class="poemcenter"> - -<div class="poem"> - -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i28">“A lock<br /></span> -<span class="i0">That goes with letters; for till every one be known,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The lock’s as fast as if you had found none.”<br /></span> -</div> - -</div><!--poem--> - -</div><!--poemcenter--> - -<p>In the <i>Memorabilia</i> of Vanhagen von Ense, written about -the middle of the seventeenth century, a commendatory notice -is given of a letter-lock, or combination-lock, invented by M. -Regnier, Director of the <i>Musée d’Artillerie</i> at Paris. “Regnier,” -we are told, “was a man of some invention, and had taken out -a patent for a sort of lock, which made some noise at the time. -Every body praised his invention, and bought his locks. These -consisted of broad steel rings, four, five, or eight deep, upon -each of which the alphabet was engraved; these turned round -on a cylinder of steel, and only separated when the letters -forming a particular word were in a straight line with one -another. The word was selected from among a thousand, and -the choice was the secret of the purchaser. Any one not -knowing the word might turn the ring round for years without -succeeding in finding the right one. The workmanship -was excellent, and Regnier was prouder of this than of -the invention itself. The latter point might be contested. -I had a vague recollection of having seen something of the -sort before; but when I ventured to say so, my suspicions -were treated with scorn and indignation, and I was not able -to prove my assertion; but many years afterwards, when a -book, which as a boy I had often diligently read, fell into my -hands, Regnier’s lock was suddenly displayed. The book was -called <i>Silvestri a Petrasancta Symbola Heroica</i>, printed at Amsterdam -in 1682. There was an explanation at p. 254, attached -to a picture; these were the words:—<i>Honorius de -Bellis, serulæ innexæ orbibus volubilibus ac literatis circumscripsit -hoc lemma—Sorte aut labore</i>.<a id="FNanchor3"></a><a href="#Footnote3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> However, neither luck -nor labour would have done much more towards discovering -the secret of opening Regnier’s locks, from the variety of -their combinations; and their security seemed so great, that<span class="pagenum" id="Page22">[22]</span> -the couriers’ despatch-boxes were generally fastened with -them.”</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote3"></a><a href="#FNanchor3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> “Honorius de Bellis wrote this inscription,—<i>By chance or by labour</i>,—round -a lock composed of revolving rings graven with letters.”</p> - -</div> - -<p>This curious extract, which was brought forward by Mr. -Chubb, in a paper on locks and keys (read before the Institution -of Civil Engineers in 1850), seems to take away the -credit from one (Regnier) with whose name the letter-lock -has been most intimately associated. We shall presently -explain, however, what it was that Regnier effected towards -perfecting the letter-lock. In the meantime it may be interesting -to note that the British Museum contains a copy of -the work mentioned by Vanhagen. At the page indicated -there is an engraving (a fac-simile of which is given in <a href="#Fig5">fig. 5</a>) -containing a drawing of a veritable puzzle or letter-lock; the -lock consists of a cylinder or barrel, on which seven rings -work; each of these rings is inscribed with letters, and the -ends of the cylinder are grasped by a kind of shackle.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig5"> -<img src="images/illo022.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 5. Puzzle-lock of the seventeenth century.</p> -</div> - -<p>It was a natural result of the arrangement of the letter-lock, -as invented (conjecturally) by Cardan, that only one -particular word or cipher or key could be used in each lock; -and it was to increase the puzzle-power of the lock that Regnier<span class="pagenum" id="Page23">[23]</span> -doubled all the rings, making each pair concentric, and -enabling the user to vary the cipher at pleasure.</p> - -<p>The principle of the letter-lock, when applied to doors, -requires that sort of modification which renders it what is -termed a <i>dial-lock</i>. There are to such a lock one or more -dials, with a series of letters or figures stamped on them; -there is to each dial a hand or pointer connected by a spindle -with a wheel inside the lock; on the wheel is a notch which -has to be brought to a certain position before the bolt can -be moved. There are false notches, to add to the difficulty of -finding the true notch in each wheel. To adjust the notches -to their proper position, a nut on the back of the wheel is -loosened, and the pointer is set at any letter or figure chosen -by the user. The pointers and the dials perform the part of -the outer rings, the wheels that of the inner rings; and it is -easy to see that the same leading features prevail in the two -kinds of lock, however they may differ in detail.</p> - -<p>These dial-locks have not been numerous; they require -wheel and pinion work within the body of the lock, which -gives delicacy and complication to the mechanism. The letter -padlock, be its merits great or small, is strong and durable, -not liable to get out of order; and in so far as it requires -no key or key-hole, it occupies rather a special position among -locks. One of our great “merchant-princes” has been a -letter-lock inventor, as the following will shew.</p> - -<p>Early in 1852, Mr. William Brown, the distinguished -member for South Lancashire, read a paper before the Architectural -and Archæological Society of Liverpool, of much interest -in relation to our present subject. His object was to -describe a letter-lock which he had invented, and which had -up to that time given high satisfaction. We cannot do better -than transcribe the paper, as reported in one of the Liverpool -Journals, with a few abridgments.</p> - -<p>“As your society are desirous of seeing any improvements -or attempts at them, I send you a stock-lock for inspection. -The idea for its construction I took from a letter-padlock.<span class="pagenum" id="Page24">[24]</span> -I had a lock of this description made by Mr. Pooley twenty-five -years ago, which has been in use ever since on Brown, -Shipley, and Co.’s safe....</p> - -<p>“Its advantages I conceive to be—First, it cannot be -picked, for there is no key-hole. Second, it cannot be blown -up by gunpowder, for the same reason. Third, you cannot -drill through the door so as to reach the lock, for you are -intercepted by a steel plate on which your tools will not act: -thus you cannot introduce gunpowder that way to force the -lock off. Fourth, you cannot bounce off the wheels in the interior -with a muffled hammer, for vulcanised India-rubber -springs resist this. Fifth, you cannot drill the spindles out, -as their heads are case-hardened. Sixth, you cannot drive -them in, for they are countersunk in the door about half-way -through....</p> - -<p>“Now let us set the lock to the word <span class="smcapall">W O O D</span> (any other -four letters might be used). When you set the lock, make -a private record of them, so that you may not forget them. -If parties do not know your letters, nothing but violence, -applied by some means or other, can enable them to get into -your safe; for the lock will not open to any thing but its -talisman. Take off all the large wheels and open the lock: -you will see that the large wheels have a number of false -chambers; if you get the spurs of the bolt into three real -chambers and one false, you are as fast as ever, for all four -must be right.</p> - -<p>“Having placed your key and pointer outside the door to -point to <span class="smcapall">W</span> on brass-plate No. 1, the small wheel inside obeys -the same impulse; then maintain your small wheel steadily -on this point, and the large wheel No. 1 will only fit on at -the right place, the true opening compartment being opposite -the spur of the bolt. It being necessary at the time you set -your lock that it should be open, proceed with Nos. 2 and 3 -in the same way, your pointer standing steadily at <span class="smcapall">O</span>. No. 4 -is the same, the pointer being held steadily at <span class="smcapall">D</span>. You should -then shoot your lock two or three times, to be sure you have<span class="pagenum" id="Page25">[25]</span> -made no mistake. Every time you shoot your bolts out, turn -your wheels away from the true chamber, and see when you -again turn your pointers to <span class="smcapall">W O O D</span> that your lock opens freely; -it is the proof that you have made no mistake, and you -may now venture to lock your safe. When you unlock the -door, and find it necessary to leave it open for a time, you -should shoot the bolts as if locked, and turn the wheels, so -that no one may find what your real letters are; and again -adjust them to their proper places, in order that the bolt may -go back and enable you to re-lock. Once having locked the -door and turned the wheels from your real letters, you need -not trouble yourself with carrying the key, but leave it in -any place beside the lock.</p> - -<p>“I believe two wheels would make a perfectly safe lock; -three would be quite so. I adopted four to make security -doubly sure, as it would be impossible in any given time to -work the changes. On two wheels by chance the lock might -open; you can, however, calculate the chances against this; -and also three or four, the false compartment on the outer -rim being taken into calculation. -<span class="padl5 padr5">*</span><span class="padl5 padr5">*</span><span class="padl5">*</span></p> - -<p>“If this lock is of any value, it should be known; if it -has weak points, let them be pointed out, and they may admit -of a remedy; for we ought not to be led to believe a lock is -safe which is not so.”</p> - -<p>In relation to the “first advantage” which Mr. Brown not -unreasonably supposed to be possessed by his lock—viz. that -“it cannot be picked, because it has no keyhole”—we shall -have something to say in a future page, where certain fallacies -on this subject will be noticed. In the meantime we -may remark, that it is not a little creditable that a leading -Liverpool merchant should have invented a lock worthy of -occupying a position on his own safe for a quarter of a -century; for we may be quite certain that he would not have -allowed the lock to maintain that post of honour unless it had -really (so far as experience had then gone) served worthily -as a safeguard to his treasures. And if it were possible to<span class="pagenum" id="Page26">[26]</span> -collect all the by-gone specimens of lock-oddities, we should -probably find among them many highly-ingenious letter-locks; -for supposing a man to have a mechanical turn of mind, a -lock is by no means an unworthy medium for displaying it; -the pieces of metal are so small as to be easily manageable -at a small work-bench in a small room. The fondness for -this sort of employment evinced by the unfortunate Louis XVI. -of France led to the common remark, “He is a capital locksmith, -but a very bad king.”</p> - -<p>In an amusing article in the <i>Observer</i>, during the progress -of the “lock controversy,” was the following paragraph relating -to combination-locks of the letter or puzzle kind: “The -French, in their exposition of 1844, availing themselves of the -permutation principle, produced some marvels in the art; -but the principle has not been adopted in this country. The -<i>Charivari</i> had an amusing quiz upon these locks when they -first came out. It said the proprietor of such a lock must -have an excellent memory: forget the letters, and you are -clearly shut out from your own house. For instance, a gentleman -gets to his door with his family, after a country excursion, -at eleven o’clock at night, in the midst of a perfect deluge of -rain. He hunts out his alphabetical key, and thrusts it into -his alphabetical lock, and says <span class="smcapall">A Z B X</span>. The lock remains as -firm as ever. ‘Plague take it!’ says the worthy citizen, as -the blinding rain drives in his eyes. He then recollects that -that was his combination for the previous day. He scratches -his head to facilitate the movement of his intellectual faculties, -and makes a random guess <span class="smcapall">B C L O</span>; but he has no better success. -In addition to his being well wet, his chances of hitting -on the right combinations and permutations are but small, -seeing that the number is somewhere about three millions five -hundred and fifty-three thousand five hundred and seventy-eight. -Accordingly, when he comes to the three-hundredth -he loses all patience, and begins to kick and batter the door; -but a patrol of the National Guard passes by, and the disturber -of the streets is marched off to the watch-house.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page27">[27]</span></p> - -<h2><span class="h2nr">CHAPTER IV.</span><br /> -<span class="h2name">WARDED LOCKS, WITH THEIR VARIED APPENDAGES.</span></h2> - -<p class="noindent">The more ordinary locks are of an oblong quadrangular shape. -In nearly all of them, either a bolt shoots out from the lock, -to catch into some kind of staple or box, or a staple enters a -hole in the edge of the lock, and is there acted upon by the bolt. -A common room-door lock will illustrate the first of these -kinds, a tea-caddy lock the second. The key, as is well known, -enters a receptacle made for it; and the shaft of the key generally -serves as a pivot or axis around which the web or flat -part of the key may move in a circular course. During this -movement the web acts directly or indirectly on the bolt, -driving it in or out according to the direction in which the -key is turned; the key impels the bolt one way, certain -springs act upon it in another, and the balance between these -two forces determines the locking and unlocking of the bolt. -<i>Wards</i>, or <i>wheels</i>, are contrivances for rendering the opening -difficult without the proper key; and it is of warded locks that -we shall chiefly treat in this chapter.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig6"> -<img src="images/illo027.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 6. Interior of a back-spring warded lock.</p> -</div> - -<p>The annexed cut, <a href="#Fig6">fig. 6</a>, represents the interior of an ordinary -back-spring lock, without tumblers. Such a lock may<span class="pagenum" id="Page28">[28]</span> -usually be known from a tumbler-lock by this simple circumstance, -that it emits a smart snapping noise during the process -of locking, occasioned by the pressure of the spring when the -bolt is in a particular position. In the woodcut the bolt is -represented half out, or half shot. At <i>a a</i> are two notches on -the under side of the bolt connected by a curved part; <i>b</i> is the -back spring, which becomes compressed by the passage of the -curve through a limited aperture in the rim <i>c c</i> of the lock. -When the bolt is wholly withdrawn, one of the notches <i>a</i> rests -upon the rim <i>c c</i>; and the force with which the notch falls -into this position, urged by the spring <i>b</i>, gives rise to the -snapping or clicking noise. When the bolt is wholly shot, -the other notch rests in like manner upon the edge of the aperture -in the rim.</p> - -<p>It must be obvious at a glance, that this back-spring lock -is objectionable on the score of security, on account of the -facility with which the bolt may be forced back by any pressure -applied to its end, a pressure which may often easily be -brought to bear. At the centre of the lock is seen the end of -the key acting on a notch in the bolt, and surrounded by -wards.</p> - -<div class="container25m"> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig7"> -<img src="images/illo028.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 7. Section to shew the action of wards.</p> -</div> - -</div><!--container--> - -<p>It is not at a first glance that the relation between the -clefts in a key and the wards of a lock can be duly appreciated; -because the wards present themselves to view as portions -of circles to which nothing in the key seems to correspond; -but if it be borne in mind that the key has a rotary<span class="pagenum" id="Page29">[29]</span> -motion within the key-hole around the pipe or barrel as an -axis, the circular form of the wards will be accounted for, and -their <i>section</i> will be regarded as exhibiting the looked-for -relation to the wards of the key. In the annexed cut, for -example (<a href="#Fig7">fig. 7</a>), which represents a portion of the interior of a -warded lock, the curved pieces of metal are the wards (two in -this case); and there are two clefts in the bitt of the key to -enable the latter to take its circular course without interruption -from the wards. If the clefts were other than they are, either -in number, position, or size, this freedom of the key’s movement -could not be obtained.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig8"> -<img src="images/illo029.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 8. End sections of keys.</p> -</div> - -<p>When once the opinion became established that a lock is -rendered secure by virtue of its wards, (a theory which we -shall have to discuss in a later page,) much ingenuity was displayed -in varying the wards of the lock, the clefts of the key, -and the shape of the keyhole. Even if the two former were -unchanged, a change in the latter might add to the puzzlement -of the arrangement. For instance, in the annexed cut -(fig. 8), all the six keys represented may have clefts or cuts -exactly alike, all alike adapted to the wards of one particular -lock; yet the differences in the <i>thickness</i> of the web are such, -that if the keyholes were shaped in conformity therewith, each -keyhole would be entered by one of these keys; <i>b</i> and <i>c</i> differing -from <i>a</i> in the relative thickness at different points, and -<i>d</i>, <i>e</i>, and <i>f</i> having certain curvatures and cavities not to be -found in the other three.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig9"> -<img src="images/illo030.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 9. Examples to shew the action of “master,” or “skeleton keys.”</p> -</div> - -<p>But without waiting for the detailed examination of the relative -security and insecurity of locks, we may at once shew -how simple is the principle which renders the warded system<span class="pagenum" id="Page30">[30]</span> -fallacious. In <a href="#Fig9">fig. 9</a> we shall be able to illustrate this. -Numbers 1, 2, and 3, all appear very different keys, and it is -quite true that neither one would open a lock adapted for -either of the other two; and yet the very simple arrangement -No. 4 would open all three. This No. 4 is called a <i>skeleton-key</i>; -and the relation which it bears to the others may be expressed -in the form of a proposition thus: at any point where -there is solid metal in <i>all</i> the keys, there must (or may) be -solid metal in the corresponding part of the skeleton-key; but -at any point where there is a vacancy or cavity in <i>any</i> of the -keys, there must be a cavity in the corresponding part of the -skeleton-key. If Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, be examined, this proposition -will be found to be borne out; there is so much cavity -in No. 4 that it avoids the wards in all the three locks, nothing -being required but the tongue of metal to move the bolt. -Sometimes, to add to the safety, wards are attached to the -front as well as the back plate of the lock; and then there may -be a double series of notches required in the key, such as in -No. 5; but if this be compared with Nos. 9, 10, 11, it will be -found that although no one of the four would open a lock<span class="pagenum" id="Page31">[31]</span> -adapted for either of the other three, yet the skeleton-key No. -12 would master them all, having cavities wherever any of the -others have cavities. This is the theory of the <i>master-key</i>, by -which one key may be made to command many locks. Nos. -6 and 7 have complicated wards; but the key is so much cut -up as to be weakened more than is desirable. No. 8 enables -us to point out the difference between two distinct classes of -keys. Keys with pipes or barrels fitting on a pin or pipe-shaft -can only open a lock on one side of the door or box; -but a key with a solid stem, as No. 8, has the clefts so cut as -to open the lock from either side, as in a street-door lock: it is, -in fact, two warded keys fixed end to end, only half of which -is employed at one time in opening the lock.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig10"> -<img src="images/illo031.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 10. Wards of an old French lock.</p> -</div> - -<p>Some of the warded locks of the last century are curious. -While the idea prevailed that a complicated ward gave security, -there was room for the exercise of ingenuity in varying -the shape of the wards. <a href="#Fig10">Fig. 10</a> is copied from the great -French work. It represents the cuts in the key, and also -(seen perspectively) the complicated forms of the pieces of -metal which constitute the wards corresponding with those -cuts. The aperture in the key at 16 fits upon the metal -surrounding the keyhole at 18; and the M-shaped cuts at -17 fit in like manner upon the similarly-shaped metal pieces -at 19.</p> - -<p>Another example of a similar kind is shewn in <a href="#Fig11">fig. 11</a>, -where an anchor appears to have been the favourite form. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page32">[32]</span> -anchor cuts in the key are shewn at 26; while in the wards -the bottom of the anchor is near the keyhole at 28, and the top -at 29.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig11"> -<img src="images/illo032a.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 11. Wards of an old French lock.</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig12"> -<img src="images/illo032b.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 12. Wards of an old French lock.</p> -</div> - -<p>A similar illustration occurs in <a href="#Fig12">fig. 12</a>, where the star-like -cuts at 34 on the key correspond with the star-like wards -at 33.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig13"> -<img src="images/illo033a.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 13. Exterior of an old secret lock.</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig14"> -<img src="images/illo033b.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 14. The same, with a portion of -the front let down, shewing the -key-hole.</p> -</div> - -<p>From the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries locks were -made in France, on which a vast amount of care and expense -was bestowed. They were, in an especial degree, -decorative appendages as well as fastenings. They were of -three kinds: room-locks, buffet-locks, and chest-locks; they -were fixed on the outside of the door or lid, so as to be fully -visible. The key had a multitude of perforations which bore -no particular relation to the wards of the lock, but which were -regarded as tests of the workman’s skill. The honorary distinctions -awarded to apprentices and aspirants in the art depended -very much on the number and fine execution of these -perforated keys. The locks, considered as fastenings, had -slender merit; although usually throwing four bolts, they were -not very secure. <a href="#Fig13">Fig. 13</a> represents the exterior of a lock -made about the year 1730, by Bridou, a celebrated Parisian -locksmith. It was a lock belonging to a coffer or strong<span class="pagenum" id="Page33">[33]</span> -chest; all the works being sunk below the level of a carved -architectural moulding or ornament. There is a secret opening -near the part <span class="smcapall">C</span>, forming a portion of the ornamental design; -it allows a bolt, shewn at <span class="smcapall">D</span>, <a href="#Fig14">fig. 14</a>, acted on by the -spring <span class="smcapall">E</span>, to be touched, by which a doorway opens upon the -hinges at <span class="smcapall">B B</span>. <span class="smcapall">A A</span> are a sort of pilasters, which aid in forming -a hold for the bolts. The little ornament at <span class="smcapall">C</span> is drawn down -by the hand, opening the secret door and revealing the key-hole -<span class="smcapall">G</span>. <span class="smcapall">S S</span>, <span class="smcapall">O O</span>, -<span class="smcapall">Z Z</span>, are ornaments fastened on at <i>b c d</i>, <a href="#Fig14">fig. 14</a>, -by nuts and screws, intended to display the skill of the workman.<span class="pagenum" id="Page34">[34]</span> -The lock itself, access to the keyhole of which is obtained -within the secret door, has nothing very remarkable -about it.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig15"> -<img src="images/illo034.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 15. Examples of true and false keys.</p> -</div> - -<p>Mr. Chubb, in his paper read before the Institute of Civil -Engineers, illustrated the insecurity of the warded lock by the -example of one which had actually been placed in the strong-room -of a banking house, and which is represented in the -annexed cut (<a href="#Fig15">fig. 15</a>). The wards are here shewn, surrounding -the central key-pin; and from the appearance of the key, -shewn at <i>a</i>, it is evident that these wards must have been -rather complex. But the uselessness of the wards was proved -by the result. A burglar employed an instrument, shaped like -that at <i>b</i>, having on one of its faces, or sides, a layer of wax -and yellow soap; this instrument, being introduced through -the keyhole and turned a little way round, brought the soft -composition in contact with the ends of the wards, and these -ends thus left their impress on the composition. A false key -was then made, as at <i>c</i>, which, however clumsy it may appear, -has a cavity, or vacuity, where there is a cavity in the true -key; and by such a surreptitious instrument was the lock -opened. Even so rude an instrument as <i>d</i>, by passing round -the wards, might open such a lock.</p> - -<p>We are somewhat anticipating the full consideration of this<span class="pagenum" id="Page35">[35]</span> -subject; but it is desirable at once to explain how and why -an improvement on the warded lock was sought for.</p> - -<p>In connexion with the fanciful eighteenth-century locks, -lately adverted to, we may remark, that no less a man than -Louis XVI. was an amateur workman in this department of -mechanical art—or at least in smith’s work, which in France -is generally considered to include lock-making. Sir Archibald -Alison says, in his <i>History of Europe</i>:—“He had an -extraordinary fondness for athletic occupation and mechanical -labour; insomuch that he frequently worked several hours -a-day with a blacksmith of the name of Gamin, who taught -him the art of wielding the hammer and managing the forge. -He took the greatest interest in this occupation, and loaded -his preceptor in the art with kindness; who returned it by -betraying to the Convention a secret iron recess which they -had together worked out in the walls of the cabinet in the -Tuileries, wherein to deposit his secret papers during the -storms of the Revolution.” There are not wanting indications -that the unfortunate monarch wrought upon locks, as -well as upon safes and strong-rooms.</p> - -<p>Besides wards, there have been numerous other contrivances -for adding to the security of locks—including screws, -escutcheons, spiral springs, wheel-and-pinion work, alarums, -and multiple bolts. As these are not of sufficient importance -to be treated in separate chapters, we shall here give just -so much notice of them as will illustrate their general character. -Some of them are found combined with the “tumbler” -principle, presently to be described; but all of them, it is now -well known, were employed in various, ways when the tumbler -lock was but little understood, and when the warded lock was -held in esteem.</p> - -<p>The Marquis of Worcester, whose curious <i>Century of Inventions</i>, -written nearly two hundred years ago, contains so -many suggestions which ingenuity has since developed into -practical completeness, gives four of his inventions in the -following words:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page36">[36]</span></p> - -<p>69. “A way how a little triangle screwed key, not weighing -a shilling, shall be capable and strong enough to bolt and -unbolt, round about a great chest, an hundred bolts, through -fifty staples, two in each, with a direct contrary motion; and -as many more from both sides and ends; and, at the self-same -time, shall fasten it to the place beyond a man’s natural -strength to take it away; and in one and the same turn both -locketh and openeth it.</p> - -<p>70. “A key with a rose-turning pipe and two roses pierced -through endwise the bit thereof, with several handsomely contrived -wards, which may likewise do the same effects.</p> - -<p>71. “A key, perfectly square, with a screw turning within -it, and more conceited than any of the rest, and no heavier -than the triangle screwed key, and doth the same effects.</p> - -<p>72. “An escutcheon, to be placed before any of these locks, -with these properties: First, the owner, though a woman, may -with her delicate hand vary the ways of causing to open the -lock ten millions of times beyond the knowledge of the smith -that made it, or of me that invented it. Second, if a stranger -open it, it setteth an alarum a-going, which the stranger cannot -stop from running out; and besides, though none shall be -within hearing, yet it catcheth his hand as a trap doth a fox; -and though far from maiming him, yet it leaveth such a mark -behind it as will discover him if suspected; the escutcheon or -lock plainly shewing what money he hath taken out of the -box to a farthing, and how many times opened since the owner -had been at it.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Partington, in his edition of the marquis’s singular -work, makes a few comments on these lock-and-key contrivances. -He says that the lock is evidently intended to operate -on the principle of applying a <i>screw</i> for the purpose of moving -the bolt, instead of using a key as a lever for this purpose. -That such a plan might be applied to locks generally, he -observes, there can be no doubt; and by a similar contrivance -the large keys at present in use for outer doors, iron chests, -&c. might be advantageously reduced by this means. By<span class="pagenum" id="Page37">[37]</span> -employing the escutcheon mentioned by the marquis, much -additional security would be obtained. It must be confessed, -however, that many of the marquis’s statements are difficult -to credit.</p> - -<p>The escutcheon has been a favourite resource with lock-makers. -Mr. Mordan’s escutcheon, for instance, introduced -before the Society of Arts in 1830, is a contrivance to be -placed temporarily over the keyhole of a door, to prevent -the picking of the lock during the owner’s absence. The -escutcheon, or “protector,” has a short pipe which, after the -door has been locked, is thrust into the keyhole; attached to -the pipe is a small lock, on Bramah’s or any other convenient -principle, so contrived that, on turning its key, two lancet-shaped -pieces fly out laterally and bury themselves in the -wood. The escutcheon cannot be removed until the small -key has reacted upon the small lock; and until this removal -has taken place, the large key cannot reach the keyhole.</p> - -<p>A curious application of the escutcheon principle attracted -some attention among locksmiths about seventy years ago. -One of the first premiums awarded by the Society of Arts, -after the commencement of their “Transactions,” was to Mr. -Marshall, for a “secret escutcheon,” in 1784. In his description -of his new invention, he adverts to the marquis of Worcester’s -wonderful escutcheon, and to the many attempts which -have since been made to produce an apparatus which should -realise the marquis’s description. He supposes that the letter -padlock originated as one among many varieties of these imitative -inventions; but this may be doubted. Mr. Marshall’s -contrivance, however, was in effect an endeavour to improve -upon the letter-lock. He considered it an objection that, in -ordinary locks of this kind, the letter-rings admit of no variation -of place; and he sought to remedy this defect. It is -not so much a new lock, as an escutcheon for a lock, which -he produced. There is a studded bar passing through a barrel; -there are five rings which work concentrically on this -barrel; there are letters on the outer surfaces of the rings,<span class="pagenum" id="Page38">[38]</span> -and notches on the inner surface; but when, by the usual -puzzle-action of the rings, the notches in them have been -brought into a right line with the studs of the bar, the result -is, not that the hasp of a padlock is raised, but that the -escutcheon is removed from the keyhole of an ordinary lock. -Mr. Marshall’s contrivance, therefore, is not so much a ring padlock, -as a puzzle-ring security for the escutcheon of a fixed lock.</p> - -<p>Some locks work by a screw and a spiral spring, instead -of an ordinary key. Mr. W. Russell received a silver medal -from the Society of Arts, about thirty years ago, for a new -mode of locking the cocks of liquor-casks. Under ordinary -circumstances, as is well known, the cock of a barrel or cask -is in no way secure from the action of any one who can -approach near enough to touch it; and different methods have -been adopted of obtaining this security or secrecy. One plan -is to employ a perforated cap, soft-soldered to the barrel of the -cock, immediately over the grooved plug, the top of which plug -is formed to the shape of the perforation, and a socket-key of -the same form is introduced to turn the plug or open the lock. -Another plan is to employ an iron saddle or staple, passing -over the plug and below the bottom of the cock, through -which a bolt is put, and a pendent padlock attached. The -first method is very inefficient; the second is much superior, -and has been largely adopted for locking the cocks of coppers, -stills, vats, and other large vessels. But Mr. Russell thought -some further improvement wanted. He caused a hole to be -bored through the barrel, and to some depth into the plug -when the latter is in the position for closing the cock. A -stud works into this hole in such a way, that when the stud -is driven home, the plug cannot be turned or the lock opened. -The stud is attached at its other end to a spiral spring connected -with a screw; a key is employed, the hollow pipe of -which has an internal screw; and when this key is inserted -in the cock-barrel and turned twice round, it draws back the -stud, and allows the plug to be turned round in the proper -way for opening the cock.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page39">[39]</span></p> - -<p>It is not often that wheel-and-pinion work is introduced -into locks; the delicacy, the costliness, the weakness, and the -tendency to get out of order, would all militate against the -frequent adoption of such a course. It is, however, adopted -occasionally. Mr. Friend’s secret-lock, introduced to the notice -of the Society of Arts in 1825, had a train of wheels -which acted upon the bolt, driving it out whenever the circular -arcs of three wheels moved against it, but allowing a spring -to force it back again whenever a deep cleft in each of the -wheels locked into a stud on the bolt. There were certain -numbers on a guide-plate, and a power of combining these -numbers in great variety; and a provision that the bolt could -be unlocked only by the same combination of numbers which -had locked it. The guide-plate was a separate piece of apparatus, -carried in the pocket of the user as a companion to -the key. The key was of no use without the guide-plate, -nor the guide-plate without the key. The user ‘set’ the -numbers on the guide-plate, then applied it to the face of the -lock, then introduced the key into the key-hole, and turned -the key partially round; the bolt was now shot, and the guide-plate -removed. If the key were used without the guide-plate, -the bolt might be locked, but it was always unlocked again -by the time the key had made a complete circuit. There was -considerable ingenuity in the idea of this lock; but we believe -it never went further than a model. Indeed many of the locks -elaborately described in books have never had an existence as -acting working locks.</p> - -<p>A very ingenious principle has been occasionally introduced, -in which clock-work regulates the interval of time -which must elapse before a lock can be opened, even with its -proper key. The object is, to ensure the safety of the lock -during a journey, or until a particular person be present, or -until the locked article is conveyed to a particular room. -A patent was taken out in 1831 for a lock on this principle -by Mr. Rutherford, a bank agent at Jedburgh. Against the -end of the bolt of the lock is placed a circular stop-plate, so<span class="pagenum" id="Page40">[40]</span> -adjusted that the bolt cannot be withdrawn until a particular -notch in the rim of the circular plate is opposite the end of -the bolt. The plate is put in rotation by clock-work. As -the notch can be set at pleasure to any required distance from -the end of the bolt, the lock may be secured against being -opened, either by its own or any other key, until any assigned -number of minutes or hours after it has been locked; -for the plate may be made to revolve either slowly or quickly, -by varying the number of wheels in the clockwork. When -the lock is used for boxes or portable packages, the clockwork -must be moved and regulated by a spring; but when it is -applied to closets or safes, a descending weight and a pendulum -may be employed. It is manifest that this system is susceptible -of being greatly varied in its mode of application; -and it has many points of interest about it. That a man -cannot open his own lock with his own proper key, until the -lock gives permission by assuming a particular state or condition, -certainly strikes one as being susceptible of many useful -applications, where <i>time</i> is an element taken into the account.</p> - -<p>A curious alarum-lock was invented by Mr. Meighan, in -1836, in which the bell or alarum is not placed behind a -door, as in many alarum contrivances, but within the lock -itself. Two or more studs are placed on the bolt, which press -against the lower end of a small tumbler; the movement of -the tumbler elevates a hammer; but as soon as the point of -the tumbler becomes released from the stud, a spring presses -the hammer down forcibly, and causes it to strike against a -small bell placed near it. This sounding of the bell will be -repeated, during the shutting of the bolt, as many times as -there are studs to act upon the point of the tumbler.</p> - -<p>Much of the ingenuity which has been displayed in locks -depends on the employment of multiple bolts, there being all -the additional strength which results from the use of two or -more bolts instead of simply one. Ordinary doors seldom -afford us examples of these double bolts; but they may be frequently -seen in cabinets and desks, where two staples fixed to<span class="pagenum" id="Page41">[41]</span> -the lid fall into two holes in the lock, and are retained by two -bolts. The most remarkable and complicated varieties, however, -are those in which the bolts, instead of shooting parallel -and nearly together, shoot in wholly different ways; one up, -one down, one to the right, one to the left, and so on. It is -on safes, strong boxes, and the doors of strong rooms containing -valuable treasures, that such locks are usually placed. -The mechanism is such that the key acts upon all the bolts -at once, through the intervention of levers and springs of -various kinds.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig16"> -<img src="images/illo041.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 16. Multiple bolts of an old chest-lock.</p> -</div> - -<p>The above <a href="#Fig16">woodcut</a> represents a very curious specimen -of these multiple-bolt locks. It is copied from the great French -work; and the ponderous chest to which it is attached is, we -are told by Réaumur, “known at Paris by the name of the -strong German coffer.” He further says, “nothing is wanting -in these coffers on the score of solidity. They are made -entirely of iron; or if of wood, they are banded both within -and without with iron; and can only be broken open by very<span class="pagenum" id="Page42">[42]</span> -great violence. Their locks are almost as large as the top of -the coffer, and close with a great number of bolts. The one -which we have engraved has twelve fastenings; they have been -made with twenty-four, or more.” His next remark on the -subject is a sensible one: “Notwithstanding the large size of -these locks, and all the apparatus with which they are provided, -they correspond but ill with the solidity of the rest of -the coffer. If we have given a representation of one, it is -chiefly to shew how little confidence one could have in such -a lock, and what are its defects, in order that we may avoid -them.” It is not difficult, by tracing the action of the several -levers, to see how one movement of the key, in the centre of -the lid, would act upon all the bolts. In the engraving (<a href="#Fig16">fig. 16</a>) -<i>a</i>, <i>f</i>, <i>h</i>, <i>c</i>, are the four corner bolts; six others, <i>a d e</i>, <i>a d e</i>, are on -the long sides, three on each; and two, <i>b g</i>, on the short sides. -Every bolt is provided with a spring, of which three or four -are shewn at <span class="smcapall">Z Z Z</span>. There is no staple or box to receive -each bolt; but all shoot or snap beneath the raised edge <span class="smcapall">E</span> -running round the top of the box just within the exterior at -<span class="smcapall">A A</span>. The keyhole in the front of the box at <span class="smcapall">D</span> is a deception -or mask; the real keyhole is in the middle of the lid concealed -by a secret door opened by a spring. When the key has -moved the great central bolt, this acts upon the other bolts -<span class="smcapall">P Q R S T</span>, &c.; <span class="smcapall">V V</span> are studs which act upon two of the bolts; -<span class="smcapall">Y Y</span> are staples confining the great bolt; <i>k</i>, <i>l</i>, <i>c</i>, <i>p</i>, <i>x</i>, are small -levers which transmit the action to the corner bolts; <i>q</i>, <i>r</i>, <i>s</i>, <i>t</i>, <i>n</i>, -are the small levers which render a similar service to the side -and end bolts; <span class="smcapall">L L</span> within the chest, and <span class="smcapall">M M</span> on the lid, are -contrivances for limiting the movement of the latter; <span class="smcapall">C H</span>, <span class="smcapall">H C</span> -are iron straps or bands by which the interior of the chest is -strengthened. After all, this is not so much a lock as a series -of spring latches.</p> - -<p>If a lock can be picked, the picking is as effective whether -the lock has one bolt or twelve bolts. This fact led Mr. Duce, -in 1824, to construct, instead of a four-bolt lock, four distinct -one-bolt locks, fixed in the same frame and opened by the<span class="pagenum" id="Page43">[43]</span> -same key; the bolts to be moved in succession instead of -simultaneously. It would require four times as long to pick -this as a four-bolt lock of similar action.</p> - -<p>There have been many other varieties of the multiple bolt, -but we need not stop to describe them.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2><span class="h2nr">CHAPTER V.</span><br /> -<span class="h2name">ON TUMBLER, OR LEVER LOCKS.</span></h2> - -<p class="noindent">Security being the primary object in all locks, any considerations -as to mechanical ingenuity and graceful decoration -give place to those which relate to safety. A spring lock -may be ingenious and even beautiful in its construction, but -an imitative key will easily open it. Hence arose the invention -of wheels or wards; and as wards failed in trustworthiness, -they in their turn yielded to something better. We have -already explained how the insecurity of mere warded locks -arises; and we shall have something more to say on the subject -in a future chapter. It is sufficient here to remark, that wards, -springs, screws, alarums, wheel-work, escutcheons,—all, however -useful for particular purposes, are wanting in the degree -of surety which we require in a lock. Hence the invention of -<i>tumblers</i>, <i>levers</i>, or <i>latches</i>, which fall into the bolt and prevent -it from being shot until they have been raised or released by -the action of the key. We have been unable to ascertain at -what time, or in what country, or by whom, tumbler-locks -were invented. The invention has been claimed by or for -persons subsequently to the year 1767, when the celebrated -French treatise (<i>Art du Serrurier</i>) already referred to was -published; and yet this treatise contains numerous examples -of simple tumbler locks of ingenious construction, as will presently -be shewn.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page44">[44]</span></p> - -<div class="container25m"> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig17"> -<img src="images/illo044.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 17. Simple tumbler lock.</p> -</div> - -</div><!--container--> - -<p>One of the most elementary forms of tumbler-lock is shewn -in <a href="#Fig17">fig. 17</a>. In this case the bolt, instead of having two notches -in the bottom edge, like those in the back-spring lock, <a href="#Fig6">fig. 6</a>, -has two square notches or slots in the upper edge; and as the -key acts upon the bolt, these notches must of course share in -whatever movements the bolt is subjected to. Behind the bolt -is a kind of latch or tumbler (the lower part of which is shewn -by dotted lines), with a stump or projecting piece of metal at <i>a</i>; -the tumbler moves freely on a pivot at the other end, and is -made to rise through a small arc whenever the key acts upon -the bolt. When the bolt is wholly shot, the stump falls into -one notch and prevents the motion of the bolt; when wholly unshot -or withdrawn, the stump falls into the other notch, and -equally prevents the motion of the bolt. It is not, therefore, -until the key, by elevating the tumbler, has raised the stump -out of the notch, that the bolt has freedom of movement. If -the shape of the key does not enable its web to effect this -elevation to a sufficient degree, the bolt remains immovable; -and to this extent a certain additional security is obtained by -making the shape of the key significant as well as the wards.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig18"> -<img src="images/illo045a.png" alt="Old French lock" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 18.</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig19"> -<img src="images/illo045b.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 19. Old French lock.</p> -</div> - -<p class="allclear">The tumbler-principle, as we have said, is difficult to trace -to its origin on account of the various aspects which it presents; -but the great French treatise proves that the locksmiths -of France were familiar with tumbler-locks a century ago. -The plates of that work represent the details of numerous -locks, on the upper edge of the bolts of which were notches -called <i>encoches</i>, as at <i>o k</i> <a href="#Fig18">fig. 18</a>; into these notches sank a<span class="pagenum" id="Page45">[45]</span> -small iron stud or stump called the <i>arrêt du pêne</i>, or bolt-stop, -shewn in <a href="#Fig19">fig. 19</a>, attached to the upper portion of the <i>gâchette</i> -or tumbler, which, for the sake of economy of metal, is made -in the form of a triangular spring in front of the bolt <i>k i</i>; -and not until the key, by -its circular action, had raised -this stud out of one or -other of the notches, could -the bolt move to the right -or left. The stud was generally fixed to a spring which -forced it down again into the notch as soon as the action -of the key had ceased. Sometimes, however, the stud was -fixed to the bolt, and the notches were in a separate tumbler -or <i>gâchette</i> (see <span class="smcapall">E E</span>, <a href="#Fig21">fig. 21</a>); and in other instances, again, -the stump was fixed to the case of the lock and caught -into notches in the bolt. It will be seen, when we come to -treat of tumbler-locks of later date, that there was much -in these early locks to point out the way. <a href="#Fig19">Fig. 19</a>, copied -from the French work, represents a lock of the box or casket -kind. Two staples, fixed into the cover, fall into two cavities -or receptacles at <span class="smcapall">C</span> <i>d</i>; and a short bolt in each receptacle -catches into each staple, one near <i>g</i> and one near <i>h</i>. The -small bolt <i>q</i> is attached to the upper extremity of the lever -<i>q r s</i>, <a href="#Fig19">fig. 19</a>, and shewn separately in <a href="#Fig20">fig. 20</a>; and by the -pressure of a spring <i>a</i> (<a href="#Fig19">fig. 19</a>) -upon this lever, the bolt<span class="pagenum" id="Page46">[46]</span> -<i>q</i> is kept locked in the staple. The vertical portion -of this spring presses at its lower end on -another spring <i>p</i> (<a href="#Fig19">fig. 19</a>) of singular curvature; -and attached to the horizontal part of this second -spring is the stud, which falls into a notch in the -top of the bolt. The action of these parts, then, -is as follows: when the key is placed upon the -key-pin at <span class="smcapall">Z</span>, and turned round in the direction in -which the hands of a watch move, the bitt presses -against the tail <i>s</i> of the lever, moves it upon its -centre <span class="smcapall">Z</span>, <a href="#Fig19">fig. 19</a>, <i>v</i>, <a href="#Fig20">fig. 20</a>, to the left, and consequently -moves the upper part <i>q</i> to the right, -drawing it out of the receptacle and liberating the -staple within <span class="smcapall">C</span>. Thus it will be seen that the lever -<i>q r s</i>, held in one position by the spring <i>a</i>, forms in itself a -simple kind of spring catch-lock, and was, in fact, formerly used -as such, without any other appendages except the staple in -the lever, into which the catch <i>q</i> fitted on shutting down the -lid. So also we may regard the other portion, <a href="#Fig18">fig. 18</a>, or <i>k i p h</i> -(<a href="#Fig19">fig. 19</a>), as forming a separate lock; for the key after having -passed <span class="smcapall">S</span> comes in contact with the triangular spring, which it -raises thereby, lifting the stud out of the bolt, and exerting -pressure against the barbs of the bolt <i>n</i>. <a href="#Fig18">Fig. 18</a> shoots the -bolt <i>k</i>, and also the short bolt <i>l</i>, which passes through the -staple in the cavity <i>d</i>, <a href="#Fig19">fig. 19</a>.</p> - -<div class="container8m"> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig20"> -<img src="images/illo046a.png" alt="Lever q r s" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 20.</p> -</div> - -</div><!--container--> - -<p>The lock represented in the four following figures is also -from M. de Réaumur’s chapter on locks in the work referred -to. In this lock the tumbler-principle is carried out in a very<span class="pagenum" id="Page47">[47]</span> -elaborate manner, for not only is the stump or stud <span class="smcapall">H</span> (<a href="#Fig23">fig. 23</a>) -attached to a very strong spring (best shewn at <span class="smcapall">H</span>, <a href="#Fig22">fig. 22</a>), -which holds it with considerable force in one of the three -notches of the principal bolt <span class="smcapall">R S</span> (<a href="#Fig24">fig. 24</a>); but there is also a -second set of notches <span class="smcapall">E E</span> in the <i>gâchette</i> <span class="smcapall">G O</span> (<a href="#Fig21">fig. 21</a>), and a pin -attached to one of the plates of the lock fits into one of these -notches, thereby preventing the bolt from being moved until -the <i>gâchette</i> is lowered by the revolution of the key; so that<span class="pagenum" id="Page48">[48]</span> -in attempting to pick this lock, not only must the spring <span class="smcapall">H</span> be -raised so as to release the stud from the notches of the great -bolt, but the <i>gâchette</i> must be lowered to disengage the fixed -pin from the notches. There is yet a third source of security. -Attached to the large bolt are short projecting pins <span class="smcapall">F</span> (<a href="#Fig21">fig. 21</a>), -against which an arm or detent, <span class="smcapall">G F</span>, of the <i>gâchette</i> projects, thus -preventing the bolt from being shot back by any pressure -applied to its extremity <span class="smcapall">S</span>.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig21"> -<img src="images/illo046b.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 21. Details of an old French lock.</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig22"> -<img src="images/illo047a.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 22. Another view of the same.</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig23"> -<img src="images/illo047b.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 23. Another view of the same.</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig24"> -<img src="images/illo047c.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 24. The two bolts detached.</p> -</div> - -<p>There are a few details relating to this remarkable lock, -which may as well be introduced here in order to complete -the description. The principal bolt can be shot twice, or be -<i>double-locked</i>; hence it is furnished with three barbs for the -key to act against, and with three notches for the spring-stud. -The lower bolt <span class="smcapall">I K</span> can be shot by the horizontal pressure of -the button <span class="smcapall">P</span> (<a href="#Fig22">figs. 22</a>, -<a href="#Fig23">23</a>), which is situated on the inner side -of the door to which this lock is attached, so that a person inside -the room can secure the door against any one on the outside -who is not furnished with the proper key, for it must be -remarked that the small bolt as well as the large one is acted -on by the key. Now supposing the small bolt to be shot or -locked, it is kept so by the pressure of the coiled spring <span class="smcapall">Q</span> -(<a href="#Fig21">figs. 21</a>, <a href="#Fig22">22</a>). But this small bolt is connected with the large -one by means of the bent lever <span class="smcapall">O N M</span> -(<a href="#Fig21">figs. 21</a>, <a href="#Fig24">24</a>), which -turns on a pin <span class="smcapall">N</span> attached to the main bolt. Now, when both -bolts are either fully shot or unshot, the arm <span class="smcapall">O N</span> lies flat -against and parallel with the main bolt; but when the large -bolt is unshot and the small one not moved, the arms <span class="smcapall">O N</span>, <span class="smcapall">N M</span>, -fall into an inclined position, and the arm <span class="smcapall">O N</span> passing a little -below the main bolt comes within the range of the web of the -key, which in its revolution causes the bent lever to move upon -its centre <span class="smcapall">N</span>, thereby restoring <span class="smcapall">O N</span> to its horizontal position, -and at the same time causing the arm <span class="smcapall">N M</span> to move from right -to left, or in the direction for unshooting the small bolt; the -end of this arm thus catches into a mortise <span class="smcapall">V</span> -(<a href="#Fig21">figs. 21</a>, <a href="#Fig24">24</a>) in -the small bolt, and immediately unlocks it.</p> - -<p>But to return to the subject of tumbler-locks. About the<span class="pagenum" id="Page49">[49]</span> -year 1778, Mr. Barron introduced that species of double-action -(as it may perhaps be termed) which so greatly increases the -security of the simple tumbler, <a href="#Fig17">fig. 17</a>. In the tumbler-locks -previously made, if the tumbler were raised sufficiently high, -the lock could be opened: there was no such possibility as raising -it <i>too</i> high; but Mr. Barron, by his invention, patented 31st -October, 1778, rendered it absolutely necessary that a limit -should be put to the height to which the tumbler should be -raised, by rendering the bolt equally immovable whether the -tumbler were too much or too little raised. Another important -improvement was the introduction of two tumblers instead of -one. The bolt has in its middle a slot or gating notched on -both edges, the notches being fitted for the reception of studs -fixed to the tumblers. Supposing the studs or stumps of the -tumblers to be resting in the lower notches, they require to be -elevated to the general level of the gating before the bolt can -be moved; whereas, on the other hand, if the tumblers were -raised ever so little too high, the studs will enter the upper -notches, and prevent the shooting of the bolt. The lower -edge, or belly, of each tumbler is acted on by the steps of the -key during its circular movement; the leverage of the key -being so exactly adjusted as to raise the tumbler to the desired -height and no further. The tumblers are made unequally -wide, so that steps or inequalities in the bit of the key are -requisite to lift them both to the proper height. There are -thus two improvements introduced: there are two tumblers -instead of one, and each tumbler has a double instead of a -single action.</p> - -<p>This ingenious and very useful lock is represented, so far -as regards its governing principle, in <a href="#Fig25">fig. 25</a>. The bolt is here -seen to have a peculiar slot or hole cut in it, consisting of a -narrow horizontal passage or gating, with three notches above -it and three below it. These double notches might be available -even for one tumbler only; but Barron used two or more -for the sake of additional security. In <a href="#Fig25">fig. 25</a> there are two -tumblers shewn, expressed by dotted lines; both are hinged to<span class="pagenum" id="Page50">[50]</span> -one pivot, both are raised by the same action of the key, but -the stump on the one tumbler does not coincide in position -with that on the other. It will be seen that if the studs of the -tumblers rested in the lower notches, they would require to be -elevated to the level of the gating before the bolt could be -moved; while, on the other hand, if lifted too high, the -stumps would be caught in the upper notches, and would -equally prevent the passage of the bolt, The tumblers are -unequally wide; and the bitt of the key is stepped or notched -in a corresponding way, that there may be one step fitted to -act upon each tumbler. Mr. Barron also adopted the reverse -arrangement of having the stump on the bolt, and the openings -in the tumblers; so that the principle of his patent may be -concisely expressed as being “an arrangement to allow a -stump on the tumbler to pass through an opening in the bolt, -or a stump on the bolt to pass through an opening in the -tumbler.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig25"> -<img src="images/illo050.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 25. Action of Barron’s tumbler-lock.</p> -</div> - -<p>A very elaborate tumbler-lock, patented 23d February, -1790, by Mr. Rowntree, contrasts remarkably with the simplicity -of Barron’s lock. Mr. Rowntree’s lock consisted of -tumblers combined with revolving discs or wheels. Its mechanism -may be understood from the following description -and engravings. The same letters refer to the same parts in -the several figures.</p> - -<div class="split5050"> - -<div class="left5050"> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig26"> -<img src="images/illo051a.png" alt="Lock" /> -<p class="caption nobot">fig. 26.</p> -</div> - -<div class="containerleft90pc"> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig28"> -<img src="images/illo051c.png" alt="Lock" /> -<p class="caption nobot">fig. 28.</p> -</div> - -</div><!--container--> - -</div><!--left5050--> - -<div class="right5050"> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig27"> -<img src="images/illo051b.png" alt="Lock" /> -<p class="caption nobot">fig. 27.</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig29"> -<img src="images/illo051d.png" alt="Lock" /> -<p class="caption nobot">fig. 29.</p> -</div> - -<div class="container8m"> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig30"> -<img src="images/illo051e.png" alt="Key" /> -<p class="caption nobot">fig. 30.</p> -</div> - -</div><!--container--> - -</div><!--right5050--> - -<p class="clearall"> </p> - -<p class="caption notop">Details of Rowntree’s tumbler-lock.</p> - -</div><!--split5050--> - -<p class="blankbefore75"><span class="smcapall">A A</span> is the plate which encloses the whole mechanism of -the lock, and fastens it to the door; <span class="smcapall">B B</span> is the bolt, guided in -its motion by sliding under the bridges <span class="smcapall">C D</span>; -<span class="smcapall">E E</span> are pillars<span class="pagenum" id="Page51">[51]</span> -which support a plate covering the works; <span class="smcapall">F</span> are the circular -wards surrounding the centre or key-pin; and <i>a</i> shews the -position of the key, which, in turning round, acts in a notch <i>r</i> -in the bolt, and propels it; <span class="smcapall">G</span>, the tumbler, is a plate situated -beneath the bolt, and moving on a centre-pin at <i>d</i>; it has a -catch or stump <i>e</i> projecting upwards, which enters the notches -<i>s</i> or <i>g</i> in the bolt, and thereby retains the latter for backward -or forward motion, as the case may be; <span class="smcapall">H</span> is a spring which -presses the tumbler forward. The key <i>a</i>, in turning round, -acts first against the part <i>c c</i> of the tumbler, and raises it so as -to remove the stump from the notches; it can then enter the -notch <i>r</i> in the bolt, and move it. So far there is no particular -security; but Mr. Rowntree sought to obtain it by the following -means. There is a piece of metal <i>h</i> fixed to the lower side -of the tumbler, called the <i>pin</i>; when the tumbler is caught in -either notch of the bolt, the pin applies itself to a cluster of<span class="pagenum" id="Page52">[52]</span> -small wheels <span class="smcapall">I</span>, fitted on one centre-pin beneath the tumbler; -the edges of these wheels stop the pin, and prevent the tumbler -from being raised. But each wheel has a notch cut in its -circumference <span class="smcapall">I</span>; and it is only when the wheels are so placed -that all their notches lie in a right line, that the pin can enter -this compound notch and allow the tumbler to rise. The -wheels must therefore be all adjusted to position; and this is -effected by a number of levers <span class="smcapall">K</span> centred on one pin at <i>k</i>; at -the opposite end each lever has a tooth <i>m</i> entering a notch in -the wheel belonging to it; so that when any lever is pressed -outward, it turns its wheel round. Now this pressure of the -levers is brought about by a spring <i>n</i> applied to each; and when -so pressed, the levers rest against a pin <i>o</i> fixed in the plate. -The key is so cut as to determine the extent to which the -levers shall act upon the wheels. The key first operates from -the curved part <i>p p</i> of the levers <span class="smcapall">K</span>, and raising them, turns all -the wheels <span class="smcapall">I</span> at once into the proper positions; in turning -further round, it then operates on the part <i>c c</i> of the tumbler, -causing the latter to rise and to release the bolt; and in turning -still further round, it (the key) seizes the notch <i>r</i> of the -bolt, and shoots it. The key is cut into steps of different -lengths, as shewn at <span class="smcapall">V V</span>; each step operates on its respective -lever <span class="smcapall">K</span> in a different degree from the others; the notch at <i>s</i> -acts upon the tumbler, and the plain part <i>t</i> moves the bolt.</p> - -<p>We now proceed to notice the modern tumbler-lock. This -was arranged by Bird, whose patent, bearing date 29th October, -1790, was for a series of four double-acting tumblers, differing -in no respect from those patented by Barron, and closely -resembling those in use at the present time in the best tumbler-locks. -We will describe the modern tumbler-lock more -particularly when we have gone through a few historical -details on the subject.</p> - -<p>Messrs. Mitchell and Lawton obtained a patent bearing -date 7th March, 1815, for a lock in which were combined -with the bolt and double-acting tumblers, a series of movable -wards, and a revolving curtain for closing the key-hole. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page53">[53]</span> -action of the wards was peculiar. On introducing any key -or instrument, and passing it round, a number of movable -wards or pieces were thrown out so as to prevent the key -from being turned back or withdrawn. It was necessary -therefore to pass round the key so as to unlock the lock, and -if that were not possible, as in the case of a false key being -used, it was held permanently, and could only be released by -destroying the lock, When the bolt was once shot, the wards -were carried up so as to leave a clear passage for the key. -This lock does not appear ever to have come into use, on -account of the violence required in case a wrong key should -be used either by accident or design.</p> - -<p>The detention of a wrong key in this lock appears to have -suggested the contrivance of a <i>detector</i>. This was first made -by Ruxton, whose patent is dated 14th May, 1816. His detectors -were of various kinds, the object of each kind being to -give information to the owner in case any one of the tumblers -should be overlifted in an attempt to pick the lock, which fact -would be discovered on the next application of the true key. -This is precisely the object of the detector in tumbler-locks at -the present day, and Ruxton accomplished it by somewhat -similar means. He also had a contrivance for holding a false -key, as in Mitchell and Lawton’s lock; and he recommended -this form of detector in the following words: “It is true that in -this case the lock will have to be destroyed in order to open the -door: the result is frightful; but we think the more terrible -the result, the less likely would any one be to tamper with it.”</p> - -<p>We now come to Chubb’s lock, patented 3d February, 1818, -which consisted of double-acting tumblers and a peculiar kind -of detector. This lock has been made the subject of various -patents obtained in the years 1824, 1833, 1846, and 1847. -This lock<a id="FNanchor4"></a><a href="#Footnote4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> -consists of six separate and distinct double-acting<span class="pagenum" id="Page54">[54]</span> -tumblers, all of which must be raised to a particular height, -neither more nor less, in order that the bolt may pass. It also -comprises a <i>detector</i>, by which, should any one of the tumblers -be lifted too high in an attempt to pick or open the lock by a -false key, it would be immediately detected on the next application -of the proper key. The tumblers are flat pieces of -iron or steel, with the plane of the surface vertical, and pivoted -at one end; and the following is the mode in which the key, -the tumblers, and the bolt, are brought into mutual action.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote4"></a><a href="#FNanchor4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> -The lock about to be described is the latest and most complete form -of Chubb lock up to the date of the Great Exhibition. The various additions -and alterations which have been made in the lock since that date will -be noticed in a subsequent chapter.</p> - -</div><!--footnote--> - -<p>The bolt shoots in and out of the lock in the usual way. -It has a square stud or stump riveted on one surface; and it -is to furnish obstructions to the passage of this stud that the -tumblers are provided. All the six tumblers are pivoted to -one pin at the end, giving to each of them a small leverage, -each independent of the others. There are six springs which -press these tumblers downwards, one to each tumbler. There -is a longitudinal slot or gating in each tumbler, large enough to -receive the stud of the bolt; and unless all the six slots (supposing -there to be six tumblers) coincide in height or position, -the stud will not have a clear passage for moving to and fro. -Now the slots are purposely made nearer the upper edge in -some of the tumblers than in others, all the six being different -in this respect; so that if they are all lifted <i>equally</i>, the slots -do not coincide, and the bolt and its stud will not pass. The -tumblers must then be raised <i>unequally</i>, those to be most raised -which have the slot nearest to the lower edge. To effect this, -the bit of the key is cut into six steps or inequalities, each to -act upon one particular tumbler, and each cut or stepped to the -exact depth which will suffice for the proper raising of the -tumbler. The key is inserted in the keyhole, and is turned; -the six steps raise the six tumblers all to the proper height, to -leave a clear passage along the slots; and the extreme end of -the key then acts upon the bolt itself, and shoots it. To unlock -it again, the same or a duplicate key must be used; for if another -key be employed, differing by ever so little from the proper -one, some one or more of the tumblers will be lifted either a<span class="pagenum" id="Page55">[55]</span> -little too much or not quite enough; and in either case the stud -of the bolt will catch above or below the slot, instead of having -a clear line of movement along the slot itself. After both locking -and unlocking, the springs force the tumblers down as far -as they can go, burying the stud in the recesses above the slot; -so that the tumblers must be raised by the key both for locking -and unlocking.</p> - -<p>The doctrine of chances has wide play in determining the -relative position of the six tumblers. In Mr. Chubb’s essay -this part of the subject is treated in the following way: “The -number of changes which may be effected on the keys of a -three-inch drawer-lock is 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 × 5 × 6 = 720, the number -of different combinations which may be made on the six -steps of unequal lengths (on a six-tumbler lock), without altering -the length of either step. The height of the shortest step -is, however, capable of being reduced 20 times; and each time -of being reduced, the 720 combinations may be repeated; -therefore 720 × 20 = 14,400 changes. The same process, after -reducing the shortest step as much as possible, may be gone -through with each of the other five steps; therefore 14,400 × 6 -= 86,400, which is the number of changes that can be produced -on the six steps. If, however, the seventh step, which throws -the bolt, be taken into account, the reduction of it only ten -times would give 86,400 × 10 = 864,000, as the number of -changes on locks with the keys all of one size (that is, with -one key of definite size in all save the lengths of the steps). -Moreover, the drill pins of the locks and the pipes of the keys -may be easily made of three different sizes; and the number -of changes will then be 864,000 × 3 = 2,592,000, as the whole -series of changes which may be gone through with this key. -In smaller keys, the steps of which are capable of being reduced -only ten times, and the bolt-step only five times, the number of -combinations will be 720 × 10 × 6 × 5 × 3 = 648,000. On the -other hand, in larger keys, the steps of which can be reduced -thirty times, and the bolt-step twenty times, the total number of -combinations will be 720 × 30 × 6 × 20 × 3 = 7,776,000.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page56">[56]</span></p> - -<p>These enormous numbers have been the cause of much -of the wonderment which the six-tumbler locks have excited; -and, as we shall see further on, the Bramah lock presents still -more of the marvellous in respect to this ringing of the -changes.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig31"> -<img src="images/illo056.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 31. Chubb lock, with detector and six tumblers.</p> -</div> - -<p>The construction and action of the Chubb lock may be -further illustrated by means of an engraving, <a href="#Fig31">fig. 31</a>, in -which <i>b</i> is the bolt of the lock, with a stump riveted to it -marked <i>s</i>. The six tumblers are shewn perspectively, the -front or anterior one being marked <i>t</i>; they all move on the -centre-pin <i>a</i>, but are nevertheless perfectly distinct and separate, -to allow of being elevated to different heights. At <i>d</i> is -shewn one end of a divided spring, the divisions being equal -to the number of tumblers, one to each, and so bent that each -spring may press upon its particular tumbler. At <i>e</i> is the detector-spring, -so placed that a projecting piece in the hindmost -tumbler shall be near it; this tumbler having also fixed into -it a stud or pin <i>p</i>. This being the arrangement, especially in -relation to the stump <i>s</i> and the tumblers, it follows that all -the tumblers must be lifted to exact and regulated heights in -order that the stump may pass through the longitudinal slits -of the tumblers; unless it can do so, the bolt cannot be withdrawn. -As there are gaps or notches in each tumbler both<span class="pagenum" id="Page57">[57]</span> -above and below the proper line of passage, and as there are -no ordinary means of ascertaining when any one tumbler is -lifted too high or not high enough, the safety of the lock is -greatly increased by this uncertainty; especially when it is -considered that this uncertainty is multiplied sixfold by the -different modes in which the six tumblers are slotted. If, -through the insertion of a false key, or by any other cause, -any one of the tumblers be raised above its proper position, -the detector spring <i>e</i> will catch the hindmost tumbler, and retain -it so as to prevent the bolt from passing; and thus, upon -the next application of the true key, it will be instantly felt -that some one of the tumblers has been overlifted, because the -true key will not unlock it. To relieve the bolt from this -temporary imprisonment, the key must be turned the reverse -way, as for locking; all the tumblers will thus be brought to -their proper position, and allow the stump to enter the notches -<i>n n´</i>; the bevelled part of the bolt will then lift up the detector-spring, -and allow the hindmost tumbler to fall down into its -proper place; and all this being effected, the lock may be -opened and shut in the ordinary way. The pin <i>p</i> is so adjusted -that if any one of the tumblers—front, back, or intermediate—be -lifted too high, the pin will be lifted with it, and -will catch into the detector-spring, thus producing the result -just described.</p> - -<div class="containerright5m"> - -<div class="figcenter nomargin" id="Fig32"> -<img src="images/illo057.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption nobot">fig. 32.<br /> -Key to Chubb’s lock.</p> -</div> - -</div><!--container--> - -<p>The key is represented in <a href="#Fig32">fig. 32</a>. It has six steps, besides -a terminal step to act upon the bolt. -The height of each step, or the distance to -which it extends from the pipe of the key, -depends of course on the height to which -its corresponding tumbler is to be lifted; -and it matters not whether the steps of the -key are adjusted to the slots of the tumblers, -or the slots to the steps, provided the agreement -be brought about. It is simply a matter -of manufacturing convenience that the key-steps -are cut first and the tumbler-slots afterwards.<span class="pagenum" id="Page58">[58]</span> -We may here remark that <i>bit</i>, or <i>bitt</i>, is the name -given, somewhat indefinitely, either to the whole flat part -of a key, or to the small stepped portions of it. The -flat part was formerly termed the <i>web</i> of the key, probably -from the <i>webbed</i> appearance of the keys to complex warded -locks.</p> - -<p>After the reading of Mr. Chubb’s paper before the Institution -of Civil Engineers, Mr. Owen narrated one or two circumstances -connected with the early history of Chubb’s lock. A -convict on board one of the prison-ships at Portsmouth dockyard, -who was by profession a lock-maker, and who had been -employed in London in making and repairing locks for several -years, and subsequently had been notorious for picking locks, -asserted that he had picked with ease one of the best of Bramah’s -locks, and that he could pick Chubb’s locks with equal -facility. One of the latter was secured by the seals of the -late Sir George Grey, the Commissioner, and some of the -principal officers of the dockyard, and given to the convict, -together with files and all the tools which he stated were -necessary for preparing false instruments for the purpose, as -also blank keys to fit the pin of the lock. A lock exactly the -same in principle was placed in his hands, that he might examine -it and make himself master of its construction. If he -succeeded in opening the lock, he was to receive a free pardon -from the Government, and a reward of 100<i>l.</i> from Messrs. -Chubb. After trying for two or three months to pick the -sealed lock—during which time, by his repeated efforts, he -frequently over-lifted the detector, which was as often re-adjusted -for his subsequent trials—he gave up the attempt. -He stated that Chubb’s were the most secure locks he had -ever met with, and that it was impossible for any man to pick -or to open them with false instruments.</p> - -<p>Mr. Owen further stated, that in order to compare the -merits of Bramah’s and Chubb’s locks, he had suggested a mechanical -contrivance, which was applied to one of Bramah’s -six-spring padlocks belonging to the Excise. It was hung<span class="pagenum" id="Page59">[59]</span> -upon a nail, in a vertical position, secure from lateral oscillation. -A self-acting apparatus was then applied, consisting of -a pipe with hexagonal grooves, and a stud or bit corresponding -with the division of the lock, and secured to it by a spring. -In the grooves of this pipe small slides were inserted, which -pressed against the spring keys of the lock; to these slides were -attached levers, acted upon by eccentrics, moved by a combination -of wheels, whose teeth differed in number so as to perform -the permutation required for the different depths of the spring -keys, corresponding with those of the proper key to the lock. -The automaton machine was set in motion by a line working -over a barrel, and acted upon by a weight; and was thus left -acting upon the mechanism for a considerable time. At right -angles to the pipe or false key was attached a rod and weight; -and when the notches in the spring keys were brought in a -line with the plane of the plate or diaphragm of the lock, the -rod and weight turned the false key, opened the lock, and -stopped the further motion of the automaton. In that state -the slides indicated the exact depth of the grooves in the proper -key, and gave the form of a matrix by which to make a key -similar to the original one. The automaton worked during a -period varying from half an hour to three hours, according to -the state of permutation of the apparatus at the moment of -being applied, compared with that of the slides in the lock. -We confess that it is difficult to understand the action of this -automaton from Mr. Owen’s description. We imagine that -the false notches would effectually prevent the operation of -the instrument, and openings would be required on each slide -to bring it back, so as to meet the motions of the machine.</p> - -<p>Mr. Owen did not state whether his apparatus had been -successful with one only of Bramah’s locks or with several; -nor did he describe any apparatus invented with the view to -the picking of Chubb’s locks. He stated, however, that in -order to ascertain the effect of friction on one of these last-named -locks, it was subjected to the alternate rectilinear motion -of a steam-engine in Portsmouth dockyard, and was locked<span class="pagenum" id="Page60">[60]</span> -and unlocked upwards of 460,000 times consecutively, without -any appreciable wear being indicated by a gauge applied to -the levers and the key, both before and after this alternate -action. Mr. Owen concluded by expressing his individual -opinion that Chubb’s lock had never been picked. “The detector -was the main feature of its excellence; and additional -precaution, therefore, was only departing from its simplicity, -and adding to the expense, without any commensurate advantage.”</p> - -<p>In a subsequent chapter the degree of security afforded by -various descriptions of locks, and the obstacles which they -present of being picked, will come under notice; we therefore -now proceed to describe briefly a few other tumbler-locks, or -application of the tumbler-principle.</p> - -<p>In Mr. Somerford’s lock, for which the Society of Arts gave -a premium in 1818, an attempt was made to improve upon -the ordinary action of tumblers. In most such locks, all the -tumblers must ascend, although to different heights, before -the stud of the bolt can pass through the slots; “which arrangement,” -says Mr. Somerford, “gives an opportunity of introducing -a nail, or a piece of stout wire, into the lock, and thus -raising the tumblers without the necessity of using the key.” -In his new lock, however, he made one lever to ascend while -the other descended, by a somewhat complicated arrangement -of slotted plates above and below the bolt. The key was so -perforated as to be much endangered in respect to strength.</p> - -<p>In Davis’s lock there is a double chamber with wards on -the side of the key-hole. The key is inserted into the first -chamber and turned a quarter round; it is then pushed forward -into the inner chamber, where there is a rotating plate containing -a series of small pins or studs, which are laid hold -of by the key. By turning the key, the plate is moved round, -the tumbler is raised, and the bolt is shot backwards and -forwards. This lock, which is somewhat expensive, is used -to some extent on Cabinet despatch-boxes.</p> - -<p>The lock invented by Mr. Nettlefold is so constructed,<span class="pagenum" id="Page61">[61]</span> -that when the bolt is shot out by the key, two teeth or -quadrants are projected from the sides of the bolt, which take -a firm hold of the plate fixed on the door-post or edge. This -construction is said to answer well for sliding-doors.</p> - -<p>Mr. Alfred Ainger, in 1820, received a silver medal from -the Society of Arts for a draw-back spring latch, in which the -objects proposed were the two following—to render the lock -more difficult of violation by a pick than those ordinarily in -use; and to apply to it a key of which no ordinary person -could take an impress, and which would be difficult of access -even in a workman’s hand. The key is very peculiar; its -pipe consists of three divisions, the section of the upper and -lower divisions being circular, and that of the middle division -triangular; the triangular portion is intended to give motion to -some part of the interior of the lock during the rotation of the -key. There are collars fixed on the extremity of the key, -to act each on one tumbler; and there are modes, by varying -the arrangement of these collars on an octagonal stem, -to give something like a permutation to the number of variations -to which the action of the key may be subject. The -notches or slots are rather in the bolt than in the tumblers; -and there are many peculiarities in the general arrangement.</p> - -<p>In a lock invented and patented by Mr. Parsons, the tumblers -are of a particular form, being hinged on a pivot at their -centres, and working into and out of two notches cut in the -under side of the bolt. It must be obvious that many variations -in the adjustment of the tumblers of locks might be made, -without vitiating the principle on which the action depends.</p> - -<p>Many inventors have tried the use of an expanding web -to the key, so planned that if the step of the web be long -enough to reach the tumbler, it would be too long to pass -through the key-hole; and therefore a principle of safety would -operate by enabling the key to adjust itself at one moment to -the size of the key-hole, and at another to the height of the -tumbler. Mr. Machin of Wolverhampton invented such a key -in 1827. The web of the key is movable on a countersunk<span class="pagenum" id="Page62">[62]</span> -pin, on which it can so far slide as to be drawn one-eighth of -an inch from the barrel. The key-hole is of such a size as to -admit the key only when the web is pressed close up to the -barrel. When the key in this state is introduced, and is begun -to be turned round, one of the notches in the web works into a -raised circular edge of steel, placed eccentrically with regard -to the lock-pin; so that as the key is turned, the web becomes -drawn out, and is at its greatest elongation when it arrives at -the tumblers: in the second half of its circular movement, the -key becomes contracted to its original dimensions, and can then -be removed from the lock.</p> - -<p>Another mode of modifying the key has been introduced -by Mr. Mackinnon, the object being to enable any person to -change at will the pattern or arrangement of the movable -parts of a lock and key; or to keep the key, when not actually -in use, in such a state as to render it unavailing to any one but -himself. It was a complex arrangement, which does not seem -to have come much into use.</p> - -<p>The lock invented by Mr. Williams, in 1839, may be designated -a pin-lock, involving a principle analogous in many -points to that of the Egyptian lock. This lock has a series -of pins which reach through the cap, and are pressed to their -places with a key like a comb or a rake-head. On the inner -end of each pin is a flat piece of steel, in which is cut a notch -for the passage of the bolt; but this passage is not clear until -the notches in all the pieces of steel are in a right line. -The pins are movable, and can be pushed either too far or -not far enough to bring about the coincidence of position in -the notches; and on this ground they are “double-acting.” -Now the teeth of the key are of irregular lengths, each having -a length just suited for pushing the pin to the proper depth: -any other lengths of teeth would fail to open the lock. There -is a mechanism of springs and levers to shoot the bolt when -the pins in the plate are rightly adjusted. The arrangements -in respect to the key are singular and somewhat awkward. -The teeth which lock the bolt are not the same as those<span class="pagenum" id="Page63">[63]</span> -which unlock it, the user having to change ends and adjust -the bit to a socket-handle. This is one among many -examples in which a lock embodies several principles, the inventor -having set himself the task of combining the excellences -of many diverse locks.</p> - -<p>In respect to the tumbler-locks generally, the simplicity -of action, the strength of construction, and the non-liability -of disarrangement, have given them a high place among -safety-locks. The only danger seemed to be, that any person -once obtaining possession of the key could take an impression -from it, and thence form a key which would command the -lock. Attempts have been occasionally made to obviate this -danger, by supplying the key with movable bits which could -be changed at pleasure, so as to constitute any number of -effectively different bits in succession. But the locks being -so constructed that the bolt could only be moved when the -tumblers were in a certain position, the owner was placed in -this predicament: that it was useless to alter the arrangement -of the bits in the key, unless the tumblers were altered in a -corresponding manner; and this would entail the removal of -the lock from the door, and the re-arrangement of the interior -mechanism.</p> - -<p>One of the great defects of tumbler-locks made previously -to the last ten years was, that the tumblers, when lying at -rest in the lock, presented at their <i>bellies</i> or lower edges precisely -the same arrangement as the steps of the key. Indeed, -in many locks of the present day, a good idea of the form of -the key may be gained by feeling the bellies of the tumblers. -The bellies are in fact cut out so as to compensate for the -circular motion of the key, to allow them to remain at rest -while the stump is passing through the gating. Even in -tumbler-locks of the best construction the tumblers will vibrate -more or less during the motion of the key; a defect which -must be provided against in adjusting the lock, or the stump -will be caught in its passage through the gating. Mr. Hobbs -provides a simple remedy by enlarging the back part of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page64">[64]</span> -gating, the effect of which is as follows: when, in shooting -back the bolt, as in unlocking, the key has got to its -highest point, the stump enters the narrow end of the gating; -but in shooting the bolt forward, as in locking, the stump -enters the gating before the key has got to its highest point, -and to allow for the slight vibratory motion of the tumblers -during the passage of the stump, the gating is widened. The -usual method of adjustment is to alter the forms of the bellies -of the tumblers, thus greatly risking the security of the lock, -a defect which was clearly perceived by Bramah [see <a href="#Page67">pp. -67</a>-<a href="#Page70">70</a>], and was one of the reasons which induced him to -construct locks with slides instead of tumblers.</p> - -<p>American locks on the tumbler-principle, and the relation -which all such locks bear to the Bramah lock, will be better -understood after the details of the following chapter.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2><span class="h2nr">CHAPTER VI.</span><br /> -<span class="h2name">THE BRAMAH LOCK.</span></h2> - -<p class="noindent">The lock which was invented by the late Mr. Bramah deservedly -occupies a high place among this class of contrivances. -It differs very materially from all which has gone before it; -its mechanical construction is accurate and beautiful; its key -is remarkable for smallness of size; and the invention was -introduced by the publication of an essay containing much -sensible observation on locks generally. The full title of this -essay runs thus: “A dissertation on the Construction of Locks. -Containing, first, reasons and observations, demonstrating all -locks which depend upon fixed wards to be erroneous in principle, -and defective in point of security. Secondly, a specification -of a lock, constructed on a new and infallible principle, -which, possessing all the properties essential to security, will<span class="pagenum" id="Page65">[65]</span> -prevent the most ruinous consequences of house-robberies, -and be a certain protection against thieves of all descriptions.” -A second edition of this <i>Dissertation</i> was published in 1815; -but the work is now extremely scarce, and hardly attainable.</p> - -<p>It is remarkable to observe the boldness and self-relying -confidence with which Mr. Bramah, some sixty years ago, declared -that <i>all</i> locks were, up to that time, violable; he felt -that this was strictly true, and he hesitated not to give -expression to his conviction. The following is from his -<i>Dissertation</i>:—</p> - -<p>“It is observable that those who are taken in the desperate -occupation of house-breaking are always furnished with a -number and variety of keys or other instruments adapted to -the purpose of picking or opening locks; and it needs no -argument to prove that these implements must be essential -to the execution of their intentions. For unless they can -secure access to the portable and most valuable part of the -effects, which in most families are deposited under the imaginary -security of locks, the plunder would seldom recompense -the difficulty and hazard of the enterprise; and till some -method of security be adopted by which such keys and instruments -may be rendered useless, no effectual check or opposition -can be given to the excessive and alarming practice of -house-breaking.</p> - -<p>“Being confident that I have contrived a security which -no instrument but its proper key can reach; and which -may be so applied as not only to defy the art and ingenuity -of the most skilful workman, but to render the utmost force -ineffectual, and thereby to secure what is most valued as -well from dishonest servants as from the midnight ruffian, -I think myself at liberty to declare (what nothing but the -discovery of an infallible remedy would justify my disclosing), -that all dependence on the inviolable security of locks, even -of those which are constructed on the best principle of any -in general use, is fallacious. To demonstrate this bold and -alarming proposition, I shall first state the common principles<span class="pagenum" id="Page66">[66]</span> -which are applied in the art of lock-making; and by describing -their operation in instruments differently constructed, -prove to my intelligent readers that the best-constructed locks -are liable to be secretly opened with great facility; and that -the locks in common use are calculated only to induce a false -confidence in their effect, and to throw temptation to dishonesty -in the way of those who are acquainted with their -imperfections, and know their inefficacy to the purpose of -security” (p. 5).</p> - -<p>Tumblers had been so little thought of and used at the -time Bramah wrote, that his attention was almost exclusively -directed to <i>warded</i> locks. The mysterious clefts in a key, -connected with some kind of secret mechanism in the lock, -had given the warded locks a great hold on the public -mind, as models of puzzlement and security; and it was to -shew that this confidence rested on a false basis, that he to -a great extent laboured. The following is his exposition of -the principle and the defects of the warded lock.</p> - -<p>“Locks have been constructed, and are at present much -used and held in great esteem, from which the picklock is -effectually excluded; but the admission of false keys is an -imperfection for which no locksmith has ever found a corrective; -nor can this imperfection be remedied whilst the protection -of the bolt is wholly confided to fixed wards. For if a -lock of any given size be furnished with wards in as curious -and complete a manner as it can be, those wards being necessarily -expressed on what is termed by locksmiths the bit or -web of the key, do not admit of a greater number of variations -than can be expressed on that bit or web; when, therefore, -as many locks have been completed of the given size as will -include all the variations which the surface of the bit will -contain, every future lock must be the counterpart of some -former one, and the same key which opens the one will of -course unlock the other. It hence follows that every lock which -shall be fabricated on this given scale, beyond the number at -which the capability of variation ends, must be as subject to<span class="pagenum" id="Page67">[67]</span> -the key of some other lock as to its own; and both become -less secure as their counterparts become more numerous. -This objection is confirmed by a reference to the locks commonly -fixed on drawers and bureaus, in which the variations -are few, and these so frequently repeated, from the infinite -demand for such locks, that, even if it were formed to resist -the picklock, they would be liable to be opened by ten thousand -correspondent keys. And the same observation applies -in a greater or less degree to every lock in which the variations -are not endless.</p> - -<p>“But if the variation of locks in which the bolt is guarded -only by fixed wards could be multiplied to infinity, they would -afford no security against the efforts of an ingenious locksmith; -for though an artful and judicious arrangement of the wards, -or other impediments, may render the passage to the bolt so -intricate and perplexed as to exclude every instrument but its -proper key, a skilful workman having access to the entrance -will be at no loss to fabricate a key which shall tally as perfectly -with the wards as if the lock had been open to his inspection. -And this operation may not only be performed to -the highest degree of certainty and exactness, but is conducted -likewise with the utmost ease. For the block or bit, which is -intended to receive the impression of the wards, being fitted to -the keyhole, and the shank of the key bored to a sufficient -depth to receive the pipe, nothing remains but to cover the -bit with a preparation which, by a gentle pressure against the -introductory ward, may receive its impression, and thus furnish -a certain direction for the application of the file. The -block or bit being thus prepared with a tally to the first ward, -gains admission to the second; and a repetition of the means -by which the first impression was obtained, enables the workman -to proceed, till by the dexterous use of his file he has -effected a free passage to the bolt. And in this operation he -is directed by an infallible guide; for, the pipe being a fixed -centre on which the key revolves without any variation, and -the wards being fixed likewise, their position must be accurately<span class="pagenum" id="Page68">[68]</span> -described on the surface of the bit which is prepared to -receive their impression. The key therefore may be formed -and perfectly fitted to the lock without any extraordinary degree -of genius or mechanical skill. It is from hence evident -that endless variations in the disposition of fixed wards are not -alone sufficient to the purpose of perfect security. I do not -mean to subtract from the merit of such inventions, nor to -dispute their utility or importance. Every approach towards -perfection in the art of lock-making may be productive of -much good, and is at least deserving of commendation; for if -no higher benefit were to result from it, than the rendering -difficult or impossible to many that which is still practicable -and easy to a few, it furnishes a material security against -those from whom the greatest mischiefs and dangers are to be -apprehended.”</p> - -<p>There can be little doubt, in the present day, that Bramah -did not over-rate the fallacies embodied in the system of wards -for locks. He was sufficiently a machinist to detect the weak -points in the ordinary locks; and, whatever may have been -his over-estimate of his own lock (presently to be described), -he was certainly guilty of no injustice to those who had preceded -him; for their locks were substantially as he has described -them. To understand the true bearings of his Dissertation -too, we must remember that housebreaking had risen -to a most daring height in London at the time he wrote (about -the middle of the reign of George III.); and men’s minds were -more than usually absorbed by considerations relating to their -doors and locks.</p> - -<p>Mr. Bramah, after doing due justice to the ingenuity of -Barron’s lock, in which, if the tumbler be either <i>over</i> lifted or -<i>under</i> lifted the lock cannot be opened, pointed out very clearly -the defective principle which still governed the lock. “Greatly -as the art is indebted to the ingenuity of Mr. Barron, he has -not yet attained that point of excellence in the construction of -his lock which is essential to perfect security. His improvement -has greatly increased the difficulty but not precluded the<span class="pagenum" id="Page69">[69]</span> -possibility of opening his lock by a key made and obtained as -above described (by a wax impression on a blank key); for an -impression of the tumblers may be taken by the same method, -and the key be made to act upon them as accurately as it may -be made to tally with the wards. Nor will the practicability -of obtaining such a key be prevented, however complicated -the principle or construction of the lock may be, whilst the -disposition of its parts may be ascertained and their impression -correctly taken from without. I apprehend the use of -additional tumblers to have been applied by Mr. Barron as -a remedy for this imperfection.” Mr. Bramah thought that -Barron had a perception of a higher degree of security, but -had failed to realise it; because, by giving a uniform motion -to the tumblers, and presenting them with a face which tallies -exactly with the key, they still partake in a very great degree -of the nature of fixed wards, and the security of the lock is -thereby rendered in a proportionate degree defective and liable -to doubt.</p> - -<p>To shew how this insecurity arises, Mr. Bramah illustrates -the matter in the following way: “Suppose the key with -which the workman is making his way to the bolt to have -passed the wards, and to be in contact with the most prominent -of the tumblers. The impression, which the slightest -touch will leave on the key, will direct the application of the -file till sufficient space is prepared to give it a free passage. -This being accomplished, the key will of course bear upon the -tumbler which is most remote; and being formed by this process -to tally with the face which the tumblers present, will -acquire as perfect a command of the lock as if it had been -originally made for the purpose. And the key, being thus -brought to a bearing on all the tumblers at once, the benefit -arising from the increase of their number, if multiplied by -fifty, must inevitably be lost; for, having but one motion, they -act only with the effect of one instrument.”</p> - -<p>It is worthy of notice, that even while thus shewing the -weak points of the Barron lock, Mr. Bramah seems to have<span class="pagenum" id="Page70">[70]</span> -had in his mind some conception of infallibility or inviolability -attainable by the lock in question. After speaking of the defect -arising from the bad arrangement of the tumblers, he -says: “But nothing is more easy than to remove this objection, -and to obtain perfect security from the application of -Mr. Barron’s principle. If the tumblers, which project unequally -and form a fixed tally to the key, were made to present -a plane surface, it would require a separate and unequal -motion to disengage them from the bolt; and consequently -no impression could be obtained from without that would give -any idea of their positions with respect to each other, or be of -any use even to the most skilful and experienced workman in -the formation of a false key. The correction of this defect -would rescue the principle of Mr. Barron’s lock, as far as I -am capable of judging, from every imputation of error or imperfection; -and, as long as it could be kept unimpaired, would -be a perfect security. But the tumblers, on which its security -depends, being of slight substance, exposed to perpetual friction—as -well from the application of the key as from their -own proper motion—and their office being such as to render -the most trifling loss of metal fatal to their operation, they -would need a further exertion of Mr. Barron’s ingenuity to -make them durable.”</p> - -<p>It may perhaps be doubted whether the principle of -Bramah’s lock is not more clearly shewn in the original constructed -by him than in that of later date. In appearance it is -totally different, but the same pervading principle is observable -in both; and the cylinder lock can certainly be better understood -when this original flat lock has been studied. The -annexed <a href="#Fig33">woodcut</a> is taken from the first and very scarce -edition of Mr. Bramah’s <i>Dissertation</i>; the description is somewhat -more condensed, but perhaps sufficient for the purpose.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig33"> -<img src="images/illo071.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 33. Bramah’s first model.</p> -</div> - -<p>The lock is supposed to be lying flat, with the bolt <span class="smcapall">B</span> half-shot. -Ranged somewhat diagonally are six levers, turning on -a horizontal joint or pivot at <span class="smcapall">A</span>, each lever having a slight -extent of vertical motion independent of the others. Each<span class="pagenum" id="Page71">[71]</span> -lever rests on a separate spring of sufficient strength to sustain -its weight, or, if depressed by a superior force, to restore -it to its proper position when the force is withdrawn. <span class="smcapall">F</span> is a -curved piece of metal, pierced with six grooves or passages; -these grooves are exactly equal in width to the thickness of the -levers, but are of sufficient depth to allow the levers a free -motion in a perpendicular direction. The ends of the levers -are inserted in these grooves, and have this freedom of motion, -whether lifted by the elastic power of the springs or depressed -by a weight from above. In the bolt <span class="smcapall">B</span> is a notch to receive -a peculiarly-shaped lever, which shoots or withdraws the bolt -according as it traverses to the right or the left. This lever, the -six long levers, the springs beneath them, the bent piece <span class="smcapall">F</span>, -and the pivot, all alike are fixed to a circular platform <span class="smcapall">P</span>, -which turns on a centre; so that if any force can make this -platform turn partially round, the bolt must be shot or unshot -by the lever which works in the notch. The six long levers<span class="pagenum" id="Page72">[72]</span> -are the contrivances whereby the platform shall <i>not</i> be allowed -to turn until the proper moving agent (the key) shall have -been applied, the plate <i>p</i> being one of the assistants in this -obstruction. This plate, which is hollow underneath, has six -notches in one of its edges; the points of the levers catch into -these notches; and while so caught, the levers cannot move horizontally, -and all the machinery is at a stand-still. To enable -the key to set the mechanism in action, other contrivances -are necessary. Each lever has a notch at its extreme end, -and the six are notched very irregularly in respect one to -another. These notches must be brought all into one plane, -to enable the levers to pass horizontally out of the notches -in the plate, in the same way as the two prongs of a fork -might traverse one above and the other below the blade of a -knife; and when the lever-notches are in this position, all in -one plane and in the plane of the plate, the levers can be -moved, and with it the stump which shoots the bolt. To ensure -this due pressing down of the levers, a key is used such -as is shewn in the <a href="#Fig33">cut</a>, having six steps or bits to correspond -with the six levers; this key, put upon the pin <span class="smcapall">K</span>, presses -down all the levers to the exact distance necessary for bringing -their notches into one plane, viz. the plane of the plate; -the key then being turned round turns the movable platform -<span class="smcapall">P</span>, and shoots the bolt. It is evident at a glance, that -unless the various steps of the key are so cut, that each shall -press down its own lever to the proper extent, the ends of the -levers cannot pass the notches in the plate, and the bolt can -neither be locked nor unlocked.</p> - -<p>It may be well to give Bramah’s own words in relation to -this lock: “I may safely assert that it is not in art to produce -a key or other instrument by which a lock constructed on -this principle can be opened. It will be a task, indeed, of -great difficulty, even to a skilful workman, to fit a key to this -species of lock, though its interior face were open to his inspection; -for the levers being raised by the subjacent springs -to an equal height present a <i>plane</i> surface, and consequently<span class="pagenum" id="Page73">[73]</span> -convey no direction that can be of any use in forming a tally -to the <i>irregular</i> surface which they present when acting in -subjection to the proper key. Unless, therefore, a method be -contrived to bring the notches on the ends of the levers in -a direct line with each other, and <i>to retain them in that position -till an exact impression of the irregular surface which the levers -will then exhibit can be taken</i>, the workman will in vain -attempt to fit a key to the lock, or by any effort of art to -move the bolt. And when it is considered that this process -will be greatly impeded, and may perhaps be entirely frustrated, -by the action of the springs, it must appear that great -patience and perseverance, as well as great ingenuity, will be -required to give any chance of succeeding in the attempt. -I do not state this circumstance as a point essential or of any -importance to the purpose of the lock, but to prove more -clearly what I have before observed upon its principle and -properties; for if such difficulties occur to a skilled workman, -as to render it almost, if not altogether impracticable to form -a key when the lock is open to his inspection and its parts -accessible to his hand, it pretty clearly demonstrates the impossibility -of accomplishing it when no part of the movement -can be touched or seen.”</p> - -<p>It is evident that Mr. Bramah had his thoughts directed -to that mode of picking locks which depends on taking impressions -of the moving parts, rather than to the <i>mechanical</i> or -<i>pressure</i> method which has been developed in later times. -There can be little doubt that a lock was, to his mind, a -beautiful and admirable machine, far elevated above the level -of mere blacksmith’s work; and his name will ever be associated -with what may be termed the philosophy of lock-making.</p> - -<p>After the model-lock, which has just been described, was -constructed, and found to corroborate the idea which was -working in Mr. Bramah’s mind, he proceeded to the construction -of his barrel or cylinder-lock, embracing similar elements -placed in more convenient juxta-position. In his Essay he -gives an engraving to illustrate the principle on which his lock<span class="pagenum" id="Page74">[74]</span> -acts, rather in the manner of a diagram than as depicting any -lock actually made; his main object being to impart a clear -notion of the action of the slides which form such a distinguishing -feature in his lock.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig34"> -<img src="images/illo074.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 34. Diagram to illustrate the Bramah lock.</p> -</div> - -<p>Viewed in this sense, therefore, simply as an illustrative -diagram, the annexed <a href="#Fig34">cut</a> may represent the action of the -safety slides. <span class="smcapall">B</span> is a sliding bar or bolt, having a power of -longitudinal motion in the frame <span class="smcapall">F</span>. This frame has six -notches cut on each of its long sides, the two series being -exactly opposite each other; and there are six similar notches -cut in the bolt <span class="smcapall">B</span>. The concurrent effect of all these eighteen -notches is, that the six slides <i>a b c d e f</i> can move freely up and -down across the bolt. When the slides are thus placed, the bolt -cannot move, and may in this case be considered to be locked. -There are six clefts or notches in the six slides, one to each -(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6); and until all these are brought in a right -line, the bolt cannot move through them. If a tally or key -be prepared, as shewn at <span class="smcapall">T</span> in the lower part of the cut, with -six projections, and if these projections thrust up the six -slides till their clefts rise to the plane of the bolt, then can -the bolt be withdrawn or the lock opened. This serves to -illustrate the relation between the slides and the key, as -carried out in the way now to be described.</p> - -<p>One peculiarity of the Bramah lock is, that from the<span class="pagenum" id="Page75">[75]</span> -essential part of the apparatus being a barrel or cylinder, much -of the working can be conducted in the lathe; and this has -given a beauty to the details generally and deservedly admired. -Mr. Bramah, when he worked out the theory of his lock, -resolved to discard altogether the use of fixed wards, and also -the use of tumblers working on a pivot at one end; substituting -in their stead a system of slides, working in a very novel -way. The body of a Bramah lock may be considered as -formed of two concentric brass barrels, the outer one fixed, -and the inner rotating within it. The inner barrel has a projecting -stud, which, while the barrel is rotating, comes in -contact with the bolt in such a way as to shoot or lock it; -and thus the stud serves the same purpose as the bit of an -ordinary key, rendering the construction of a bit to the -Bramah key unnecessary. If the barrel can be made to rotate -to the right or left, the bolt can be locked or unlocked; and -the problem is, therefore, how to ensure the rotation of the -barrel. The key, which has a pipe or hollow shaft, is inserted -in the keyhole upon the pin, and is then turned round; but -there must be a very nice adjustment of the mechanism of the -barrel before this turning round of the key and the barrel can -be ensured. The barrel has an external circular groove at -right angles to the axis, penetrating to a certain depth; and -it has also several <i>internal</i> longitudinal grooves, from end to -end. In these internal grooves thin pieces of steel are able -to slide, in a direction parallel with the axis of the barrel. -A thin plate of steel, called the locking-plate, is screwed in two -portions to the outer barrel, concentric with the inner barrel; -and at the same time occupying the external circular groove -of the inner barrel; this plate has notches, fitted in number -and size to receive the edges of the slides which work in the -internal longitudinal grooves of the barrel. If this were all, the -barrel could not revolve, because the slides are catching in the -grooves of the locking-plate; but each slide has also a groove, -corresponding in depth to the extent of this entanglement; -and if this groove be brought to the plane of the locking-plate,<span class="pagenum" id="Page76">[76]</span> -the barrel can be turned, so far as respects that individual -slide. All the slides must, however, be so adjusted that their -grooves shall come to the same plane; but as the notch is cut -at different points in the lengths of the several slides, the slides -have to be pushed in to different distances in the barrel, in -order that this juxta-position of notches may be ensured. -This is effected by the key, which has notches or clefts at the -end of the pipe equal in number to the slides, and made to -fit the ends of the slides when the key is inserted; the key -presses each slide, and pushes it so far as the depth of its cleft -will permit; and all these depths are such that all the slides -are pushed to the exact position where their notches all lie in -the same plane; this is the plane of the locking-plate, and the -barrel can be then turned.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig35"> -<img src="images/illo076.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 35. Exterior of a Bramah lock.</p> -</div> - -<div class="containerleft40"> - -<div class="figcenter nomargin" id="Fig36"> -<img src="images/illo077a.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 36. Details of the -Bramah lock.</p> -</div> - -</div><!--container--> - -<p>This is the principle which Mr. Bramah adopted; and we -have now to trace it, step by step, by means of illustrative -details. <a href="#Fig35">Fig. 35</a> represents the exterior of a box or desk lock, -one among many varieties which the Bramah lock presents. -<span class="smcapall">A A</span> shews the bolt, formed something like two hooks rising -out of a bar of metal, which bar has a backward and forward -motion upon the plate <span class="smcapall">B B</span>. The upper edge of this plate is -turned over at right angles, forming a small horizontal surface -through which two openings are cut to receive the two hooked -portions of the bolt. The movements of the bolt are otherwise -guided by the edges of square holes through which it works;<span class="pagenum" id="Page77">[77]</span> -the holes being made in the edge-pieces of the lock, riveted to -the main plate. The bolt is further prevented from rising out -of its place by means of a plate of -metal <span class="smcapall">C</span>, which is secured to the edge-pieces -by two screws 1, 1, and by two -steadying pieces. This plate has on -its surface a cylindrical projection <span class="smcapall">D</span>, -which contains in effect all the working -mechanism of the lock. The pins -4 4 are employed for securing a plate, -which we shall have to describe presently. -When such a lock is fixed -upon a desk or box, the portion <i>D</i> -projects to a small distance through -a hole in the wood-work, forming in -itself a very neat escutcheon, with a -key-hole in the centre.</p> - -<div class="containerright8m"> - -<div class="figcenter nomargin" id="Fig37"> -<img src="images/illo077b.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 37. -The slides.</p> -</div> - -</div><!--container--> - -<p>So much for the exterior. We -must now proceed to examine the interior -of the lock, especially the part -contained within the cylinder. In <a href="#Fig36">fig. -36</a>, for convenience of arrangement, -the several parts are exhibited separately, -and as if the plane of the lock -were horizontal, with the key acting -vertically. The essential part of the -mechanism is a barrel or cylinder <i>E</i>, -pierced or bored with a cylindrical -hole down its centre. The inside of the bore has six narrow -grooves, cut parallel with the axis, and in the direction of -radii; the grooves are not cut through the thickness -of the cylinder, but leave sufficient substance -of metal for strength. In every groove is fitted a -steel slide of peculiar form, such as is shewn at <i>a´ a´</i> -in <a href="#Fig37">fig. 37</a>. Each slide is split in its thickness -(seen in section), so that it may move up and -down in its groove with a slight friction, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page78">[78]</span> -thereby not fall simply by its own weight. Each slide has -three small notches (3, 2, 3´), the use of which will presently -appear. Reverting to <a href="#Fig36">fig. 36</a>, the lower part of the opening -through the cylinder <i>E</i> is closed by a circular plate of metal, -fixed to it by two screws; this plate is represented at <i>F</i>, in the -lower part of the figure. This plate has a vertical pin rising -from its centre (also seen at <i>b</i>, <a href="#Fig39">fig. 39</a>), and serving as a key-pin -on which the pipe of the key may work or slide; and it -has also a short circular stud <i>c</i> projecting from its under side, -and fitted to enter into a curved opening in the bolt presently -to be described.</p> - -<p>The point to be now borne in mind is this, that if the -cylinder <i>E</i> turns round, the plate <i>F</i> will also turn round, and -with it the stud <i>c</i>; and as this stud works into the peculiarly -formed cavity <i>d</i> in a portion of the bolt (<a href="#Fig38">fig. 38</a>), it causes the -bolt to be shot backwards or forwards. Now, in order to prevent -this rotating of the cylinder unless the proper key be employed, -the following mechanism is introduced: the cylinder -has a groove cut round its circumference at <i>e e</i>, extending sufficiently -near to the internal bore to produce the desired effect -without too much weakening the metal. Into this notch is introduced -the thin circular plate of metal <i>f f</i>, it being divided -into two halves for this purpose; and when so placed, it occupies -the position shewn by the dotted portion <i>e e</i>. When this plate -is screwed to the case of the lock by the screws 4, 4, it cannot -of course turn round; but the cylinder itself will or will not<span class="pagenum" id="Page79">[79]</span> -turn round according to the position of the slides. The plate -<i>f f</i> has six notches, 5, 5, 5, &c. in the inner edge or circle; so -adjusted that, when the plate is in its place, the slides <i>a a</i> can -move up and down. The cylinder cannot move round in a -circle without carrying the slides with it; and these cannot so -move unless they are all depressed to such exact distances in -their respective grooves, that the deep notch of each slider -(shewn at 2 in <a href="#Fig37">fig. 37</a>) shall come into the plane of the circular -plate: when all are so brought, the cylinder can be turned. If -any one of the slides be pressed down either too low or not low -enough, this turning of the cylinder cannot be effected, because -the slides will be intersected by the edges of the notches 5, 5; -and it is the office of the key, therefore, to press all the six -slides down to the exact distances required. When the slides -are not pressed upon by the key, they are forced upwards to -the top of the cylinder by a spiral spring 6, coiled loosely round -the pin <i>b</i>; this pressure forces up a small collet, 7, on which -the upper part of the slides rest by a sort of step.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig38"> -<img src="images/illo078.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 38. The bolt.</p> -</div> - -<p>The first locks were made with a separate and independent -spring to each slide; but it is a very great improvement, the -introduction of one common spring to raise up the whole -number; because if a person attempts to pick the lock by -depressing the slides separately by means of any small pointed -instruments, and by chance brings two or more of them to the -proper depth for turning round, should he press any one too -low, it is difficult to raise it again without relieving the -spring 6, which immediately throws the whole number of -slides up to the top, and destroys all that had been done -towards picking the lock. Another improvement of this lock, -and one which very much increased the difficulty of picking, -and its consequent security, was the introduction of false -and deceptive notches cut in the sliders, as seen at 3, 3. It -was found that in the attempt to pick this lock, an instrument -was introduced by the keyhole to force the cylinder round. -At the same time that the slides were depressed by separate -instruments, those slides which were not at the proper level<span class="pagenum" id="Page80">[80]</span> -for moving round were held fast by the notches 5, 5 in the -plate <i>f f</i> bearing against their sides; but when pressed down -to the proper level, or till the notch 2 came opposite <i>f f</i>, they -were not held fast, but were relieved. This furnished the -depredator with the means of ascertaining which slides were -pressed low enough, or to the point for unlocking. The -notches 3, 3 in the slides are sometimes cut above the true -notch 2, sometimes below, and at other times one on each side -(one above and one below); they are not of sufficient depth to -allow the cylinder to turn round, but are intended to mislead -any one who attempts to pick, by his not knowing whether it -is the true notch or otherwise, or even whether the slider be -higher or lower than the true notch.</p> - -<p>We have not yet sufficiently described the key of the -Bramah lock. One merit of the lock is the remarkable smallness -of the key, which renders it so conveniently portable. The -key, as shewn in the upper part of the figure, has six notches -or clefts at the end of its pipe or barrel; these clefts are cut to -different depths, to accord with the proper extent of movement -in the slides. There is a small projection, 10, near the end of -the pipe, fitted to enter the notch <span class="smcapall">D</span> in the cylinder; this forces -the cylinder round when the parts are all properly adjusted. -The bolt of the lock, when properly shot or locked, is prevented -from being forced back by the stud <i>c</i> on the bottom, <span class="smcapall">F</span>, -of the cylinder coming into a direct line with its centre of motion, -as shewn in <a href="#Fig39">fig. 39</a>; in this position no force, applied to -drive the bolt back, would have any tendency to turn the -cylinder round.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig39"> -<img src="images/illo081.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 39. Section of the Bramah cylinder.</p> -</div> - -<p>To facilitate the comprehension of this very curious and -beautiful mechanism, the cylinder is shewn in section in the -annexed <a href="#Fig39">fig. 39</a>, the same letters and figures of reference being -used as before. In the whole of this description we have -spoken of six slides, and six only; but Bramah locks may be, -and have been, constructed with a much larger number.</p> - -<p>There have been several attempts made to modify the -action of Bramah’s lock, or to combine this action with that of<span class="pagenum" id="Page81">[81]</span> -some other inventor. It will suffice to describe one of these. -The lock invented by Mr. Kemp of Cork, and for which a -patent was obtained in 1816, is called by him the <i>Union</i> lock, -as combining the principles of Barron’s and Bramah’s locks. It -contains two, three, or more sliders or tumblers, operated upon -by two, three, or more concentric tubes. These concentric -tubes are of different lengths, and are placed inside the barrel -of the key; so that the barrel may, in fact, be conceived to -consist of a series of concentric tubes. These tubes are made -of such respective lengths as to push back the tumblers, -sliders, or pins which detain the bolt; and this to the precise -extent that will bring certain notches in all the sliders to the -position which will allow the bolt to pass. The inventor gives -this lock its distinctive appellation because it combines something -of the pushing motion which Bramah gives to his key, -with something of the tumbler-motion observable in Barron’s -locks. The principle of safety is considered here to rest chiefly -on the extreme difficulty of imitating the key.</p> - -<p>Mr. Bramah calculates the number of changes of position -which the slides of his lock are capable of assuming before the -right one would be attained. “Let us suppose the number -of levers, slides, or other movables by which the lock is kept -shut, to consist of twelve, all of which must receive a different -and distinct change in their position or situation by the application -of the key, and each of them likewise capable of receiving -more or less than its due, either of which would be sufficient<span class="pagenum" id="Page82">[82]</span> -to prevent the intended effect. It remains, therefore, to -estimate the number producible, which maybe thus attempted. -Let the denomination of these slides be represented by twelve -arithmetical progressionals; we find that the ultimate number -of changes that may be made in their place or situation is -479,001,600; and by adding one more to that number of slides, -they would then be capable of receiving a number of changes -equal to 6,227,020,800; and so on progressively, by the addition -of others in like manner to infinity. From this it appears -that one lock, consisting of thirteen of the above-mentioned -sliders, may (by changing their places only, without any difference -in motion or size,) be made to require the said immense -number of keys, by which the lock could only be -opened under all its variations.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2><span class="h2nr">CHAPTER VII.</span><br /> -<span class="h2name">AMERICAN LOCKS.</span></h2> - -<p class="noindent">The lock-manufacture in America has undergone some such -changes as in England. The insufficiency of wards to the attainment -of security has been for many years known; and the -unfitness of even tumblers to attain this end, without auxiliary -contrivances, has been fully recognised for a dozen years back. -In this, and in other mechanical arts, the American machinists -depended primarily on the invention of the artisans in the -mother country, rather than on those of any continental European -state. But the development of the art in the United -States has not been wanting in originality; the varieties of -locks have been very numerous, and many of them exceedingly -ingenious. It is not necessary, however, to describe or depict -any of those of simple form. The warded locks of different -countries very much resemble each other; the intricate warded<span class="pagenum" id="Page83">[83]</span> -locks made in France in the last century have long fallen into -disuse, in consequence of the general conviction that no arrangement -of wards, however intricate, can afford the degree of security -required in a good lock. It will be more to the purpose, -therefore, to proceed at once to a notice of those American locks -which, during the last few years, have acquired some celebrity; -first, however, noticing one of older date.</p> - -<p>Stansbury’s lock, invented in the United States about forty -years ago, may be regarded as a modification of the Egyptian -lock. It had a bolt, case, and key-hole somewhat similar to -those of modern locks; but there were peculiarities of construction -in other respects. There was a revolving plate, pierced -with a series of holes, and having a bit or pin which moved -the bolt. On the lock-case were a series of springs, each -having a pin at one end; and the arrangement was such that, -when the bolt was locked or unlocked, each pin would be -pressed into some one of the holes. Like as in the Egyptian lock -(<a href="#Fig1">figs. 1</a> to <a href="#Fig4">4</a>), each pin had to be pushed out, and all of them -simultaneously, to allow the plate to turn and move the bolt. -The key was made with a barrel and bit; and on the front end -of the bit was a series of pins corresponding in position with -the holes in the plate. The mode of locking or unlocking was -as follows: the key was inserted in the key-hole, and turned -to a certain position; it was then pressed in with some force, -until the pins on the key met those in the plate; when the -latter, yielding to the pressure, left the plate free to turn and -move the bolt. Modifications of the Egyptian lock, more or -less resembling this, have been brought out in some variety on -both sides of the Atlantic; but scarcely any have equalled in -simplicity the curious wooden relic of by-gone ingenuity in the -art of lock-making.</p> - -<p>A lock made a few years ago by Mr. Yale, in the United -States, somewhat resembles the Bramah lock in having a cylinder -or barrel, or rather two concentric cylinders, one working -within the other. These cylinders are held together by pins -which pass through them both into the key-hole. On the back<span class="pagenum" id="Page84">[84]</span> -of the inner cylinder is a pin that fits into a slot in the bolt, -and moves it whenever the cylinder is turned. The pins that -hold the cylinders together are each cut in two; the pieces of -the various pins differing in lengths as irregularly as possible. -The key is so peculiarly formed, that, on inserting it in the -key-hole, it thrusts the pins radially outwards; each pin being -pushed just so far that the joint of the pin shall coincide with -the joint between the two cylinders. The inner cylinder can -then be turned, by which the bolt is locked or unlocked. If, -by the use of a false key, any pin be pushed in too far, it will -be as ineffectual in opening the lock as if it were not thrust in -far enough; and some of these locks having been made with as -many as forty pins, the chances are very numerous against the -right combination being hit upon. There is a combination of -something like the Egyptian with something like the Bramah -lock, here attempted.</p> - -<p>One of the principal constructions adopted in America -a few years back for bank-locks is that of Dr. Andrews of -Perth Amboy, in New Jersey. It was up to that time (1841) -believed that the best locks, both of England and America, -were proof against any attempts at picking derived from knowledge -obtained by inspection through the key-hole; but there -still remained the danger that the sight of the true key, or the -possession thereof, for only a few minutes, would enable a dishonest -person to produce a duplicate. It was to contend against -this difficulty that Dr. Andrews directed his attention; and he -sought to obtain the desired object by constructing a lock, the -interior mechanism of which could be changed at pleasure. -The lock of his invention is furnished with a series of tumblers -and a detector. The tumblers are susceptible of being arranged -in any desired order; and the key has movable bits which can -be arranged so as to correspond with the tumblers. When the -lock is fixed in its place, no change can be made in the tumblers, -and consequently only one arrangement of the bits of the -key will suit for the shooting and withdrawing of the bolt. -The owner can, however, before the fixing of the bolt, adopt<span class="pagenum" id="Page85">[85]</span> -any arrangement of tumblers and bits which he may choose. -But though the tumblers cannot be actually re-arranged in any -new order within the lock while the latter is fixed, yet by an -ingenious contrivance the tumblers can be so acted upon as to -render the lock practically different from its former self. The -purchaser receives with his lock a series of small steel rings, -each ring corresponds in thickness with the thickness of some -one of the bits of the key; so that, by suitable adjustment, any -one of the bits may be removed from the key, and a ring be -substituted in its place. The effect of this substitution is, that -the particular tumbler which corresponds with the ring is not -raised by it; it is drawn out with the bolt, as if it were part of -the bolt itself. Supposing the lock to be locked by this means, -the original key would not now unlock it; for one of the tumblers -has now been displaced, and can only be re-adjusted by -the same ring which displaced it. If an attempt be made to -open the lock by the original key, or by the key in its original -adjustment, a detector is set in action, which indicates that a -false key or other instrument has been put into the lock. One, -or more than one, of the bits may be removed from the key, -and rings be substituted, and consequently one or more of the -tumblers may be disturbed in this peculiar way; so that the -lock may change its character in all those permutating varieties -which are so observable in most “safety-locks.” The -shape of the tumblers is, of course, such as to facilitate this -action; they have each an elongated slot, and also two notches; -when a tumbler is raised by one of the bits of the key, one of -the notches closes around a stump fitted into the case of the -lock, and prevents the tumbler from being moved onward with -the bolt; but when a ring has been substituted for a bit on -the key, the tumbler cannot be raised at all; it is carried onward -by a stump on the bolt.</p> - -<p>Dr. Andrews is also the inventor of a lock which he terms -the <i>snail-wheel lock</i>. In this lock a series of revolving discs, -or wheels, taking the place of the tumblers, are mounted on a -central pin, on which the pipe of the key is inserted. Each<span class="pagenum" id="Page86">[86]</span> -disc has a piece cut out of it, into which the bit of the key -enters, and in turning round moves the discs according to the -various lengths of the steps on the key. On the outer edge of -each disc is a notch, and by the turning of the key all these -notches are brought into a line, so that a moveable tongue, or -<i>toggle</i>, attached to the bolt, falls into the notches; the key is -then turned the reverse way, by which means the bolt is -projected.</p> - -<p>About the time when Dr. Andrews invented his first lock, -Mr. Newell, of the firm of Day and Newell of New York, constructed -a lock which possessed the same distinctive peculiarity -as that of Andrews, viz. that the key might be altered any number -of times without rendering it necessary to remove the lock -or change its internal mechanism. This was brought about, -however, in a different manner. Instead of having, as in the -Andrews lock, a two-fold movement to every tumbler, Mr. -Newell employed two sets of tumblers, the one set to receive -motion from the other, and having different offices to fill, to -be acted upon by the key in respect to the first series, and to -act upon the bolt in respect to the second. Calling these two -sets <i>primary</i> and <i>secondary</i>, the action of the lock may be briefly -described as follows. A primary tumbler being raised to the -proper height by the proper bit in the key, raises the corresponding -secondary tumbler; the secondary tumbler is held -up in a given position during the locking, while the primary -becomes pressed by a spring into its original position. It results -from this arrangement that the bolt cannot be unlocked -until the primary tumbler has been raised to the same height -as before, so as to receive the tongue of the secondary tumbler. -And as this is the case in respect to any one primary and its -accompanying secondary tumblers, so is it the case whether -each set comprises four, five, or any other number. The key -may be altered at pleasure, and will in any form equally well -shoot the bolt; but the lock can only be unfastened by that -arrangement of key which fastened it.</p> - -<p>It is, however, desirable to trace the course of improvements<span class="pagenum" id="Page87">[87]</span> -more in detail, because every successive change illustrates -one or other of the several properties required in a good -lock. Messrs. Day and Newell’s lock was not finally brought -to an efficient form without many attempts more or less abortive. -Mr. Newell conceived the idea of applying a second -series of tumblers, so placed as to be acted on by the first -series. Each of these secondary tumblers had an elongated -slot, such that a screw could pass through all of them; the -screw having a clamp to overlap the tumblers on the inside -of the lock. The head of the screw rested in a small round -hole on the back of the lock, so placed as to form a secondary -key-hole, to which a small key was fitted. There was thus a -double system of locking, effected in the following way: when -the large key had been applied, and had begun to act on the -primary tumblers, the small key was used to operate on the -clamp-screw, and thus bind all of the secondary tumblers together, -ensuring their position at the exact heights or distances -to which the primary key had caused them to be lifted. -The bolt was then free to be shot, and the first series of tumblers -reverted to their original position.</p> - -<p>But such an arrangement has obvious inconveniences. -Few persons would incur the trouble of using two keys; -and besides this, there were not wanting certain defects in -the action and reaction of the several parts; for if the clamp-screw -were to be left unreleased, the first series of tumblers -would be upheld by the second series in such a way that -the exact impression of the lengths of the several bits of the -key could be obtained through the key-hole while the lock was -unlocked or the bolt unshot. To remedy one or both of these -evils was the next object of Mr. Newell’s attention. He made -a series of notches or teeth in each of the secondary tumblers, -corresponding in mutual distance with the steps or bits of the -key; and opposite these notched edges he placed a dog or -lever, with a projecting tooth suitable to fall into the notches -when adjusted properly in relation to each other. When the -key was used, the primary tumblers were raised in the usual<span class="pagenum" id="Page88">[88]</span> -way, and acted on the secondary tumblers; these latter were -so thrown that the dog-tooth caught in the notches and held -them fast, thereby rendering the same service as the clamp-screw -and the small key in the former arrangement. No other -relative position of the bits of the key could now unlock the -lock.</p> - -<p>Still, improvement as it was, this change was not enough; -Mr. Newell found that his lock, like all the locks that had preceded -it, was capable of being picked by a clever practitioner; -and candidly admitting the fact, he sought to obtain some new -means of security. He tried what a series of complicated -wards would do, in aid of the former mechanism; but the -result proved unsatisfactory. His next principle was to provide -a number of false notches on the abutting parts of the -primary and secondary tumblers, with alterations in other parts -of the apparatus. The theory now depended upon was this, -that if the bolt were subjected to pressure, the tumblers would -be held fast by false notches, and could not be raised by -any lock-picking instrument. To increase the security, a -steel-curtain was so adjusted as to cover, or at least protect, -the key-hole. Great anticipations were entertained of this lock, -but they were destined to be negatived. A clever American -machinist, Mr. Pettit, accepted Messrs. Day and Newell’s challenge -(500 dollars to any one who could pick this lock); he -succeeded in picking the lock, and thus won the prize.</p> - -<p>Once again disappointed, Mr. Newell re-examined the whole -affair, and sought for some new principle of security that had -not before occurred to him. He had found that, modify his -lock how he might, the sharp-eyed and neat-fingered mechanician -could still explore the interior of the lock in such a -way as to find out the relative positions of the tumblers, and -thus adapt their means to the desired end. How, therefore, to -shut out this exploration altogether became the problem; how -to make a lock, the works of which should be <i>parautoptic</i>—to -coin a word from the Greek, which should signify <i>concealed -from view</i>. The result of his labours was the production of<span class="pagenum" id="Page89">[89]</span> -the American bank-lock now known by that name. The details -of this lock may now conveniently be given.</p> - -<div class="containerright94pc"> - -<div class="figright" id="Fig40"> -<img src="images/illo089.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 40. The American Parautoptic lock; bolt unshot.</p> -</div> - -</div><!--container--> - -<div class="containerright"> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig41"> -<img src="images/illo090.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 41. The same with the bolt shot.</p> -</div> - -</div><!--container--> - -<p class="clearall"> </p> - -<p>In <a href="#Fig40">fig. 40</a> the lock is represented in its unlocked state, with -the cover or top-plate removed; the auxiliary tumbler and the -detector-plate are also removed. In <a href="#Fig41">fig. 41</a> it is represented as -locked, with the cover and the detector-plate also removed, and -the auxiliary tumbler in its place. In these two figures, the -same letters of reference apply to the same parts, unless otherwise -stated. <span class="smcapall">B B</span> is the bolt; <span class="smcapall">T</span><sup>1</sup> are the first series of movable -slides or tumblers; <i>s</i> shews the tumbler-springs; <span class="smcapall">T</span><sup>2</sup> the -secondary series of tumblers; and <span class="smcapall">T</span><sup>3</sup> the third or intermediate -series—these latter coming between the first and secondary -series; <span class="smcapall">P P</span> are the separating plates between the several members -of the first series of tumblers; <i>s</i><sup>1</sup> are the springs for lifting -the intermediate tumblers. On each of the secondary tumblers -<span class="smcapall">T</span><sup>2</sup> is a series of notches, corresponding in mutual distance with -the difference in the lengths of the movable bits of the key. -It thence happens that, when the key is turned in the lock to -lock it, each bit raises its proper tumbler, so that some one -of these notches shall present itself in front of the tooth <i>t</i> in<span class="pagenum" id="Page90">[90]</span> -the dog or lever <span class="smcapall">L L</span>. When the bolt <span class="smcapall">B</span> is projected by the action -of the key, it carries with it the secondary tumblers <span class="smcapall">T</span><sup>2</sup>, and -presses the tooth <i>t</i> into the notches; in so doing, it withdraws -the tongues <i>d</i> from between the jaws <i>j j</i> of the intermediate -tumblers <span class="smcapall">T</span><sup>3</sup>, and allows the first and intermediate tumblers to -fall to their original position. By the same movement, the -secondary tumblers <span class="smcapall">T</span><sup>2</sup> become held in the position given to -them by the key, by means of the tooth <i>t</i> being pressed into -the several notches, as shewn in the closed state of the lock -(<a href="#Fig41">fig. 41</a>). Now let us see what results if any attempt be made -to open the lock with any arrangement of key but that by -which it has been locked. In such case, the tongues <i>d</i> will -abut against the jaws <i>j j</i>, preventing the bolt from being withdrawn; -and should an attempt be made to ascertain which -tumbler binds and requires to be moved, the intermediate tumbler -<span class="smcapall">T</span><sup>3</sup> (which receives the pressure), being behind the iron -wall <span class="smcapall">I I</span>, which is fixed completely across the lock, prevents the -possibility of its being reached through the key-hole; and the -first tumblers <span class="smcapall">T</span> are quite detached at the time, thereby making<span class="pagenum" id="Page91">[91]</span> -it impossible to ascertain the position of the parts in the inner -chamber behind the wall <span class="smcapall">I I</span>. <span class="smcapall">K</span> is the drill-pin, on which the -key fits; and <span class="smcapall">C</span> is a revolving ring or curtain, which turns -round with the key, and prevents the possibility of inspecting -the interior of the lock through the key-hole. Should, however, -this ring be turned to bring the opening upwards, a detector-plate -<span class="smcapall">D</span>, <a href="#Fig42">fig. 42</a>, is immediately carried over the key-hole by the motion -of a pin <i>p</i><sup>1</sup> upon the auxiliary tumbler <span class="smcapall">T</span><sup>4</sup>, which is lifted by -the revolution of the ring <span class="smcapall">C</span>, thereby effectually closing the key-hole. -As an additional protection, the bolt is held from being -unlocked by the stud or stump <span class="smcapall">S</span> bearing against the detector-plate; -and, moreover, the lever <i>l l</i> holds the bolt, when locked, -until it is released by the tail of the detector-plate pressing the -pin <i>p</i><sup>1</sup>; <i>l</i><sup>1</sup> is a lever which holds the bolt on the upper side, -when locked, until it is lifted by the tumblers acting on the -pin <i>p</i><sup>1</sup>; <span class="smcapall">X</span> are separating-plates between the intermediate tumblers -<span class="smcapall">T</span><sup>3</sup>; <i>u u</i><sup>1</sup> are the studs for preserving the parallel motion -of the different tumblers.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig42"> -<img src="images/illo091.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 42. The detector plate of the Parautoptic lock.</p> -</div> - -<p><a href="#Fig43">Fig. 43</a> represents the key in two different forms, or with -the bits differently arranged. Either form will lock the lock, -but the other will not then unlock it. The end of the key is -represented in <a href="#Fig44">fig. 44</a>, shewing the screw which fixes the bits<span class="pagenum" id="Page92">[92]</span> -in their places. The bits for a six-bitted key are shewn -separately in <a href="#Fig45">fig. 45</a>.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig43"> -<img src="images/illo092a.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 43. Key of the Parautoptic lock.</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig44"> -<img src="images/illo092b.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 44. End view of the key.</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig45"> -<img src="images/illo092c.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 45. Separate bits of the key.</p> -</div> - -<p>In 1847 the parautoptic lock was exhibited at Vienna before -the National Mechanics’ Institute of Lower Austria; and -towards the close of the year Mr. Belmont, consul-general of -Austria at New York, placed in the hands of Messrs. Day and -Newell a letter, a diploma, and a gold medal, forwarded by the -Institute. The letter was from the president of the Institute to -Mr. Newell, and was couched in the following terms:</p> - -<p>“The Institute of Lower Austria, at its last monthly session, -has passed the unanimous resolution to award to you its gold -medal, as an acknowledgment of the uncommon superiority of -the combination-lock of your invention; and this resolution was -ratified in its general convention held on the 10th instant.</p> - -<p>“Whilst I, as president of this Institute, rejoice in seeing -the services which by this invention you have rendered to the -locksmith’s art thus appreciated and recognised, I transmit to -you, enclosed, the said medal, together with the documents relating<span class="pagenum" id="Page93">[93]</span> -to it; at the same time availing myself of this opportunity -to assure you of my esteem.</p> - -<p class="right padr2">“<span class="smcap">Colloredo Mannsfeld.</span></p> - -<p>“Vienna, May 31st, 1847.”</p> - -<p class="blankbefore75">The diploma and the medal were similar to other honorary -distinctions of the same class, and need not be described here; -but the report of the special committee may be given, as it expresses -the opinions of the Viennese machinists on the relative -principles by which safety is sought to be obtained in different -kinds of locks.</p> - -<p class="center highline2 gesp2">REPORT</p> - -<div class="report"> - -<p class="hind02"><i>Of a Special Committee on the new Parautoptic Permutation Lock of the -American Newell, made known to the Lower Austrian Institute by the -Councillor, Professor Reuter, and on the motions relating to it made by -the same and accepted by the Institute. Presented at the monthly meeting, -April 6th, 1847, by Mr. Paul Sprenger, Aulic Councillor on Public -Works, &c. &c.</i></p> - -<p class="blankbefore75"><span class="smcap">Gentlemen</span>:—At our last monthly meeting, Mr. Reuter, Aulic Councillor -and Secretary of the Institute, directed your attention to a newly -invented lock of Mr. Newell, of North America, which was represented as -excelling all other changeable combination-locks hitherto known, and as -being without a rival.</p> - -<p>The Special Committee which was intrusted with the examination of -this lock, and of the motions made by the said Secretary, and accepted by -the Institute, has conferred on me the honour of making you acquainted -with the results of its investigations.</p> - -<p>The attention of your committee was chiefly occupied with the three -questions proposed by the said Aulic Councillor in relation to the lock in -question:</p> - -<p>First: Whether the idea of Mr. Newell was of any practical value for -already existing and still-to-be-invented combination-locks;</p> - -<p>Secondly: Whether the idea was of sufficient importance to be published -and minutely described in the transactions of the said Institute; and</p> - -<p>Thirdly: Whether the merits of the inventor were of sufficient importance -to entitle him to a distinction from the said Institute.</p> - -<p>The deliberations on the first question, viz. the newness of the idea, and -of its practical value, would of necessity enlist the particular attention of -your committee, especially since by far the greater number of its members -are by their avocation called upon to be interested in the execution of all -kinds of locks.</p> - -<p>It is therefore the unanimous opinion of your committee, that the idea<span class="pagenum" id="Page94">[94]</span> -of the American Parautoptic Combination-Lock is entirely new and without -example.</p> - -<p>The combination-locks with keys have, with few exceptions, such an -arrangement that a determinate number of movable parts (the so-called -combination-parts) must by the turning of the key be raised or lifted into -a certain position, if it is desired to project the bolt, or, what is the same -thing, to lock it out; consequently these parts, or, as they are technically -termed, tumblers, could not be transposed or changed, from the circumstance -that the key-bit was one solid piece, with various steps or notches -adapted to the several tumblers, and one impression from it destroyed the -security of the lock.</p> - -<p>In order, however, to add more security to such a combination-lock, -and to make the key, in case it should be lost, or any counterfeit made from -a wax impression, useless for an unlawful opening of the lock, another step -was taken: the key-bit was made to consist of several bits or movable parts, -in such a manner that the owner of the lock was enabled to change the -bits, and to form, <i>as it were</i>, new keys different from the former. But since -the bolt of the lock can only be projected whilst the combination parts or -tumblers are in a certain position, which position depends upon the order -of the bits in the key, it is evident that the owner, when changing the key, -must at the same time make a corresponding change in the position of the -tumblers in the lock itself, before the lock can be of any use for the newly -changed shape of the key, which rendered it troublesome, and impracticable -for the purpose designed, from the fact that no positive change could be -made in the lock, without taking it from the door, and then taking the -tumblers out of the case, to change them in a suitable form for the key.</p> - -<p>This principle of changing the lock is rarely adhered to, as few men -understand the machinery of a lock sufficiently to undertake the task; and -this circumstance rendered the lock quite as insecure as the former one -described.</p> - -<p>Another step toward the perfection of combination-locks consisted in -this, that the key remains unaltered whilst the combination parts of the -lock can, before it is locked, be brought into different positions by means of -movable plates on the frame of the lock. These plates were arranged by -hand to certain figures, and depended on the memory for adjustment at -each time the bolt was to be locked out or in, the key operating only on the -bolt, to move it back and forth when the plates were set in proper positions -for the purpose; and should the owner forget the arrangement of the -plates, after projecting the bolt, his key is of no use to him, and he must -resort to the skill of the locksmith to gain access.</p> - -<p>The same case may occur in the far less perfect ring-lock of Reynier, -which is operated without keys, and is opened by means of the rings being -turned in a particular position; on these rings are usually stamped letters, -which, by introducing some word readily suggested to the memory, thus -point out the relative position of the rings.</p> - -<p>But although in case of these ring-locks the owner is enabled to produce<span class="pagenum" id="Page95">[95]</span> -a change in the rings in such a manner that the opening of the lock can, as -it were, only become possible by rightly arranging the altered position of -the letters, still this lock of Reynier’s does not possess that safety and perfection -which could have insured it universal application.</p> - -<p>M. Crivelli, formerly professor at Milan, has given a minute description -of the imperfection of ring-locks generally, in the annals of the Imperial -Royal Polytechnic Institute.</p> - -<p>It is the unanimous conviction of your committee that the American -Lock of Newell surpasses, in the ingenuity displayed in its construction, all -other locks heretofore known, and more especially in this, that the owner -can, with the greatest facility, change at pleasure the interior arrangement -of his lock to a new and more complex one, at every moment of his life, -simply by altering the arrangement of the bits in the key, and this is accomplished -without removing the lock or any part of it from its position on -the door.</p> - -<p>Its operation is as follows:—At the closing or locking of the lock, whilst -the bolt is projecting, the movable combination parts assume precisely the -position prescribed to them by the key, according to the particular arrangement -of its bits at the time the key is turned.</p> - -<p>The combination parts do not consist in one set of tumblers only, such -as are found in all other locks, but there are three distinct sets or component -parts fitting into each other. When the bolt is projected, it dissolves -the mutual connexion of the constituent pieces, and carries along with it -such as are designedly attached to it, and which assume the particular -positions given them by the key in its revolution. These parts are rendered -permanent in their given form by means of a lever adapted for the purpose, -while the parts not united with the bolt are pressed down by their springs -to their original places.</p> - -<p>If now the bolt is to be returned again, <i>i. e.</i> if the lock is to be unlocked, -then the constituent pieces or tumblers which are in the original state must, -by means of the key, be again raised into that position in which they were -when the lock was closed, as otherwise the constituent parts attached to -the bolt would not lock in with the former, and the bolt could not be returned. -Nothing, therefore, but the precise key which had locked the lock -can effect the object.</p> - -<p>This idea in itself, considered by your committee, is as ingenious as it is -new, and is accompanied by a perfection in its execution which reflects the -highest honour on Mr. Newell, the inventor and manufacturer of the lock.</p> - -<p>The lock is built strong and solid, and the several parts are admirably -adapted to the functions which they are designed to perform. The walls -of steel or iron which separate the security parts from the tumblers, and -the cylinder which revolves with the key, present formidable barriers to all -descriptions of pick-locks, and render the lock a most positive and reliable -security. The tumblers consist of rolled very smooth steel plates, in which -the fire-crust has not been filed away, partly in order that the lock might -not need oiling, as all these parts are very smooth, and partly that the<span class="pagenum" id="Page96">[96]</span> -combination pieces might not easily rust, a thing to which the adhering -fire-crust is not favourable. The springs, which by the turning of the key -must be raised together with the tumblers, are attached to levers, and -press upon the latter at their centre of gravity, in consequence of which all -crowding towards either side is prevented, and the key can be turned with -facility, in spite of the many combination parts which it has to raise; and -the springs themselves are by their positions so little called into action, -that their strength can never be impaired by use.</p> - -<p>The lock has also another very complete arrangement in the detector-tumbler, -which is attached to the cap or covering of the lock. This tumbler, -on turning the key either way, closes the key-hole, and not only prevents -the use of false instruments in the lock, but detects all attempts at -mutilating its interior parts.</p> - -<p>This lock is especially useful for locking bank-vaults, magazines, counting-houses, -and iron-safes, in which valuable effects, money, or goods are -to be deposited for safe keeping. When it is considered that the bits of -the key belonging to this lock can be transferred into every possible form -within its limits, and since the construction of the lock admits of every -combination of the slides resulting from the changes of the key, therefore -the lock in question is, in every respect, deserving of the appellation given -to it by the Secretary of the Institute, namely, the Universal Combination -Lock; and justly so, when we consider that the ten bits attached to the -key admit of three millions of permutations, and upward; consequently -forming that number of different kinds of keys and locks.</p> - -<p>If we consider further, that we need not be limited to the given bit, but -that others can be applied, differing in their dimensions from the former; -and again, if we consider that from every system arising from a difference -in their relative dimensions, a large number of new keys differing from each -other will result, and that this can be effected in a space scarcely occupying -a square inch,—then we cannot refrain from confessing that the human -mind, within this small space, has shewn itself to be infinitely great.</p> - -<p>After this preliminary and general exposition, your committee can -answer the three questions propounded to them the more briefly, as the -locks heretofore known have all been noticed.</p> - -<p>To question first.—On the practical value of the invention of Mr. Newell, -your committee were unanimous and positive that the principle on which it -is based should be preserved.</p> - -<p>To question second.—For this reason the committee deemed it desirable -that a drawing and description of the American lock in question should be -published in the Transactions of the Institute of Lower Austria.</p> - -<p>To question third.—With regard to the claims of the inventor, Mr. -Newell, to an honorary distinction from the Institute of Lower Austria, the -committee recommend that he be presented with a Diploma of honourable -mention and a Gold Medal.</p> - -<p>The members of your committee, consisting mostly of fellow-tradesmen -of Mr. Newell, experience great satisfaction in the fact that it has fallen to<span class="pagenum" id="Page97">[97]</span> -their lot to vote to their colleague on the other side of the ocean an acknowledgment -of his successful ingenuity, and they close the Report with the -request that the Institute will transmit to Mr. Newell of New York, in -North America, the Diploma and Gold Medal, together with a copy of this -Report, according to the motion of the Aulic Councillor and Professor -Reuter.</p> - -<p class="hind02 blankbefore75">[An exact copy of the original Report as preserved in the archives of the -National Mechanics’ Institute of Lower Austria.]</p> - -<div class="schwartz"> - -<p class="center">DR. SCHWARTZ,<br /> -<i>Assistant Secretary of the Institute</i>.</p> - -</div><!--schwartz--> - -</div><!--report--> - -<p>There are other circumstances connected with the American -bank-lock, in relation to events both in the United States -and in England, to which attention will be directed in a subsequent -chapter.</p> - -<p>The English patent for Messrs. Day and Newell’s lock, -dated April 15, 1851, runs as follows: “The object of the -present improvements is the constructing of locks in such -manner that the interior arrangements, or the combination of -the internal movable parts, may be changed at pleasure according -to the form given to, or change made in, the key, without -the necessity of arranging the movable parts of the lock by -hand, or removing the lock or any part thereof from the door. -In locks constructed on this plan the key may be altered at -pleasure; and the act of locking, or throwing out the bolt of -the lock, produces the particular arrangement of the internal -parts which corresponds to that of the key for the time being. -While the same is locked, this form is retained until the lock -is unlocked or the bolt withdrawn, upon which the internal -movable parts return to their original position with reference -to each other; but these parts cannot be made to assume or be -brought back to their original position, except by a key of the -precise form and dimensions as the key by which they were -made to assume such arrangement in the act of locking. The -key is changeable at pleasure, and the lock receives a special -form in the act of locking according to the key employed, and -retains that form until in the act of unlocking by the same -key it resumes its original or unlocked state. The lock is<span class="pagenum" id="Page98">[98]</span> -again changeable at pleasure, simply by altering the arrangement -of the movable bits of the key; and the key may be -changed to any one of the forms within the number of permutations -of which the parts are susceptible.”</p> - -<p>The “claims” put forth under this patent are the following:—</p> - -<p>“1. The constructing, by means of a first and secondary -series of slides or tumblers, of a changeable lock, in which the -particular form or arrangement of parts of the lock, imparted -by the key to the first and secondary series of slides or tumblers, -is retained by a cramp-plate.</p> - -<p>“2. The constructing, by means of a first and secondary -series of slides or tumblers, of a changeable lock, in which -the peculiar form or arrangement of parts of the lock, imparted -by the key, is retained by means of a tooth or teeth, -and notches on the secondary series of slides or tumblers.</p> - -<p>“3. The application to locks of a third or intermediate -series of slides or tumblers.</p> - -<p>“4. The application of a dog with a pin over-lapping the -slide or tumblers, for the purpose of holding-in the bolt when -the lock is locked or unlocked.</p> - -<p>“5. The application of a dog operated on by the cap or -detector-tumbler for holding the bolt.</p> - -<p>“6. The application of a dog for the purpose of holding -the internal slide or tumbler.</p> - -<p>“7. The application to locks of curtains or rings, turning -and working eccentrically to the motion of the key, for -preventing access to the internal parts of the lock.</p> - -<p>“8. The application to locks of a safety-plug or yielding-plate, -at the back of the chamber formed by such eccentric revolving -curtain or ring.</p> - -<p>“9. The application to locks of a strong metallic wall or -plate, for the purpose of separating the safety and other parts -of the lock from each other, and preventing access to such -parts by means of the key-hole.</p> - -<p>“10. The application to locks of a cap or detective tumbler,<span class="pagenum" id="Page99">[99]</span> -for the purpose of closing the key-hole as the key is -turned.</p> - -<p>“11. The constructing a key by a combination of bits or -movable pieces, with tongues fitted into a groove and held by -a screw.</p> - -<p>“12. The constructing a key having a groove in its shank -to receive the detector tumbler.”</p> - -<div class="containerleft10m"> - -<div class="figleft" id="Fig46"> -<img src="images/illo099.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 46. Movable -stump.</p> -</div> - -</div><!--container--> - -<p>When the American locks became known in England, Mr. -Hobbs undertook the superintendence of their manufacture, -and their introduction into the commercial world. Such a -lock as that just described must necessarily be a complex -piece of mechanism; it is intended for use in the doors of receptacles -containing property of great value; and the aim has -been to baffle all the methods at present known of picking -locks, by a combination of mechanism necessarily elaborate. -Such a lock must of necessity be costly; but in order to supply -the demand for a small lock at moderate price, Mr. Hobbs has -introduced what he calls a <i>protector lock</i>. This is a modification -of the ordinary six-tumbler lock. It bears an affinity to -the lock of Messrs. Day and Newell, inasmuch as it is an -attempt to introduce the same principle of security against -picking, while avoiding the complexity of the changeable lock. -The distinction which Mr. Hobbs has made between secure -and insecure locks will be understood from the following -proposition, viz. “that whenever the parts of a lock which -come in contact with the key are so affected by any pressure -applied to the bolt, or to that portion of the lock by which -the bolt is withdrawn, as to indicate the points of resistance to -the withdrawal of the bolt, such a lock can be picked.” -<a href="#Fig47">Fig. 47</a> exhibits the internal mechanism of this new patent -lock. It contains the usual contrivances of tumblers and -springs, with a key cut into steps to suit the -different heights to which the tumblers must be -raised. The key is shewn separately in <a href="#Fig48">fig. 48</a>. -But there is a small additional piece of mechanism, -in which the <i>tumbler stump</i> shewn at <i>s</i> in<span class="pagenum" id="Page100">[100]</span> -<a href="#Fig46">figs. 46</a> and <a href="#Fig47">47</a> is attached; which piece is intended to work under -or behind the bolt of the lock. In <a href="#Fig47">fig. 47</a>, <i>b</i> is the bolt; <i>t t</i> is -the front or foremost of the range of six tumblers, -each of which has the usual slot and notches. In -other tumbler-locks the stump or stud which -moves along these slots is riveted to the bolt, in -such manner that, if any pressure be applied in an -attempt to withdraw the bolt, the stump becomes -pressed against the edges of the tumblers, and -bites or binds against them. How far their biting -facilitates the picking of a lock will be shewn further -on; but it will suffice here to say, that the -movable action given to the stump in the Hobbs -lock transfers the pressure to another quarter. -The stump <i>s</i> is riveted to a peculiarly-shaped -piece of metal <i>h h</i> (<a href="#Fig46">fig. 46</a>), the hole in the centre of -which fits upon a centre or pin in a recess formed at the back -of the bolt; the piece moves easily on its centre, but is prevented -from so doing spontaneously by a small binding spring. -The mode in which this small movable piece takes part in the -action of the lock is as follows: when the proper key is applied -in the usual way, the tumblers are all raised to the proper heights -for allowing the stump to pass horizontally through the gating; -but should there be an attempt made, either by a false key or by -any other instrument, to withdraw the bolt before the tumblers -are properly raised, the stump becomes an obstacle. Meeting<span class="pagenum" id="Page101">[101]</span> -with an obstruction to its passage, the stump turns the piece to -which it is attached on its centre, and moves the arm of the -piece <i>p</i> so that it shall come into contact with a stud riveted -into the case of the lock; and in this position there is a firm -resistance against the withdrawal of the bolt. The tumblers -are at the same moment released from the pressure of the -stump. There is a dog or lever <i>d</i>, which catches into the top -of the bolt, and thereby serves as an additional security -against its being forced back. At <i>k</i> is the drill-pin on which -the pipe of the key works; and <i>r</i> is a metal piece on which -the tumblers rest when the key is not operating upon them.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig47"> -<img src="images/illo100a.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 47. Hobbs’s Protector Lock.</p> -</div> - -<div class="containerright8m"> - -<div class="figright" id="Fig48"> -<img src="images/illo100b.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 48. The -key.</p> -</div> - -</div><!--container--> - -<p>Another lock, patented by Mr. Hobbs in 1852, has for its -object the absolute closing of the key-hole during the process -of locking. The key does not work or turn on its own centre, -but occupies a small cell or chamber in a revolving cylinder, -which is turned by a fixed handle. The bit of the movable -key is entirely separable from the shaft or stem, into which -it is screwed, and may be detached by turning round a -small milled headed thumb-screw. The key is placed in -the key-hole in the usual way, but it cannot turn; its circular -movement round the stem as an axis is prevented by -the internal mechanism of the lock; it is left in the key-hole, -and the stem is detached from it by unscrewing. By turning -the handle, the key-bit, which is left in the chamber of the -cylinder, is brought into contact with the works of the lock, so -as to shoot and withdraw the bolt. This revolution may -take place whether the bit of the movable key occupy its -little cell in the plate or not; only with this difference—that -if the bit be <i>not</i> in the lock, the plate revolves without acting -upon any of the tumblers; but if the bit be in its place, it -raises the tumblers in the proper way for shooting or withdrawing -the bolt. It will be understood that there is only one -key-hole, namely, that through which the divisible key is inserted; -the other handle or fixed key working through a hole -in the cover of the lock only just large enough to receive it, -and not being removable from the lock. As soon as the plate<span class="pagenum" id="Page102">[102]</span> -turns round so far as to enable the key-bit to act upon the -tumblers, the key-hole becomes entirely closed by the plate -itself, so that the actual locking is effected at the very time -when all access to the interior through the key-hole is cut off. -When the bolt has been shot, the plate comes round to its original -position, it uncovers the key-hole, and exhibits the key-bit -occupying the little cell into which it had been dropped; -the stem is then to be screwed into the bit, and the latter -withdrawn. It is one consequence of this arrangement, that -the key has to be screwed and unscrewed when used; but -through this arrangement the key-hole becomes a sealed book -to one who has not the right key. Nothing can be moved, -provided the bit and stem of the key be both left in; but by -leaving in the lock the former without the latter, the plate can -rotate, the tumblers can be lifted, and the bolt can be shot.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2><span class="h2nr">CHAPTER VIII.</span><br /> -<span class="h2name">THE LOCK CONTROVERSY: PREVIOUS TO THE DATE OF THE GREAT -EXHIBITION.</span></h2> - -<p class="noindent">It must be evident, even on a cursory glance at the past history -of the lock-manufacture, that the prime motive for the -introduction of novelties and improvements in construction is -the desirability of producing a lock which no one can open -without the proper key. From the earliest and simplest lock, -down to the latest and most complex, this object has been -constantly held in view; and every clear proof or evidence -that this object has not been attained has led to the invention -of some new contrivance. It has been a succession of struggles—to -attain security—to shew that this security has not been -attained—to make a further and more ingenious attempt—to -detect the weak point in this renewed attempt—and so on. -We need not repeat here, what was stated in an early chapter,<span class="pagenum" id="Page103">[103]</span> -that benefit must ultimately result from a candid discussion of -this question. When M. Réaumur proposed to explain how -the locks of his day could be picked or opened without the -true key, his object was to shew to persons who were not locksmiths -how far they could depend upon the principle of security -offered by locks. But before proceeding on his inquiry, the -illustrious naturalist asks, “Ne craindra-t-on pas que nous ne -donnions en même tems des leçons aux voleurs?” And he replies, -“Il n’y a pas grande apparence qu’ils viennent les chercher -ici, et qu’ils en aient besoin; ils sont plus grands maîtres -que nous dans l’art d’ouvrir les portes. Apprenons donc l’art -d’ouvrir les portes fermées, afin d’apprendre celui de les fermer -d’une manière qui ne laisse rien ou qui laisse peu à -craindre.”<a id="FNanchor5"></a><a href="#Footnote5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote5"></a><a href="#FNanchor5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> -“But is there not this danger, that at the same time we shall be -giving lessons to the thieves? It is not very probable that they will seek -instruction of us, or that they have any need of it; they are greater masters -in the art of opening doors than we can pretend to be. Let us then learn the -art of opening locked doors, in order that we may acquire that of securing -them in such a way as to leave little or nothing to be feared on account of -their security.”</p> - -</div><!--footnote--> - -<p>Before treating of lock controversies and lock violability in -England, it will be desirable first to refer to America, where -this subject attracted much attention some years earlier than -the Great Exhibition—an Exhibition which will always be -associated in a remarkable manner with the history of locks.</p> - -<p>Soon after the inventions by Dr. Andrews and Mr. Newell, -in 1841 (described in a former chapter), the rivalry between -the two locks ran high; each lock being ‘unpickable,’ according -to the estimate of its inventor. Mr. Newell thought the -best mode of shewing the superiority of his own lock would -be by picking that of his competitor; and after several trials, -he succeeded in bringing into practical application that system -of picking which we may designate the <i>mechanical</i>, as contra-distinguished -from the <i>arithmetical</i>. Mr. Newell not only picked -Dr. Andrews’ lock, but he wound up the enterprise by picking -his own! He was probably the first person who honestly confessed -to having picked his own unpickable lock. This discovery<span class="pagenum" id="Page104">[104]</span> -led Mr. Newell, as has been noticed in a former page, -to the invention of the triple-action or parautoptic lock.</p> - -<p>The mechanical principle, as applied to the picking of a -tumbler lock, is nearly the same whatever form of construction -be made the medium of experiment. When a pressure is applied -to the bolt sufficient to unlock it if the tumbler-obstructions -were removed, the edges of the tumbler bite or bind -against the stump of the bolt, so as not to move up and down -with such facility as under ordinary circumstances. By carefully -trying with a small instrument each tumbler, and moving -it until the bite ceases, the gating of that particular tumbler -may be brought to the exact position for allowing the stump -of the bolt to pass through it. (See <a href="#Page118">page 118</a>.)</p> - -<p>This violability is observable in the tumbler-locks under -very varied forms of construction. Mr. Newell, after he had -picked his own lock, devised a series of complicated wards, to -add to the difficulty of reaching the tumblers; but he could -not thereby get rid of the importance of this fact, that wherever -a key can go, instruments of a suitable size and form -could follow: his wards did not render his lock inviolable. -His next contrivance was to notch the abutting parts of the -primary and secondary tumblers, or the face of the stump and -the ends of the tumblers; but this failed also. Mr. H. C. Jones, -of Newark, N. J., added to all this a revolving pipe and -curtain, to close as much of the key-hole as possible. But -so far were all these precautions from being successful, that a -lock provided with all these appendages, and affixed to the -door of the United States Treasury at Washington, was picked. -The makers of locks have, each one for himself, contended -against such difficulties as were known to them at the time of -inventing their locks; and, mortifying as failure may be, it -would be cowardly to yield up the enterprise whenever any -new difficulty presented itself. Difficulties, in locks as in other -matters, are made to be conquered.</p> - -<p>To shew how numerous are the sources of insecurity -which have to be guarded against, to meet the skill often<span class="pagenum" id="Page105">[105]</span> -brought to bear upon this lock, we may adduce the reasons -which led Mr. Newell to apply a curtain to the key-hole of his -lock. Supposing the interior arrangement of the triple set of -tumblers, and the metallic shielding wall, to be perfect, still, -<i>if the first set of tumblers can be seen through the key-hole</i>, the -following plan may be put in operation. The under-side of -the tumblers may be <i>smoked</i>, by inserting a flame through -the key-hole; and the key will then leave a distinct mark -upon each tumbler the next time it is used, shewing where it -began to touch each tumbler in lifting it. This may be seen -by inserting a small mirror hinged into the lock through the -key-hole. There may even be an electric light used from a -small portable battery, to illumine the interior of the lock. -By these and other means the exact length of each bit of the -key may be determined; and from these data a false key may -be made. It is to prevent this inspection of the works, or any -other examination of an analogous kind, that the revolving -curtain was applied; but, as stated in the last paragraph, even -this did not suffice: ingenuity devised a mode of baffling the -contrivance of curtains as well as that of the wards and false -notches in the tumblers.</p> - -<p>When the parautoptic lock was completed, it was keenly -criticised in America, owing to the long discussions respecting -the merits of previous locks. In a matter of this kind, where -a commercial motive would lead bankers and companies to -apply a very severe test to the security of locks and similar -fastenings to strong-rooms and receptacles, any experiments -made with their sanction became important. Mere letters or -certificates emanating from individuals, expressive of opinions -concerning a particular lock, would be out of place in a volume -relating to locks generally; but it is quite within the limits of -the subject, and has indeed become part of the history of locks, -to notice experiments and attempts of a more public character. -We may therefore introduce a few paragraphs of this description, -relating to the career of the American lock in America itself.</p> - -<p>The principal bankers at Boston (U.S.) held a meeting to<span class="pagenum" id="Page106">[106]</span> -take into consideration measures for testing the security of -bank locks. Consequent on this meeting, Messrs. Day and -Newell deposited five hundred dollars with the cashier of the -State Bank at Boston, to be by him paid to any one who could -pick the parautoptic lock: the trial was to be conducted under -the auspices of the bank. One of the locks was brought to -the bank, and was minutely examined by two machinists on -two afternoons, after which it was secured to an iron chest, -and locked by a committee appointed by the bank. The key -was to remain in the hands of the committee during the trial; -and it was to be used at their discretion, in unlocking and locking -the door, without the knowledge of either of the other parties—provided -that in so doing no alteration was made in the -combination-parts of the key. Ten days were allowed to the -operators for the examination and the trial; if they succeeded -they were to have five hundred dollars; but if they injured -the lock they agreed to forfeit two hundred, as a purchase -price. At the end of the period the lock remained unopened -and uninjured; and the two deposited sums were accordingly -returned to the respective parties.</p> - -<p>Messrs. Page and Bacon, of St. Louis, had a strong-room -lock made by one of the chief locksmiths of that city. To -test its security, the proprietors requested Mr. Hobbs to attempt -to pick it; he did so, and succeeded. Whereupon the -proprietors, having purchased one of the parautoptic locks, -deemed it no more than fair play to subject this lock to a -similar ordeal, an additional zest being given by a reward of -five hundred dollars offered by Day and Newell to the successful -picker. The maker of the former lock accepted the challenge; -he was allowed to examine the new lock piecemeal, -and was then allowed thirty days for his operations in picking. -He failed in the enterprise. Of course, in this, as in all similar -cases, the operator had not access to the true key.</p> - -<p>It follows from the nature of this lock, as noticed in a -former chapter, that when the bolt has been shot, if the bits -of the key be re-arranged in any other form, the lock becomes<span class="pagenum" id="Page107">[107]</span> -to all intents and purposes a new lock, so far as that key is -concerned, and cannot be unlocked unless the key revert to -its original arrangement. To test this principle, a box with -a parautoptic lock was placed in the room of the American -Institute in 1845; it was locked; the bits of the key (12 in -number) were then re-arranged, and the key was placed in the -hands of any one who chose to try to open the lock—with -the offer of a reward of five hundred dollars in the event -of the lock being opened. Here, instead of the operator being -called upon to devise new pick-lock implements, he had the -actual key placed in his hands, modified however in such a -way that, though the modifier could restore the original arrangement -(provided he had kept some kind of record), the -operator had numerous chances against his success. The lock -remained unopened notwithstanding this challenge.</p> - -<p>We shall have occasion to shew presently, that if the number -of tumblers (and consequently the number of bits in the -key) be small—not exceeding six, for instance—the possession -of the <i>true</i> key gives any one the power of opening the lock, -provided he has time and patience to go through a few hundred -changes of the bits of the key; for, as some one arrangement -must have been that by which the lock was locked, it must -again occur if the user takes care to make <i>all</i> the arrangements -in turn, and tries the lock after each. Whether this -constitutes picking a lock, each lock-owner will decide for -himself. All that it is at present meant to state is, that <i>without</i> -access to the true key, the parautoptic lock has not hitherto -been opened; and that <i>with</i> the true but altered key the process -of opening is possible, but is slow and tedious.</p> - -<p>In 1846 the American Institute appointed a committee to -examine into the merits of the parautoptic lock. On the 18th -of September in that year the Committee made their report, -signed by Professor Renwick and Mr. T. W. Harvey, as -follows:—</p> - -<p>“The Committee of the American Institute, to whom was -referred the examination of <span class="smcap">Newell’s Parautoptic Bank<span class="pagenum" id="Page108">[108]</span> -Lock</span>, report that they have given the subject referred to -them a careful and attentive examination, and have received -full and complete explanations from the inventor. They have -remarked in the lock a number of important advantages, and, -in particular, very great improvements upon the permutation-lock -formerly submitted by him to the American Institute. -Thus, while it retains the advantages of the permutation principle, -combined with the property that the act of locking sets -the slides to the particular arrangement of the bits in the skeleton -key, the parts thus set are completely screened from observation, -from being reached by false instruments, or from -being injured by any violence not sufficient to break the -lock to pieces.</p> - -<p>“Having in the course of their inquiries examined the different -existing modes in which locks may be picked, forced, or -opened by false keys, the Committee have come to the conclusion -that the parautoptic lock cannot be opened by any of the -methods now practised, unless by a person in possession of the -key by which it was locked, in the exact form of combination -in which it was used for the purpose, or in the almost impossible -case of the bits being adjusted to the skeleton key by -accident in that very form. As the chances of such accidental -combination range according to the number of movable bits, -from several thousands to several millions to one, the Committee -do not conceive that so small a chance of success would -ever lead to an attempt to profit by it.</p> - -<p>“In conclusion, the Committee feel warranted in expressing -the opinion, that unless methods hitherto unknown or -imagined should be contrived for the specific object, the lock -in question may be considered as affording entire and absolute -security.”</p> - -<p>The latest form which Messrs. Day and Newell have given -to their challenge, after the experience of the last few years, -is the following:</p> - -<p>“First, a Committee of five gentlemen shall be appointed -in the following manner: viz. two by the parties proposing to<span class="pagenum" id="Page109">[109]</span> -operate, and two by ourselves; and by the four thus appointed -a fifth shall be selected.</p> - -<p>“In the hands of this Committee shall be placed Two -Thousand Dollars, as a reward to the operator if successful in -picking the lock by fair means.</p> - -<p>“We will place upon the inside of an iron door one of our -best bank locks. The operator shall then have the privilege -of taking the lock from the door, and have it in his possession -for examination; it shall then be returned to the Committee -for our inspection, so that we may be assured that it has not -been mutilated or injured. The operator shall then, in the -presence of ourselves and the Committee, place the lock upon -the door in its original position; after which the Committee -shall place upon it their seals, so that it cannot be removed -or altered without their knowledge. The lock being thus -secured to the door, we shall then be allowed to lock it up -ourselves, upon any change of which it is susceptible.</p> - -<p>“The time for operation to continue thirty days; and if at -the end of that time he shall consider that he has made any -progress towards picking the said lock, he shall have thirty -days more in which to continue operations.”</p> - -<p>The <a href="#Page93">Austrian report</a> concerning the American lock was -given in a former page, to which we may here refer; and then -direct attention to England, and to the discussions which have -lately been carried on respecting the safety of locks.</p> - -<p>It is of course natural that each inventor of a new lock -should, while describing the product of his ingenuity, point -out what he conceives to be the imperfections of locks which -have preceded: use has sanctioned the custom not only with -regard to locks, but also in other important matters. Hence -there have been many “lock controversies” in England during -the last seventy years. We have seen how freely and justly the -late Mr. Bramah criticised all the locks that preceded his own; -and he was certainly not the man to shrink from criticism in -his own case. Twenty years ago the Bramah lock was itself -made the subject of criticism.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page110">[110]</span></p> - -<p>Mr. Ainger, in his lecture on the subject delivered at the -Royal Institution, London, and afterwards in his article “Lock” -in the <i>Encyclopædia Britannica</i>, thus narrates the circumstances -which led to the adoption of the false notches in the -Bramah lock as a means of security: “At length (after the -original lock had acquired much celebrity,) an advertisement -appeared in the public papers, requesting those who had lost -keys of Bramah’s locks, not, as had hitherto been done, to -break open their doors or drawers, but to apply to the advertiser, -who would undertake to save this destructive process by -picking. And it appeared that an individual of great dexterity -could perform this operation almost with certainty. -The effect of this discovery on the demand for the locks may -easily be imagined; but the effect it had in stimulating ingenuity -to provide a remedy is one of the best illustrations of -the proverb, that necessity is the mother of invention. Within -a few days or weeks, Mr. Russell, who was at that time employed -in Mr. Bramah’s establishment, devised an alteration -which at once, and without any expense, entirely overcame the -difficulty, and converted the lock into one of perfect security. -This contrivance is the most simple and extraordinary that -ever effected so important an object; but before we describe -it, we will endeavour to explain what has been called the <i>tentative</i> -process of lock-picking, and which had been so successfully -applied to Bramah’s locks.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Ainger illustrates the subject by an engraving—not of -an actual lock, but of an hypothetical arrangement of bolts -and notches; and he then makes his reasoning apply to the -actual process adopted by the picker of the real lock. “A -tendency to revolve was given with some force to the barrel; -then, by means of a pair of small forceps, the tumblers (sliders) -were tried, and it was ascertained which one was most detained -by the pressure against the locking-plate. That which -offered most resistance was gradually depressed till its notch -was felt to hang itself upon the locking-plate; and so on till the -whole were depressed in succession, exactly as they would<span class="pagenum" id="Page111">[111]</span> -have been depressed simultaneously by the key.” Mr. Ainger -then describes the contrivance which, in his judgment, seemed -to render any further attempts to pick the Bramah lock hopeless. -This consisted in cutting false notches in the sliders; so -as to render it impossible for the picker to tell when he has -brought a notch to the plane of the locking-plate, whether it -is a true notch, or one of shallower depth, unfitted to admit -the movement of the plate.</p> - -<p>This is a very interesting statement, for it shews that the -mechanical or tentative method of opening was known in -England long ago, although very little attention has been since -paid to it. In a complex Bramah lock, and in locks on the combination -principle, the difficulty of picking is almost insuperable, -so long as what may be termed the arithmetical method -is adopted. It is perfectly true, as has been so often stated, -that the varied combinations in the arrangement of the slides -amount to millions and even billions, when the slides are in -any degree numerous; and if a person attempt to pick the -lock by ringing the changes on all these combinations, it -would very likely require the lives of a dozen Methuselahs to -bring the enterprise to an end. But by the mechanical method, -sketched so clearly by Mr. Ainger, the exploit puts on a -different aspect. The experimenter passes through the keyhole -an instrument so arranged as to give a <i>tendency</i> in the -bolt to withdraw in the wished-for direction; and a pressure -produced in the slides by this tendency gives information concerning -the state of the slides; and then comes the tentative -process on the slides themselves. Mr. Ainger was quite right -in describing the false notches as an admirable addition to the -safety of the Bramah lock; but he was not correct in stating -that these notches rendered any further attempts on the lock -hopeless. The false notches are not so deep as the true; they -will permit the barrel to turn partially but not wholly round. -But even supposing that the false notch had been hit upon in -nearly every slide instead of the true, and that the barrel had -been partially turned to the extent which these notches permitted,<span class="pagenum" id="Page112">[112]</span> -there would then be a binding action at the false -notches different from that in the true, and this would guide -the operator in his search for the true notches. It would not -add a new principle different from the one before in action, -but it would add to the time during which the search would -have to be carried on.</p> - -<p>We make these remarks in connection with Mr. Ainger’s -article, which was probably written twenty years ago. We -now come to the year 1850.</p> - -<p>At the meeting of the Institution of Civil Engineers, when -Mr. Chubb’s paper was read, many challenges and counter-challenges -were made, as to the possibility of picking certain -locks. Mr. Chubb described, among others, a lock on the -patent of Mr. Davies, which, ingenious though it be, he considers -not safe. Captain D. O’Brien differed from Mr. Chubb -in this matter; he had had occasion to open from ten to -twenty of Davies’s cabinet-locks daily, during a period of two -years, and he never once observed the locks to be out of -order; in fact, they always appeared to afford great security. -Mr. Chubb thereupon rejoined, that he was prepared to produce -a workman who would pick any number of Davies’ -cabinet-locks, of different combinations, which he had never -seen before, taking only half an hour for each lock.</p> - -<p>As another instance, Captain O’Brien stated that, in his -capacity as Inspector of Government Prisons, his attention had -been much directed to the subject of secure locks; and he -produced, among others, specimens of those in use at the -Pentonville Prison; though not of first-rate workmanship, he -characterised them as being safe, strong, and cheap. They -were on Thomas’s principle. The locks had been in use -eight years, during which period not one had required to be -replaced; and any trifling derangements had been made good -whilst the prisoners were at exercise. Mr. Chubb, after making -his offer concerning Davies’s lock, stated that “he was -willing to make the same offer with respect to the locks from -the Pentonville Prison; and he might state that, in point of<span class="pagenum" id="Page113">[113]</span> -security, he considered them absolutely worthless;” in proof of -which he exhibited one of them, and a common burglar’s tool, -by which the lock could be opened with the greatest ease.</p> - -<p>In respect to Bramah’s lock, there was no particular challenge -associated with the proceedings of the evening; but -incidental observations were made as to the degree of security -pertaining to it. Mr. Farey, after passing a high eulogium on -the ingenuity of the principle and the beauty of the workmanship, -considered it nevertheless objectionable that the sliders -should be so completely exposed to view. He then proceeded -to make the following observations: “It had been suggested, -that a universal false key for Bramah’s locks might be made, -with the bottoms of its several notches formed by as many -small steel sliders, extending beyond the handle of the key, so -as to receive pressure from the fingers, for moving each one -of the sliders within the lock, with a sliding motion in its -own groove, independently of the other. During such sliding -motion, a gentle force could be exerted, tending to turn the -barrel round. Under such circumstances, supposing that the -motion of the barrel was prevented by any one slider only; -that one, having to resist all the turning force, would be felt -to slide more stiffly endways in its groove, and therefore it -could be felt when its unlocking notch arrived opposite the -steel plate, and left some other slider to begin to resist the -turning force. Such a circumstance (continues Mr. Farey) presumes -a palpable inaccuracy in the radiating correspondence -between the notches in the steel plate and the grooves for the -sliders in the barrel, which could not happen with Bramah’s -workmanship.”<a id="FNanchor6"></a><a href="#Footnote6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> He further remarked: “Unfortunately, if a -Bramah’s key fell into dishonest hands, even for a short time, -an impression could be easily taken, and a false key as easily -made. A turkey-quill, notched into the form of a key, had -sufficed to open a Bramah’s lock; and an efficient false key -could be formed out of a pocket pencil-case. Such facility -of fabrication was an invitation to dishonesty; and as an<span class="pagenum" id="Page114">[114]</span> -abortive attempt left no trace, the impunity was an encouragement -to repeat the attempt until success is attained.”</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote6"></a><a href="#FNanchor6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> -See also Mr. Owen’s suggestion, <a href="#Page59">p. 59</a>, <i>ante</i>.</p> - -</div><!--footnote--> - -<p>With respect to Chubb’s locks, a discussion arose out of -a statement made by Mr. Hodge. Mr. Chubb had himself -stated it to be a general opinion that a skilful workman, -furnished with impressions taken from the true key, in wax -or soap, could make a false key to open any lock; and he -considered that, in common locks, with the most elaborate -wards, but with only one tumbler, as also in Bramah’s -locks, there was much truth in the notion. In respect to -his own lock, however, with six double-acting tumblers, “a -false key made ever so carefully from impressions would -not be likely to open the lock, for want of exactitude in -the lengths of the several steps; and if the key could not be -made exact from the impressions, there would be no chance -of rectifying it by trial in the lock, on account of the total -uncertainty as to which part required alteration.” Mr. Hodge -stated that, in America, he had repeatedly seen impressions -taken of locks having twelve or fourteen tumblers, in consequence -of the bellies of the tumblers, when at rest, coinciding -with the form of the key (see <a href="#Page63">page 63</a>). He also suggested a -method of taking an impression of the bellies of the tumblers; -but Mr. Chubb, Mr. Farey, Mr. Stephenson, and Mr. Whitworth, -all expressed a disbelief that a Chubb’s lock could be opened -by the means indicated by Mr. Hodge. Mr. Hodge admitted -that he was not aware of any lock actually made by Messrs. -Chubb having been picked in America; but that the locks to -which he had adverted were such exact imitations, that he had -no doubt of the Chubb lock yielding to similar treatment. He -further stated that there were persons in New York who would -undertake to pick a real Chubb lock.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page115">[115]</span></p> - -<h2><span class="h2nr">CHAPTER IX.</span><br /> -<span class="h2name">THE LOCK CONTROVERSY: DURING AND SINCE THE TIME OF THE -GREAT EXHIBITION.</span></h2> - -<p class="noindent">We next come to the remarkable year 1851, which produced -so many unexpected results in connection with the industrial -display in Hyde Park, and conferred a lasting benefit on the -useful arts and manufactures of the United Kingdom, by -bringing their products into contrast and competition with -those of other nations. It was to be expected that such a trial -as this would afford evidences of national failure as well as of -success; but probably no one suspected before the trial, that -English locks, so celebrated over the greater part of the world -for skilful mechanical design, beauty of workmanship, and -perfect inviolability, would readily yield to a well-arranged -system of lock-picking. Such, however, was the case; and -we are bound to admit that Mr. Hobbs, the author of this -system, is a mechanician of great skill, and with a profound -knowledge of the art of the locksmith.</p> - -<p>The first step in the celebrated <i>lock controversy</i> of 1851 -was taken by Mr. Hobbs himself, who declared to a party of -scientific men in the Crystal Palace, that all the locks made -in this country up to that date admitted of being very easily -picked; and in order to explain to these gentlemen the principle -upon which this was to be done, Mr. Hobbs picked one -of Chubb’s patent detector-locks in their presence in a few -minutes.</p> - -<p>The fairness of this experiment having been called in question -by certain persons who were not present at the time when it -was made, Mr. Hobbs, on July 21st, 1851, wrote a letter from -the American department of the Great Exhibition, to Messrs. -Chubb, simply announcing that an attempt would be made, -on the next following day, to pick a lock manufactured by<span class="pagenum" id="Page116">[116]</span> -them, and which was at that time on the door of a strong room -in a house named by Mr. Hobbs. Messrs. Chubb were invited -to be present at the operation; but no member of the -firm attended. What occurred on the day specified may best -be given in the words of a letter written by those who witnessed -the operation.</p> - -<p class="right padr2 blankbefore75 fsize90">“London, July 22, 1851.</p> - -<p class="blankbefore75">“We the undersigned hereby certify, that we attended, -with the permission of Mr. Bell, of No. 34 Great George-street, -Westminster, an invitation sent to us by A. C. Hobbs, of -the City of New York, to witness an attempt to open a lock -throwing three bolts and having six tumblers, affixed to the -iron door of a strong-room or vault, built for the depository of -valuable papers, and formerly occupied by the agents of the -South-Eastern Railway; that we severally witnessed the operation, -which Mr. Hobbs commenced at 35 minutes past 11 -o’clock <span class="smcap">A.M.</span>, and opened the lock within 25 minutes. Mr. -Hobbs having been requested to lock it again with his instruments, -accomplished it in the short space of 7 minutes, without -the slightest injury to the lock or door. We minutely -examined the lock and door (having previously had the assurance -of Mr. Bell that the keys had never been accessible to -Mr. Hobbs, he having had permission to examine the key-hole -only). We found a plate at the back of the door with the -following inscription: ‘Chubb’s New Patent (No. 261,461), -St. Paul’s Churchyard, London, Maker to Her Majesty.’”</p> - -<p>This letter was signed with the names and addresses of the -following gentlemen:—</p> - -<table class="gentlemen" summary="Gentlemen"> - -<tr> -<td class="title">Mr.</td> -<td class="name">Handley.</td> -<td class="title">Mr.</td> -<td class="name">T. Shanks.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="title">„</td> -<td class="name">William Marshall.</td> -<td colspan="2" class="left">Colonel W. Clifton.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="title">„</td> -<td class="name">W. Armstead.</td> -<td class="title">Mr.</td> -<td class="name">Elijah Galloway.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="title">„</td> -<td class="name">G. R. Porter.<a id="FNanchor7"></a><a href="#Footnote7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a></td> -<td class="title">„</td> -<td class="name">Paul R. Hodge.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="title">„</td> -<td class="name">F. W. Wenham.</td> -<td class="title">„</td> -<td class="name">Charles H. Peabody.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="title">„</td> -<td class="name">A. Shanks.</td> -<td colspan="2" class="left"> </td> -</tr> - -</table> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote7"></a><a href="#FNanchor7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> Late Secretary to the Board of Trade.</p> - -</div><!--footnote--> - -<p class="noindent">Several of these names are well and publicly known in -England and the United States.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page117">[117]</span></p> - -<p>This event gave rise to much newspaper controversy; and -attempts were made to shew that, as this was not a <i>test</i> lock, -prepared expressly for challenge, the picking proved nothing -as regards the finest of the manufacturers’ locks. Two circumstances, -however, have to be noticed—that the lock was of sufficient -commercial importance to be placed on a door enclosing -valuable papers, and that the makers had an opportunity to -attend and witness, and comment on the trial, if they so chose. -We may here remark, that one of the ingenious contrivances of -the Chubb lock, the <i>detector</i>, excited some doubt no less than -fifteen years ago, as will be seen from the following. The -writer of the article “Lock” in Hebert’s <i>Engineers’ and Mechanics’ -Encyclopædia</i>, while speaking with much commendation -of Chubb’s locks, points out a curious feature, which -seems to him to render somewhat doubtful the surety of the -<i>detector</i> apparatus. “In Barron’s and Bramah’s locks,” he -observes, “the picker has no means of knowing whether the -tumblers are lifted too high or not; but in Chubb’s he has -only to put the detector <i>hors de combat</i> in the first instance, -by a correct thrust from the outside of the door (which might -be accurately measured), so as to <i>fix</i> it fast in its place; the -detector then becomes a stopper to the undue ascent of the -tumblers, and the extent of their range is thereby correctly -ascertained. Thus, it appears to us, the <i>detector</i> might be -converted into a <i>director</i> of the means for opening the -lock.”</p> - -<p>Much will depend on the view which is taken of the circumstance -just noted. The object of the detector is, not to -prevent the lock from being picked, but to shew that an -attempt has been made to pick it; or, at least, to attain a -given purpose by an indirect instead of a direct method. But -if there be really any truth in the surmise, that the detector -actually guides a skilful hand in determining how high the -tumblers should be raised, the supposed advantage will be -purchased at rather a dear rate. As we are here, however, -speaking of facts and not of mere opinions, it is proper to say,<span class="pagenum" id="Page118">[118]</span> -that the lock opened by Mr. Hobbs had the detector apparatus, -but that it was not disturbed by him in picking the lock.</p> - -<p>But instead of reiterating opinions, we will state the method -by which most of the tumbler-locks made in England, up to -the date of the Great Exhibition, can be opened or picked.</p> - -<p>Bearing in mind the principle on which the picking of locks -is said to depend, namely, that “whenever the parts of a lock -which come in contact with the key are affected by any pressure -applied to the bolt, or to that portion of the lock by which -the bolt is withdrawn, in such a manner as to indicate the -points of resistance to the withdrawal of the bolt, such a lock -can be picked,” the first step is to produce the requisite pressure.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig49"> -<img src="images/illo118.png" alt="Pipe key" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 49.</p> -</div> - -<p>If the end of the bolt were exposed, this pressure might be -applied by some force tending to shoot back the bolt; but as -the bolt, whenever it is shot, is buried in the jamb of the door, -or otherwise concealed from view, the pressure can in general -only be applied through the key-hole. In order, therefore, to -apply this pressure, the operator provides himself with an instrument -capable of reaching the talon of the bolt, which in -the case of the Chubb lock was a pipe-key of the form shewn -at <i>a b</i>, <a href="#Fig49">fig. 49</a>, furnished at the pipe-end with that portion of -the bit of the key <i>b c</i> which moves the bolt (see <a href="#Fig32">fig. 32</a>, page -57, where the step which acts on the bolt is called the terminal -step). The other end of the pipe-key is made square, as at <i>a</i>, -for the purpose of receiving the square eye <i>e</i> of the lever <i>e f</i>, -<a href="#Fig50">fig. 50</a>, to the further end of which <i>f</i> a weight <i>w</i> is attached by -means of a string <i>s</i>. Now it is evident that if this pipe be -introduced into the lock as far as it will go, and be turned<span class="pagenum" id="Page119">[119]</span> -round as in the act of unlocking, and the lever and weight be -attached to the end <i>a</i>, the bit <i>b c</i> of the pipe-key will maintain -a permanent pressure on the bolt, which, if the weight be -sufficient, will throw back the bolt as -soon as the tumblers are raised to -the proper height to allow the stump -to pass.</p> - -<div class="hh"> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig50"> -<img src="images/illo119.png" alt="Clever lever" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 50.</p> -</div> - -</div><!--hh--> - -<div class="scr"> - -<div class="figleft nomargin"> -<img src="images/illo119a.png" alt="Top" /> -<p class="caption fig50">fig. 50.</p> -</div> - -<div class="figleft nomargin up5px"> -<img src="images/illo119b.png" alt="Bottom" /> -</div> - -</div><!--scr--> - -<p>The next step in the operation is -to raise the tumblers to the proper -height. For this purpose a second -pipe <i>m n</i> is made to slide upon the -first with an easy motion, and by -means of the cross handle <i>h h</i> can -be turned round or slid backwards -and forwards on the tube <i>a b</i>. This -tube <i>m n</i> is also furnished with a -single projecting bit or step <i>n o</i>, corresponding with one of the -six steps of the key, <a href="#Fig32">fig. 32</a>, and made of the proper length for -entering the key-hole.</p> - -<p>Now for the operation of opening a tumbler-lock with this -simple apparatus. Referring to <a href="#Fig31">fig. 31</a>, page 56, it will be -evident that if the pipe <i>a b</i>, <a href="#Fig49">fig. 49</a>, be passed over the pin of -the lock and turned round towards the left, and the weight be -attached, there will be a tendency in the bolt to shoot back, -which tendency will bring the stump <i>s</i>, <a href="#Fig31">fig. 31</a>, up against the -inner angle or shoulder of one or other of the tumblers, whichever -happens to project, however slightly; or, as Mr. Hobbs -expresses it, “one or more of the tumblers will bind.” By -moving forward the pipe <i>m n</i> and turning round the bit <i>n o</i> in -the lock, it is easy to ascertain, by delicate touch, which of -the tumblers it is that binds. It may be found that all are -free to move except one or two against which the stump is -pressing with the force of the weight <i>w</i>, <a href="#Fig50">fig. 50</a>. The bit <i>n o</i> -is therefore brought gently under the bellies of the tumblers -which bind, and they are moved slightly upwards until they -cease to bind. As soon as they are set free another tumbler<span class="pagenum" id="Page120">[120]</span> -will bind; that is, the bolt will move through a small space, so -as to bring the stump into contact with that particular tumbler -which now projects; this in its turn is relieved, another tumbler -binds and is relieved, and so on until the tumblers are, -one by one, raised to the proper height for the stump to pass. -When the last binding tumbler is raised to the proper height, -the weight <i>w</i> being no longer resisted, shoots the bolt back, -and the work is done.</p> - -<p>Now it must be evident that in this operation the detector -apparatus need not come into operation. But if, as has been -proposed, a detector-spring be added to each tumbler, it may -be converted into a friend or a foe according to the use that is -made of it. If the tumblers are lifted <i>too high</i>, they will be -detained or detected in that position, and the operator will -have to release them by turning the bit round in the opposite -direction before he can begin his work again. The same -force, however, which detains the tumblers when they are -lifted too high will obviously detain them when they are -lifted only just high enough, and thus the detector-springs -would really be of great assistance to the operator in picking -such a tumbler-lock.</p> - -<p>The apparatus which we have described for picking the -tumbler-lock must be varied to suit the form of key employed -in opening the lock; but it is not difficult, in the case of most -locks, to ascertain this form through the key-hole, without -examining the key itself.</p> - -<p>It is but fair to state in this place, that since the above -method of picking tumbler-locks was made known,<a id="FNanchor8"></a><a href="#Footnote8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a> -Mr. Chubb<span class="pagenum" id="Page121">[121]</span> -has added a series of teeth and notches to the stump and tumblers; -the effect of which would evidently prevent the application -of the above method of picking, because any permanent -pressure applied to the bolt would send a tooth of the stump -into a notch of the tumbler, and prevent all further motion. -But recurring to the principle, that whenever the parts of a -lock which come in contact with the key indicate the points of -resistance when any pressure (<i>whether permanent or temporary</i>) -is applied in attempting to withdraw the bolt, that lock can be -picked, it follows, if this principle be admitted, that although -the notches prevent the application of the form of instrument -described, yet there is sufficient indication afforded by the -pressure to enable a skilful operator, with proper instruments, -to form a false key, as was done in the case of the lock referred -to at <a href="#Page104">page 104</a>. We now proceed to the second stage in the -lock controversy of 1851.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote8"></a><a href="#FNanchor8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a> -We believe the method was first made publicly known at a special -general meeting of the members of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, -held at the rooms of the Society of Arts, London, on the 30th June, 1851, -when a paper was read by Mr. Paul R. Hodge “On the progress of improvements -in locks in the United States of America.” A report of this -paper, together with the discussion thereon, was published by Waterlow -and Sons, London Wall, 1851. Plate 34 (figs. 9 and 10) of this report -contains representations of the lock-picking apparatus, from which we have -copied our figures.</p> - -</div><!--footnote--> - -<p>Soon after the picking of the Chubb lock in Great George-street, -and consequent on the excitement and discussion to -which that operation led, a committee, consisting of Mr. G. -Rennie, Professor Cowper,<a id="FNanchor9"></a><a href="#Footnote9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> and Dr. Black, agreed to superintend -the arrangements for a more severe testing of Mr. -Hobbs’s power to open locks. There had been for many years -exhibited in the window of Messrs. Bramah’s shop, in Piccadilly, -a padlock of great complexity and beauty; to which an -announcement was affixed, that a reward of two hundred -guineas would be given to any person who should succeed in -picking that lock. This challenge was accepted by Mr. Hobbs; -and the committee managed all the arrangements, as arbitrators -between Mr. Hobbs on the one side and Messrs. Bramah -on the other. The lock was removed to an upper room in -Messrs. Bramah’s establishment; where it was placed between -two boards, and so fixed and sealed, that no access could be<span class="pagenum" id="Page122">[122]</span> -obtained to any part of it except through the key-hole. The -room was to be given up to Mr. Hobbs; he was not to be interrupted -by the presence or entrance of any other persons; and -he was allowed a period of thirty days for opening the lock. -If the lock was not picked at the expiration of that period, Mr. -Hobbs was to be considered as having failed in his attempt.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote9"></a><a href="#FNanchor9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a> -In mentioning the name of the late Professor Edward Cowper, we -cannot refrain from deploring the loss which mechanical science has suffered -by his too-early death. The application of mechanical principles to manufactures -was treated by him in his lectures and illustrations with a felicity -which has been rarely equalled.</p> - -</div><!--footnote--> - -<p>There was much negotiation and correspondence before -and during Mr. Hobbs’s operation on this lock. On July 2, -he, with a view to this enterprise, applied for permission to -take wax impressions of the key-hole. This permission being -given, and the parties having met to discuss the necessary arrangements, -an agreement was signed on the 19th, reciting the -terms of the challenge, and providing that thirty days should be -allowed to Mr. Hobbs to effect his enterprise; that the lock -should be secured in a certain specified way; and that the key -should remain in the possession of Messrs. Bramah, who were to -retain the right of using it in the lock when Mr. Hobbs was not -at work. Messrs. Bramah subsequently relinquished this last-mentioned -privilege, in order that the trial might be perfectly -fair; and it was agreed that the key should be sealed up -during the whole period, beyond the reach either of Mr. -Hobbs or Messrs. Bramah; and that the key-hole should be -secured by an iron band, sealed, when Mr. Hobbs was not at -work. These and other conditions were embodied in the -agreement noticed in the last paragraph.</p> - -<p>Mr. Hobbs commenced his labours on July 24th. After a -few visits to the lock, Messrs. Bramah wished to have the privilege -of inspecting it, or else that such an inspection should be -made by the arbitrators; and, during a correspondence which -arose out of this request, the operations were suspended. Mr. -Hobbs resumed his work on August 16. On the 23d, Messrs. -Bramah drew the attention of the arbitrators to the challenge, -that the reward of two hundred guineas was offered to the artist -who should make an instrument that would pick or open the -lock; that he was to be paid the money on the production of -the instrument; and that, unless some person were present, it<span class="pagenum" id="Page123">[123]</span> -was impossible that any one could know that the lock had -been opened by the instrument which might be produced. -This letter was not allowed by the arbitrators to affect the -arrangements made. We may now consistently give the -“Report of the Arbitrators.”</p> - -<p>“Whereas for many years past a padlock has been exhibited -in the window of Messrs. Bramah’s shop, in Piccadilly, -to which was appended a label with these words: ‘The artist -who can make an instrument that will pick or open this lock -shall receive two hundred guineas the moment it is produced;’ -and Mr. Hobbs, of America, having obtained permission of -Messrs. Bramah to make trial of his skill in opening the said -lock, Messrs. Bramah and Mr. Hobbs severally agreed that -George Rennie, Esq., F.R.S., of London; and Professor Cowper, -of King’s College, London; and Dr. Black, of Kentucky; -should act as arbitrators between the said parties.</p> - -<p>“That the trial should be conducted according to the rules -laid down by the arbitrators, and the reward of two hundred -guineas be decided by them; in fine, that they should see fair -play between the parties.</p> - -<p>“On July 23 it was agreed that the lock should be enclosed -in a block of wood, and screwed to a door, and the -screws sealed, the key-hole and the hasp only being accessible -to Mr. Hobbs; and, when he was not operating, the key-hole -was to be covered with a band of iron and sealed by Mr. -Hobbs, that no other person should have access to the key-hole. -The key was also sealed up, and was not to be used -until Mr. Hobbs had finished his operations. If Mr. Hobbs -succeeded in picking or opening the lock, the key was to be -tried; and if it locked and unlocked the padlock, it should be -considered as a proof that Mr. Hobbs had not injured the -lock, but had fairly picked or opened it, and was entitled to -the two hundred guineas.</p> - -<p>“On the same day, July 23, Messrs. Bramah gave notice -to Mr. Hobbs that the lock was ready for his operations.</p> - -<p>“On July 24 Mr. Hobbs commenced his operations; and<span class="pagenum" id="Page124">[124]</span> -on August 23 Mr. Hobbs exhibited the <i>lock opened</i> to Dr. -Black and Professor Cowper (Mr. Rennie being out of town). -Dr. Black and Mr. Cowper then called in Mr. Edward Bramah -and Mr. Bazalgette, and shewed them the lock opened; they -[the last-named two gentlemen are of course meant] then withdrew, -and Mr. Hobbs locked and unlocked the padlock in presence -of Dr. Black and Mr. Cowper.</p> - -<p>“Between July 24 and Aug. 23 Mr. Hobbs’s operations -were for a time suspended; so that the number of days occupied -by Mr. Hobbs was sixteen, and the number of hours he -was actually in the room with the lock was fifty-one.</p> - -<p>“On Friday, Aug. 29, Mr. Hobbs again locked and unlocked -the padlock in presence of Mr. G. Rennie, Professor -Cowper, Dr. Black, Mr. Edward Bramah, Mr. Bazalgette, and -Mr. Abrahart.</p> - -<p>“On Saturday, Aug. 30, the key was tried, and the padlock -was locked and unlocked with the key, by Professor -Cowper, Mr. Rennie, and Mr. Gilbertson; thus proving that -Mr. Hobbs had fairly picked the lock without injuring it. -Mr. Hobbs then formally produced the instruments with which -he had opened the lock.</p> - -<p>“We are, therefore, unanimously of opinion, that Messrs. -Bramah have given Mr. Hobbs a fair opportunity of trying -his skill, and that Mr. Hobbs has fairly picked or opened the -lock; and we award that Messrs. Bramah and Co. do now pay -to Mr. Hobbs the two hundred guineas.</p> - -<div class="reportsignatures"> - -<div class="centerblock"> - -<p><span class="smcap">George Rennie</span>, <i>Chairman</i>.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Edward Cowper.</span><br /> -<span class="smcap">J. R. Black.</span></p> - -</div><!--centerblock--> - -</div><!--reportsignatures--> - -<p class="fsize90">Holland Street, Blackfriars,<br /> -<span class="padl7">Sept. 2, 1851.”</span></p> - -<p class="blankbefore75">It may be here stated, in reference to the space of time -during which the operations were being conducted, that the -actual opening of the lock occurred much earlier, so far as -concerned the principle involved, though not in a way to meet -the terms of the challenge. On his fifth visit, Mr. Hobbs succeeded<span class="pagenum" id="Page125">[125]</span> -in adjusting the slides and moving the barrel, preparatory -to withdrawing the bolt; but the instrument with which -the barrel was to be turned round, being too slight, slipped, -and defeated the operation. Mr. Hobbs had then to readjust -the barrel, and to make a new instrument to aid him; this -new instrument, when completed, enabled him to open the -lock in the space of an hour or two.</p> - -<p>On the same day Messrs. Bramah addressed a letter to the -arbitrators, stating the reasons which induced them to think -that, though Mr. Hobbs had succeeded in opening the lock, -the manner of doing so did not come within the meaning of -the challenge originally made by them. The arbitrators, -however, were unanimous in their award, and Messrs. Bramah -bowed to it.</p> - -<p>In an article written in one of the daily newspapers immediately -after the opening of the lock, the following notice -was given of the lock and its production: “We were surprised -to find that the lock which has made so much noise in the -world is a padlock of but 4 inches in width, the body of it 1<sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>4</sub> -inches thick, and its thickness over the boss 2<sup>3</sup>⁄<sub>4</sub> inches. Upon -opening the outer case of the lock, the actual barrel enclosing -the mechanism was found to be 2<sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>4</sub> inches in length and 1<sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>2</sub> -inches in diameter. The small space in which the works were -confined, and its snug, compact appearance was matter of astonishment -to all present. The lock and key were made forty -years since by the present head of the eminent firm of Messrs. -Maudslay and Co., Mr. Maudslay being at that time a workman -in the employ of Mr. Bramah.”</p> - -<p>We may here remark, as indeed has been remarked in -former pages, that the Bramah lock is, and will probably continue -to be, deservedly celebrated for the amount of mechanism -contained in a small space, as adverted to in the last paragraph. -The cylindrical form is well calculated for this concentration -of power within narrow limits; and the smallness of -the key is a great merit.</p> - -<p>The objections made by Messrs. Bramah to the award of<span class="pagenum" id="Page126">[126]</span> -the committee were embodied in the following letter to Mr. -Rennie, dated 9th September:</p> - -<div class="letter"> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>,—We beg to acknowledge your letter of yesterday’s -date, and will not trouble you to attend here to-morrow, -but beg to hand you the 210<i>l.</i> awarded by the arbitrators to -Mr. Hobbs. We need scarcely repeat that the decision at -which the arbitrators have arrived has surprised us much; -and we owe it to ourselves and the public to protest against -it. We do so for the following reasons:</p> - -<p>“1. Because the arbitrators, having been appointed to see -fair-play, and that the lock was fairly operated upon, did not, -although repeatedly requested in writing to do so, once inspect -or allow any one to witness Mr. Hobbs’s operations during the -sixteen days he had the sole custody of the lock and was engaged -in the work.</p> - -<p>“2. Because the arbitrators did not once exercise their right -of using the key, although repeatedly requested in writing to -do so, till after Mr. Hobbs had completed his operations; and -then, instead of applying at once to prove that no damage had -been done to the lock, allowed him twenty-four hours to repair -any that might have occurred.</p> - -<p>“3. Because the lock being opened by means of a fixed apparatus -screwed to the wood-work in which the lock was enclosed -for the purpose of experiment (which it is obvious could -not have been applied to an iron door without discovery), and -the addition of three or four other instruments, the spirit of -the challenge has evidently not been complied with.</p> - -<p>“4. Because from the course adopted an opportunity of some -good scientific results has been taken from us; as neither arbitrators -nor any one else saw the whole or even the most important -instruments, by which it is said the lock was picked, -actually applied in operation, either before or after the lock -was presented open to the arbitrators.</p> - -<p>“5. Because during the progress of Mr. Hobbs’s operations, -and several days before their completion, we called the attention<span class="pagenum" id="Page127">[127]</span> -of the arbitrators to what we considered the interpretation -of the challenge, begging at the same time that they would -apply the key and appoint some one to be present during the -residue of the experiment; feeling that whatever might be the -result in a scientific point of view, the reward could not be -awarded.</p> - -<p>“We would add, that we think that several points which -appear in your minutes should not have been mentioned in -your award; more especially that Mr. Hobbs on the 2d of -June took a wax-impression of the lock, and had made, as far -as he could, instruments therefrom between that date and the -commencement of his operations.</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="padr20">“We are, dear sir,</span><br /> -<span class="padr8">“Your obedient servants,</span><br /> -<span class="padr2">“<span class="smcap">Bramah and Co.</span>”</span></p> - -</div><!--letter--> - -<p>In order that the opinions of Messrs. Bramah and others -may be given with as much fairness as possible, on a matter -which they could not feel but otherwise than important to them, -we may state, that among the letters to which the picking of -the Bramah lock gave rise in the public journals, was the following -addressed to the <i>Observer</i> newspaper on 10th October:</p> - -<div class="letter"> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Sir</span>,—This controversy having excited an unusual degree -of public attention for some time past, perhaps you will be -good enough to allow us to state in your journal, that the lock -on which Mr. Hobbs operated had not been taken to pieces for -many years, and it was only on examining it (after the award -of the committee) that we discovered the startling fact, that in -no less than three particulars it is inferior to those we have -made for years past. The lock had remained so long in its -resting-place in our window that the proposal of Mr. Hobbs -somewhat surprised us. After his appearance, however, no -alteration could of course be made without our incurring the -risk of being charged with preparing a test-lock for the occasion; -we were therefore bound in honour to let the lock remain<span class="pagenum" id="Page128">[128]</span> -as Mr. Hobbs found it when he accepted the challenge. -No one inspected his operations during the sixteen days he -had the sole custody of the lock and was engaged at the work. -We are therefore compelled to advertise another 200 guineas, -in order that we may see the lock operated upon and opened, -if it be possible; and thus gain such information as would -enable us to use means that would defy even the acknowledged -skill of our American friends. We believe the Bramah -lock to be impregnable; and we cannot open it ourselves, -with the knowledge Mr. Hobbs has given us. We -have fitted up the same lock with such improvements as we -now use, and some trifling change suggested by the recent -trial, and restored it with its challenge to our window. We -have not done this in a vain, boasting spirit; on the contrary, -we feel it rather hard that, from the way in which the former -trial was conducted, we are driven to adopt this course. Had -any one inspected Mr. Hobbs’s operations during that trial, it -would not have been necessary.</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="padr20">“We are, sir, &c.,</span><br /> -<span class="padr2">“<span class="smcap">Bramah and Co.</span>”</span></p> - -</div><!--letter--> - -<p>Messrs. Bramah are well entitled to offer any explanation -concerning the relative perfection of the lock in question, and -of one that they could now produce with certain improvements -in some parts of the working mechanism; but if these improvements -do not involve any new invention, patented or otherwise,—that -is, if the lock be really a carrying out of the contrivances -already made public,—it is difficult to see why it should -not yield to the same treatment as the other. It is true that, -shortly after the decision of the arbitrators, Messrs. Bramah -exhibited a new lock in their window, and repeated their challenge -in the same terms as before, with the single addition, -that applications were to be made in writing only. We have -reason to know that an application was made, and that the -consequence was the withdrawal of the challenge. In respect -to the actual contest, however, the character and position of<span class="pagenum" id="Page129">[129]</span> -the arbitrators ought surely to hold Mr. Hobbs justified in his -proceedings. They were not all Americans (supposing nationality -to give a bias in the matter); two were Englishmen, -both of distinguished rank in respect to mechanical knowledge; -and as Mr. Hobbs was as much bound by their decision -as Messrs. Bramah, he was entitled to claim any advantage -resulting from a favourable decision.</p> - -<p>The following is a description, so far as can be given in -words, of the mode in which Mr. Hobbs operated on the Bramah -lock. The first point to be attained was to free the sliders -from the pressure of the spiral spring; the spring was very -powerful, pressing with a force of between 30 and 40 lbs.; and -until this was counteracted, the sliders could not be readily -moved in their grooves. A thin steel rod, drilled at one end, -and having two long projecting teeth, was introduced into the -key-hole and pressed against the circular disc between the -heads of the sliders; the disc and spring were pressed as far -as they would go. In order to retain them in this position, -a curved stanchion was screwed into the side of the boards -surrounding the lock, and the end brought to press upon the -steel rod, a thumb-screw passing through the drilled portion of -the instrument and keeping it in its place. The sliders being -thus freed from the action of the spring, operations commenced -for ascertaining their proper relative positions. A plain steel -needle, with a moderately fine point, was used for pushing in -the sliders; while another with a small hook at the end, something -like a crochet-needle, was used for drawing them back -when pushed too far. By gently feeling along the edge of the -slider, the notch was found and adjusted, and its exact position -was then accurately measured by means of a thin and narrow -plate of brass, the measurements being recorded on the brass -for future reference. The operator was thus enabled, by this -record, to commence each morning’s work at the point where -he left off on the previous day. The lock having eighteen -sliders, the process of finding the exact position of the notch -in each was necessarily slow. Mr. Hobbs employed a small<span class="pagenum" id="Page130">[130]</span> -bent instrument to perform the part of the small lever or bit -of the key; with this he kept constantly pressing on the cylinder -which moved the bolt. He thus knew that if ever he got the -slide-notches into the right place, the cylinder would rotate and -the lock open. He could feel the varying resistance to which -the sliders were subjected by this tendency of the cylinder to -rotate; and he adjusted them one by one until the notch came -opposite the steel plate. The false notches added, of course, -much to his difficulty; for when he had <i>partially</i> rotated the -cylinder by means of the false notches, he had to begin again -to find out the true ones.</p> - -<p>This description accords pretty nearly with that given in a -former page; but we reproduce it here to shew not merely -what <i>might</i> be the process adopted, but what really <i>has been</i> -done. One circumstance ought at least to be noted in these -transactions—there is no mystery; the method adopted is the -result of a process of reasoning candidly and openly explained.</p> - -<p>In justice to Messrs. Bramah we thought it our duty to -give them an opportunity of stating what improvements they -had made in their locks since the date of the Great Exhibition; -and accordingly, on the 28th April, 1853, our publisher addressed -to Messrs. Bramah a note, stating that a <i>Rudimentary -Treatise on the Construction of Locks</i> was being prepared, and -inviting them to contribute thereto. The following is a copy -of their reply:</p> - -<div class="letter"> - -<p class="right padr2 fsize90">“124 Piccadilly, May 2d, 1853.</p> - -<p class="blankbefore75">“<span class="smcap">Sir</span>,—Pressure of business has prevented our sending an -earlier reply to your favour of the 28th ult.</p> - -<p>“The lock on which Mr. Hobbs operated during the Great -Exhibition had been made nearly forty years, and when taken -to pieces the sliders were found to be in iron, instead of steel; -and the key-hole of the lock being three times larger than it -ought to have been, enabled the operator to fix down the spring -of the lock, and yet leave himself ample space to turn and bend -the sliders (being in iron) at pleasure. The barrel of the lock -in which the sliders act, instead of being whole length from<span class="pagenum" id="Page131">[131]</span> -front to back of padlock, was not quite half its proper length; -a serious oversight in the workman who put the lock together, -as the barrel being short, the sliders were necessarily so, which -diminished the number of notches in the sliders full one-half, -and to that extent diminished the security of the lock, and increased -the facility of the operator.</p> - -<p>“We send for your inspection a box of guards, which will -shew you the barrel and sliders of our Bramah lock. You -will observe several notches in each slider, only one of which -will turn on the locking-plate, the others being what are termed -false, or security ones. These notches being cut only the exact -width of the locking-plate, require the most perfect accuracy -to carry each down to its proper distance. In the lock on -which Mr. Hobbs operated, in addition to the sliders being so -short, and only half the number of security-notches in each, -the notch which passed round the locking-plate was found to -be cut twice the width it ought to have been. The whole of -these defects have been corrected since the Exhibition.</p> - -<p class="right highline2 padr6">“We are, Sir, yours respectfully,</p> - -<p class="right padr2">“<span class="smcap">Bramah</span> and Co.<br /> -“per <span class="smcap">J. Smyth</span>.</p> - -<p class="blankbefore75 fsize90">“To John Weale, Esq., 59 High Holborn.”</p> - -</div><!--letter--> - -<p>In the Jury Report of the Great Exhibition, Class XXII., -are the following remarks: “On the comparative security -afforded by the various locks which have come before the -jury, they are not prepared to offer an opinion. They would -merely express a doubt whether the circumstance that a lock -has been picked under conditions which ordinarily could -scarcely ever, if at all be obtained, can be assumed as a test -of its insecurity.” [page 500]. The conditions here alluded to -probably refer to the free access which Messrs. Bramah allowed -Mr. Hobbs to have to their lock during a period of thirty days, -and we are hence led to infer that the burglar is denied any -such facilities. On this point we would refer to the opinion -of a high authority. In a paper “on the History and Construction<span class="pagenum" id="Page132">[132]</span> -of Latches and Locks,” by Mr. Chubb, read before the -Society of Arts, 22d January, 1851, the following graphic -passage occurs:</p> - -<p>“In order to shew the absolute necessity of secure locks -and safe depositories for property, especially in banking establishments, -it may not be out of place to trace the systematic -care and great sagacity with which the large burglaries are -planned. You will bear in mind that an unsuccessful attempt -is seldom made where the booty is of any magnitude. The -first-rate ‘cracksmen’ always know beforehand where to go, -when to go, and what they are going for. When a ‘plant,’ -as it is termed, is made upon a house or a bank, precise information -is gained, if possible, as to the depository of the valuables; -and if it is found that the safeguards are too strong in -themselves, and that the locks are invulnerable, the affair is -quietly dropped. But if otherwise, then no expenditure of -time or misapplied ingenuity is spared to gain the desired -end. The house is constantly watched, the habits of its inmates -are observed, their ordinary times of going out and -coming in are noted; the confidential servants are bribed or -cajoled, and induced to leave the premises when their employers -are absent, so that impressions may be taken from -the locks, and false keys made. When all the keys required -are made, one or two men who have not been previously initiated -are generally called in, and receive their instructions to -be ready at a certain hour on the following day to enter the -house. A plan of the premises is put into their hands, they -are cautioned to step over a certain creaking stair or plank, -and the keys of the different doors are given them. The day -or evening is chosen when it is known that the inmates will -be from home—the servant, taking advantage of their absence, -fulfils a long-standing engagement with his new and liberal -friends—a signal is given—the two confederates enter—the -so-called safe is swept of its contents, all the doors are carefully -re-locked, and not until the bank is opened for business -next morning is the robbery discovered.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page133">[133]</span></p> - -<p>In an article in <i>Frazer’s Magazine</i> for November 1852 the -following observations were made on the Exhibition Jury Report -on Locks: “This jury seems to have consisted of the only -persons in England who did not hear of the famous ‘lock controversy’ -of last year; for one can hardly imagine that, if they -had heard of a matter of so much consequence to the subject -they were appointed to investigate, they would have altogether -abstained from saying any thing about it. They may be excused -for not knowing, because very few people did know, -fortunately for our safes and strong boxes, that the mode of -picking Bramah’s and Chubb’s locks, by which the transatlantic -Hobbs gained so much glory, was suggested and explained in -the <i>Encyclopædia Britannica</i> nearly twenty years ago. But it -does seem very strange that they, or at least their reporter, -should not have known, long before the Report finally left his -hands, that Hobbs had picked both of those locks, and taught -every lock-picker in England how to do it, if he possesses the -requisite tools and fingers. Of course, however, the reporter -did not know it, as nobody could read any newspaper last -autumn without knowing it. And this jury did exercise their -judgment to the extent of declaring that Hobbs’s own lock -(under the name of Day and Newell) ‘seems to be impregnable.’ -Notwithstanding all which, they express their inability -to ‘offer any opinion on the comparative security afforded by -the various locks that have come before them.’ The only discrimination -which they venture to make is, that the keys of -Bramah’s and Chubb’s locks are of convenient size, while -Hobbs’s is ponderous and bulky, and his lock complicated; -and they might have added (without any very painful amount -of investigation), enormously expensive, in consequence of its -complication, and probably also more likely, on the same account, -to get out of order and stick fast, and so become rather -inconveniently impregnable—on the money door of a bank, -for instance,—than the other two locks, especially Bramah’s.”</p> - -<p>In relation to the opinion just given, it may be remarked -that the American lock has shewn no tendencies to get out of<span class="pagenum" id="Page134">[134]</span> -order; if well constructed (and good construction is a <i>sine qua -non</i> in such mechanism), the parts work into and upon each -other with very little friction. In respect to expense, and to -the size of the key, a <i>bank</i>-lock is not one in which economy -would be much studied, security being the great desideratum. -No attempt is made to produce a parautoptic lock of small size -or for cheap purposes. The lock, therefore, must be judged of -with reference to what it undertakes to perform. And this -brings us to notice the attempts made in England to pick the -parautoptic or American bank-lock.</p> - -<p>The following were the circumstances connected with Mr. -Garbutt’s attempt to pick the American lock. It is of course -known that a challenge was affixed to the American lock in -the Great Exhibition, and it was this challenge which Mr. -Garbutt accepted. Mr. Garbutt, it may be here observed, -was a working locksmith and engineer; he had been entrusted -by Messrs. Fox and Henderson with the care and adjustment -of the metal check-tables at the pay-places of the Crystal Palace; -he had at a previous period been in the employ of Messrs. -Bramah. We mention these facts only on account of an erroneous -rumour at the time that he was an agent of Messrs. -Bramah in respect to the acceptance of the American challenge; -whereas we believe he acted independently, by and for himself.</p> - -<p>On Sept. 10th, 1851, Mr. A. H. Renton, Mr. E. H. Thomson, -and Mr. W. F. Shattuck,—the first an engineer, and the -other two American exhibitors,—were appointed arbitrators -to superintend the arrangements, and they met Mr. Garbutt -and Mr. Hobbs at the house No. 20 Knightsbridge. The -following conditions were agreed to:—That a Newell lock -should be selected, and should be screwed to a wooden box; -that Mr. Garbutt should have access only to the key-hole of -the lock, through which key-hole all his operations for picking -the lock should be conducted; that Mr. Garbutt should have -uninterrupted and exclusive access to the box, between the -hours of nine in the morning and nine in the evening, for -thirty days, beginning on the 11th of September, he having<span class="pagenum" id="Page135">[135]</span> -during that time the privilege of introducing one associate, -and the arbitrators reserving to themselves the right of inspecting -the seals placed by them on the box; that, in order -to afford every information concerning the internal arrangement -of the lock, the trial-lock should be taken to pieces in -presence of all the parties; that it should be examined by Mr. -Garbutt; that it should be locked and unlocked with the proper -key by him and by Mr. Hobbs; that it should be fastened -to a box, and the fastenings sealed by the arbitrators; that -the key, when the lock was finally locked, should be sealed -up by the arbitrators and delivered to Mr. Hobbs, who would -retain it until required by the arbitrators to hand it over to -them. That at the expiration of the thirty days, or earlier -in case either of the success or the abandonment of the attempt, -the arbitrators should examine the lock. And, finally, that if -Mr. Garbutt should have succeeded in picking the lock (that -is, in withdrawing the bolt without injuring the lock), the sum -of 200<i>l.</i> should be paid to him by Mr. Hobbs.</p> - -<p>In accordance with the above agreement, Mr. Hobbs produced -a parautoptic lock, with ten tumblers, marked No. 8560. -The key and the lock were examined by Mr. Garbutt. The -lock was again put together, affixed to a box, and sealed. Mr. -Hobbs set the bits of the key (ten in number) to an arrangement -chosen by himself, and the lock was then locked by all -parties in succession; the key, after the final locking, being -sealed up and returned to Mr. Hobbs. Mr. Hobbs at the same -time delivered to Mr. Garbutt a similar but smaller lock, which -he was to be allowed to retain during the whole period of the -trial, to assist in rendering him familiar with the construction -of both locks.</p> - -<p>On the 11th of October, the day on which the prescribed -period expired, the arbitrators met at the house in question, -when Mr. Garbutt delivered up to them the lock uninjured, -but <i>unopened</i>. The award of the arbitrators was thereupon -given in the following terms: “We therefore hereby certify -that Mr. Garbutt having had uninterrupted and exclusive access<span class="pagenum" id="Page136">[136]</span> -to the lock during the period of thirty days, and, availing -himself of the conditions of the agreement, had every facility -for opening the lock that could be obtained without possession -of the true key, has delivered up the same into our hands unopened -and uninjured; and the said lock has been delivered -by us to Mr. Hobbs.”</p> - -<p>It will of course be understood that it was one condition -of this enterprise, that the particular combination of bits in -the key wherewith the lock was finally locked should not be -seen by Mr. Garbutt. The key was in the first instance tried -by Mr. Garbutt and by the members of the committee, and -was found to turn readily in the lock; Mr. Hobbs then left -the room, and re-arranged the bits of the key so as to produce -a new combination; he then returned to the room, and locked -the lock with the key in its altered form; he allowed all present -to feel the key turn freely, and then, without allowing -any one to see the combination, wrapped the key up in paper, -in which it was sealed as above described. Whether Mr. Garbutt, -or any one, could have succeeded better by a momentary -glance at the arrangement of the key, was not at that moment -the question: the terms of the challenge were that he should -<i>not</i> see it. What are the circumstances likely to occur if the -operator really has access to the key (provided the bits are not -very numerous) we may shortly explain.</p> - -<p>It is necessary to draw a distinction between <i>picking of a -lock</i> and <i>ringing the changes on a permutating key</i>; otherwise -some of the late occurrences connected with locks can hardly -be understood. After the reading of a paper by Mr. Hobbs -before the Society of Arts, a discussion arose, in which it -was stated that the Newell lock had been picked in London. -Mr. Hobbs deemed it necessary to refute this statement. The -report was circulated in many of the London newspapers; and -Mr. Jeremiah Smith, the operator in question, supported it by -his own statement. Under these circumstances Mr. Hobbs, -on April 2, 1852, addressed a letter to the editor of the -<i>Observer</i>; of which the following paragraph was intended to<span class="pagenum" id="Page137">[137]</span> -point out the distinction above mentioned between “picking” -and “ringing the changes:”</p> - -<p>“Early last autumn I lent to Mr. Potter, of South Molton -Street, one of my locks, for the purpose of giving him an -opportunity to make himself acquainted with its principle and -construction. After he had had the lock in his possession -several weeks, a report reached me that one of Mr. Potter’s -workmen had picked my lock. I immediately called on Mr. -Potter to ascertain the fact. Mr. Potter informed me that -for the purpose of testing the possibility of opening the lock -by means of an impression taken, or a copy being made of -the true key, Mr. Smith had made a copy of the key by -means of a transfer instrument, which instrument he shewed -me at the time. After the key was made, it was tried, and -found to lock and unlock the lock as readily as the original -key. Mr. Potter then sealed the screws of the lock, changed -the combination of the key, and locked it. Mr. Smith then -took the lock, and with the key that he had made by copying -the original, hit the combination, and unlocked it. The lock -was of the smallest size, having but six tumblers; the number -of changes that could possibly be made were 720. The time -occupied by Mr. Smith, according to his own statement, was -six hours and fifty-five minutes; this, allowing one minute for -each change, would give him time to have made 415 out of -the 720 changes before hitting the right one. I asked Mr. -Smith why he did not use the original key instead of making -a copy? His answer was, that ‘he could change the one he -made faster, as he did not have to screw the bits in.’ Any -person will readily understand the difference between ringing -the combination of a key and picking a lock.”</p> - -<p>In other words, the process was this: the operator had -the true key, and might have used either this or one which -he made from it. This would have sufficed for opening almost -any lock ever constructed instantly; but in the American lock -he had to find out which of 720 combinations was the right -one, and he was employed almost seven hours in doing this.<span class="pagenum" id="Page138">[138]</span> -The exploit shewed patience, but had little bearing on the -practical subject of lock-picking.</p> - -<p>In March 1852 Mr. Smith put forth an offer to accept -the challenge made by Mr. Hobbs in respect to the Exhibition -lock. Mr. Hobbs agreed to the offer, and chose, as arbitrators -on his part, Mr. Hensman, Engineer to the Bank of England, -and Mr. Appold, inventor of the centrifugal pump which attracted -so much attention at the Great Exhibition. Mr. Hobbs -requested Mr. Smith to appoint arbitrators on his side also; -but this was not done. Mr. Smith, at a meeting held by the -four persons named, expressed a wish that an ordinary commercial -lock should be the one experimented on, instead of -the more complicated test-lock which had been at the Great -Exhibition. This was a departure from the terms of the -original challenge; but Mr. Hobbs waived his objection on -this point, and offered to substitute a bank-lock with ten -tumblers for the Exhibition lock with fifteen, the former being -similar in construction but less complex. Another meeting -was agreed upon, but Mr. Smith did not attend; and the -matter was, by himself, brought to a sudden termination.</p> - -<p>To shew the effect of difference in the number of tumblers -and key-bits, we may state that, while, at a minute per change, -it would take twelve hours to go through all the combinations -with a six-bitted key, it would require seven years with a -ten-bitted, and 2,500,000 years with a fifteen-bitted key! So -much for power of combination, in the arithmetical mode of -picking.</p> - -<p>We now proceed to notice the violability of sundry minor -locks. It might at first appear that the <i>letter-lock</i> is exceedingly -difficult to pick; and so it unquestionably is, as long as -we merely attend to the chance-medley trials by turning the -rings round and round until we happen to hit upon the right -combination. But there is another mode of solving the riddle, -mechanical rather than arithmetical. A piece of common wire, -bent in the form of the shackle, is put in between the ends -of the lock; the spring or elasticity of the wire tends to force<span class="pagenum" id="Page139">[139]</span> -the ends apart; this causes the pins or studs on the rod to -press against the inner edges of the rings. By trying all the -rings in succession, some one of them will be found to bind -or cling more than the others; this is turned round until the -cessation of the bind shews that the notch in the ring has -been brought into its right position relatively to the pin on -the rod. Then another ring which binds more than the rest -is treated in a similar way; until at length all the rings seem -to be so far liberated as to indicate that the notches are in -the right positions. In the dial-lock, similarly, when a pressure -has been brought to bear upon the bolt in the right -direction, a trial of the pointers will soon bring the notch in -each wheel to the required position.</p> - -<p>Some short time after the events in London connected with -the lock controversy, Mr. William Brown of Liverpool described -the letter-lock noticed in a former page, characterising -it as a lock which he believed no one could pick. An incident -in the history of this lock was thus narrated in one of the -Liverpool newspapers. “Mr. Hobbs was taken by Mr. Milner -to the office of Messrs. Brown, Shipley, and Co., and shewn -this lock. The safe-door was closed and locked by the cashier -at Mr. Brown’s request; and then Mr. Hobbs began to illustrate -his views of the construction of the lock by manipulation -and explanation, with which the subject of them appeared to -sympathise so entirely and promptly that the door opened in -a few minutes.”</p> - -<p>In respect to the picking of the Egyptian lock, the main -difficulty would be in obtaining any false key that would correspond -with the pins of the lock; but this might be accomplished -in a way analogous to that which is practised in many -other cases. If a small piece of wax be laid on a blank key, -the key inserted into the lock, and the blank pressed upwards -against the pin-holes, there would be left an impression of -those holes on the wax; this impression would furnish a guide -to the fabrication of a false key. There is also very little difficulty -in picking this lock by one of the ordinary instruments.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page140">[140]</span></p> - -<p>For the Yale lock, combining something like the pin-action -of the Egyptian with the cylinder-action of the Bramah locks, -the picking requires the use of an instrument that will fit -between two of the pins, and to the outer end of which is -attached a lever and weight; by this means a pressure is -exerted upon the cylinder in the right direction for it to turn, -and the pins are made to bind. Then, with another instrument, -the pins are felt, and each one moved until it seems to -be relieved from the bind: this indicates that the joint in the -pin coincides with the joint between the two cylinders; and -when all have been similarly treated, the weight acting on the -inner cylinder will turn it. It is evident that this method is -the same in principle as the one applicable to the Bramah -lock.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2><span class="h2nr">CHAPTER X.</span><br /> -<span class="h2name">EFFECTS OF THE GREAT EXHIBITION OF 1851 IN IMPROVING -ENGLISH LOCKS.</span></h2> - -<p class="noindent">We have now to refer to the effects of the lock controversy. -It was no doubt annoying to be told, on good authority, that -the machines on which we so much prided ourselves were -wrong in principle; and that our locks, in order to afford the -degree of security which are expected of such contrivances, -must be re-constructed. The grumbling with which the first -part of this proposition was received would alone have sufficed -to lead to a suspicion of its truth, if the large number -of new locks that have actually appeared had not confirmed -it. Whether the second part of the proposition has been fairly -carried out, is a point which must now be considered.</p> - -<p>One of the first locks produced during or immediately after -the lock controversy was Mr. Parnell’s, to which the bold term<span class="pagenum" id="Page141">[141]</span> -of <i>patent defiance lock</i> is attached. This lock is said to depend -for its security on a mode of arrangement which may best be -described in the inventor’s own words: “Viewing the lock from -its exterior, it presents nothing remarkable; but, upon removing -the plate, it will be seen that all possible access to the mechanism -with false or surreptitious keys is effectually prevented by a solid -cylinder of <i>hardened</i> [?] brass, with protecting wards extending -the whole depth of the lock, and having in the centre the aperture -for the key, which fits to a mathematical nicety so exact as -to preclude the possibility of any second instrument being used -to open it.... This protecting cylinder must revolve -with the key to get to the works; and the moment it passes -from the key-hole in going round to lock or unlock, the solid -portion moves into its place, and so completely closes that -aperture that the point of a pin, or a fine steel-pen, has failed -to be inserted between it and the outer plate or cap, to say -nothing of the utter hopelessness of perforating the metal.</p> - -<p>“The cylinder or protecting cap, though it revolves by the -action of the key somewhat in the same way as the cylinder -of the Bramah lock, appears to be intended rather for closing -or protecting the key-hole than for governing the movements -of the bolt. The internal arrangements of the lock -are as follow: Supposing the bolt to be shot, and to be -about to be unlocked, the key, by the time it has made -about one-third of a rotation, meets with a forcible resistance -in the shape of an upright spring-bolt or detector of strong -steel acting on the revolving cylinder. The key passes this -detector, and arrives at the levers or tumblers. In the bolt-stud -which works in the slot of these tumblers there is a -small deep serrated notch on one side, corresponding to similar -notches on each of the tumblers; if, therefore, the bolt be -forced, these notches would lock into each other in a similar -manner to the catch on a ship’s windlass or a hoisting crane. -There is also a double-action tumbler-bolt, so adjusted, that if -any of the tumblers be overlifted, this little appendage becomes -thrust down at one end into the bolt of the lock, where it<span class="pagenum" id="Page142">[142]</span> -wedges all fast until the tumblers become properly re-adjusted. -The double-action tumbler-bolt also falls into the lock-bolt -when the latter is locked or shut, thereby imparting an additional -strength to the lock. The key has a power of expansion -or enlargement while turning in the lock; it meets with an eccentric -plate which draws out the bits somewhat; so that, at the -moment of acting on the tumblers, they protrude farther from -the pipe of the key than when the key entered the key-hole. -The key is, in fact, larger when in than when out of the lock. -There is connected with the works of the lock a ‘detention-cap,’ -so formed that, in the event of a false key being used, a -powerful bolt instantly locks into the revolving cylinder, and -holds fast the surreptitious instrument.” Such is, in substance, -the account which Mr. Parnell has given of his own lock. It -must, however, be stated, that the points of security or novelty -claimed by Mr. Parnell for his lock were patented by previous -inventors. The revolving cylinder or curtain was claimed -by Mitchell and Lawton in the patent of 7th March, 1815, as -noticed at <a href="#Page52">page 52</a> <i>ante</i>. The expanding key-bit was claimed -by Mr. Machin of Wolverhampton in 1827, as noticed at -<a href="#Page61">page 61</a>, and by Mr. Mackinnon (<a href="#Page62">page 62</a>); while the serrated -notches in the tumbler were used by many lock-makers long -before the date of Mr. Parnell’s patent. The detention-cap for -catching and holding a false key when put into the lock was -also patented by Mitchell and Lawton, as noticed at <a href="#Page53">page -53</a> <i>ante</i>.</p> - -<p>We come now to notice a lock lately invented by Mr. E. -B. Denison (the author of the <i>Rudimentary Treatise on Clocks</i> -in this series), which has the merit of combining considerable -novelty in construction with security. After the details given -in the two preceding chapters, it will certainly be no small -praise when we express our conviction that in the present state -of the art of lock-picking, this lock may be considered as secure. -Mr. Denison has furnished us with a description of his lock, -which we insert almost in his own words. Mr. Denison claims -for this lock the following advantages:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page143">[143]</span></p> - -<p>1. That a very large and strong lock on this construction -only requires a very small key. 2. That no key is required -to lock it, although it is free from the inconvenience pertaining -to spring-locks, viz. that the door cannot be shut without locking -itself. Moreover this lock is more secure than any spring-lock -can be. 3. That it cannot get out of order from the -usual causes of the tumblers sticking together or their springs -breaking, inasmuch as the action of the tumblers does not -depend on any thing but the key and the handle, and there are -no tumbler-springs. 4. That for the same reason, the parts of -this lock do not require any polishing or delicacy of execution. -5. That the key-hole being completely closed by a curtain, except -when the key is in, the lock is protected from the effects -of the atmosphere and dust entering at the key-hole. 6. That -this lock is secure against any known mode of picking; the -smallness of the key-hole prevents the insertion of any instrument -strong enough to open the lock by violence. 7. That -this lock, from the simplicity of its construction, admits of -being made at small cost.</p> - -<p>These objects are accomplished as follows:—In the large-sized -locks, such as would be used for safes and large doors, -the tumblers <span class="smcapall">T</span>, <a href="#Fig51">fig. 51</a>, are made of pieces of hoop-iron, 6 or 7 -inches long and 1<sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>2</sub> inch wide: these tumblers are supported by -and turn on a pin <i>a</i>, placed at about the middle of their length; -so that being balanced on the pin, or nearly so, and having -their separating plates <span class="smcapall">P</span> between them, which cannot turn, the -tumblers will stand in any position indifferently; and in order -to secure sufficient friction to keep them steady, one or more -of the separating plates <span class="smcapall">P</span> is bent a little, so as to act as a spring -when the cap of the lock is screwed down. The lock is shewn -in <a href="#Fig51">fig. 51</a> as locked, the bolt <span class="smcapall">B</span> having been shot by the fantailed -piece <i>f</i> on the handle, and the tumblers sent down, so -that the stump <i>s</i> cannot enter their jaws by the other piece of -the handle; and it is evident that the handle cannot draw the -bolt back again until the tumblers have all been raised by the -key to the proper position to allow the stump <i>s</i> to enter their<span class="pagenum" id="Page144">[144]</span> -jaws. It will be observed that in the position shewn in the -<a href="#Fig51">figure</a>, the stump does not touch the tumblers; and consequently, -so long as the bolt is kept in the position represented, no -pressure of the stump against the tumblers can be felt, although -by means of a false key or pick-lock the tumblers be raised to -any height. No implement, however, can be pushed into the -key-hole without first pressing in the curtain <span class="smcapall">K</span>, which is held -up against the cap of the lock by the two spiral springs <i>c c</i> on -each side of the key-hole; and at the back of the curtain there -is a square plug <i>p</i>, which goes through a hole in the back of -the lock, and has a notch in it through which the bolt can pass -when the curtain is up, closing the key-hole, but at no other -time. In other words, the act of pushing in the key sends -down the curtain plug, the effect of which is to hold the bolt -fast in the position in which the stump cannot be made to touch -the tumblers. If the proper key be used and turned about -half round to the right, it will bring the tumblers to the -proper height for the stump to pass. The key is then taken -out; for so long as it is in the lock, the bolt cannot be moved; -and then turning the handle to the right, the bolt is drawn and -the door opened.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig51"> -<img src="images/illo144.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 51. Mr. Denison’s large lock.</p> -</div> - -<p>The handle <span class="smcapall">H</span> should be so made, -that as soon as the fantailed<span class="pagenum" id="Page145">[145]</span> -piece <i>f</i> has sent the bolt just clear of the tumblers, the -other arm to the right of <span class="smcapall">H</span> may begin to move the tumblers; but -the fantail need not send the stump above one-sixteenth of an -inch beyond the tumblers; and the curtain-plug and bolt must -be so adjusted that the curtain cannot be pushed in until the -bolt is so far out that the stump is this one-sixteenth of an inch -beyond the tumblers. The curtain <span class="smcapall">K</span> need only be a thin piece -of steel, and the bolt <span class="smcapall">B</span> must be thick enough for the curtain to -go down just to the level of the thin plate <span class="smcapall">P</span> between the bolt -and the first tumbler <span class="smcapall">T</span>. The curtain-plug <i>p</i> is made as long -as the key-hole and rather broader, and of the shape represented, -partly for the sake of steadiness in pushing in the -curtain, and also for more completely protecting the key-hole; -for if an attempt be made to pick the lock by drilling into the -key-hole, the drill will pass into the inside of the door and not -into the inside of the lock.<a id="FNanchor10"></a><a href="#Footnote10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote10"></a><a href="#FNanchor10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a> -Mr. Denison informs us that there is a further contrivance, which he -will explain privately to any persons who wish to manufacture these locks, -of which the object is, not to add any thing to the security of the lock under -ordinary circumstances, but to provide against the unusual case of a very -dexterous thief having occasional access to the lock when open; in which -case (but for some such further provision) he might manage to construct a -false key capable of opening the lock at any other time, by a method which, -for obvious reasons, it is not advisable to publish.</p> - -</div><!--footnote--> - -<p>It is true that iron safes have been made for some years in -which any number of large bolts are shot by a handle and then -locked by a very small key. But in such locks the key must -be used in locking, and this leads to certain objections, viz. -the key must occasionally at least be confided to some person -whose duty it is to lock up the safe after the owner has left -the place; there is also the temptation to leave the key in the -lock, since it will be wanted in locking up; and thus there is -the danger of some dishonest person taking an impression of -the key. Besides this, the real strength and security of such -safes is only that due to the small lock which locks into the -main bolt; whereas in Mr. Denison’s lock the security and -strength are those due to the lock itself, with its large and<span class="pagenum" id="Page146">[146]</span> -strong tumblers, and other provisions peculiar to its construction; -and the key for a lock of the largest size, which was -lately exhibited at the Society of Arts by Messrs. S. Mordan -and Co., the makers, only weighs a little more than a quarter -of an ounce. It may be mentioned that for large locks the key -may be solid, although in the small ones it is more convenient -to have a pipe-key, on account of the different construction of -the curtain.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig52"> -<img src="images/illo146.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 52. Mr. Denison’s small lock.</p> -</div> - -<p>The arrangement of the small lock for drawers, &c. is -somewhat different from that of the large ones, and will be -understood by referring to <a href="#Fig52">fig. 52</a>. The action of the handle -<span class="smcapall">H</span> on the bolt <span class="smcapall">B</span> -and on the tumblers <span class="smcapall">T</span> is sufficiently clear from -the figure. The curtain in this case has no plug, but is only -a flat plate held up by a thin spring behind it, and moving -up and down on the drill-pin of the key, and kept from turning -by having one edge against the side of the lock. The bolt -has a kind of second stump, only coming up so high as to be -able just to pass under the corner of the curtain when it is up, -but not able to pass when the curtain is at all pressed down by -any thing inserted in the key-hole. In a drawer lock the key -has only to be turned a quarter round in order to raise the -tumblers. In small locks, the friction of the tumbler-plates is<span class="pagenum" id="Page147">[147]</span> -quite enough to keep them in any position, without putting the -pin in the middle so as to balance them, as in large locks with -heavy tumblers.</p> - -<p>In the making of these locks the key must be made first, -with proper provisions to prevent the repetition of the same -pattern; a kind of pattern or model for locks of each size -should be made; the tumblers put on the pin with plates of -the intended thickness between, and when raised by the key to -the proper height they should be clamped down; and the -jaws for the stump of the bolt may then be cut by a circular -saw moving in a slit in the model corresponding to the place of -the stump. The tumblers for large locks may be cut off from -a strip of hoop-iron to the proper lengths by a stamping cutter, -giving them the proper circular end, and a punch might at the -same time make the pin-hole in the middle. The tumblers for -small locks should be stamped out of sheet brass or iron.</p> - -<p>It will thus be evident that from the general simplicity of -construction, and the small amount of finish required in the -working parts, this lock can be made at small cost. We -may also add that this lock is as creditable to the public spirit -as to the mechanical skill of the inventor; for the lock is not -patented, patents being, in Mr. Denison’s estimation, obstructions -to the progress of science.</p> - -<p>The next result of the “lock controversy” which we have -to notice is the production of not less than three improved locks -by Messrs. Chubb. We thought it our duty to invite the -attention of this celebrated firm to the preparation of this -<i>Rudimentary Treatise</i>, and in answer to the application of -our publisher we received the following communication from -Messrs. Chubb, which we insert verbatim:—</p> - -<p>“It will not be necessary to describe the lock as originally -made, as a description of it will be found in Mr. Chubb’s -paper read before the Institution of Civil Engineers.</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Lock No. 1.</span>—The first of the improvements introduced -consists of a barrel, to which a circular curtain is attached, -revolving round the drill-pin in the lock; so that if any instrument<span class="pagenum" id="Page148">[148]</span> -is introduced to attempt to pick it, the curtain immediately -closes up the key-hole, and prevents the introduction -of any auxiliary instruments, there being several required in -action at once to produce any effect.</p> - -<p>“If by any means these several instruments can be introduced -simultaneously, the barrel keeps them all confined in a -very small space, preventing their expansion, and renders it -impossible to work them independently of each other; therefore -they are of no avail, being incapable of acting as more than a -single pick, which is perfectly useless. The barrel and curtain -have each been previously used <i>separately</i> in locks, but until -patented by Mr. De la Fons in 1846 they had not been used -<i>in combination</i>. Neither of them, used separately, is of much -use, but when combined they afford a very great security. -Locks have been, and still are shewn, containing either the -barrel or curtain <i>singly</i>, and as these have been picked, it has -been asserted that the improvement now introduced in Chubb’s -lock is equally insecure; but a slight examination of the difference -in their construction will prove the contrary. Mr. -Chubb has purchased the patent-right of this part of Mr. De -la Fons’ invention, and applies it to all his locks.</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Lock No. 2.</span>—The next improvement, recently patented -by Mr. Chubb, is based upon the assumption that there may -be a possibility of overcoming the security of the barrel and -curtain as already described (although this assumption is not -in the slightest degree admitted), and consists in applying what -is called a ‘tumbler-bolt,’ working on a hinge connected with -the main bolt. The web of the key does not in any case touch -the main bolt in unlocking, but acts only on the tumbler-bolt. -All the tumblers must first be lifted, each to its proper position, -before the tumbler-bolt will act. Should any pressure be applied -to either bolt before the tumblers are all at their exact -position, the effect would be to throw the bolts out of gear, and -thus effectually to stop the stump of the main bolt from passing -through the racks of the tumblers. None of the many plans of -picking which have been suggested, such as smoked key-blanks,<span class="pagenum" id="Page149">[149]</span> -thin key-bits, &c., would be of the least avail against a lock -made on this principle. Different kinds of detectors may be -applied to these locks. It is submitted that this lock, retaining -all the simplicity and durability which have distinguished -Chubb’s lock for so many years, and combining with them -these important improvements, affords a complete security -against all surreptitious attempts of any nature. Locks on -the same principle are being made on the permutation plan, -with any number of tumblers, and any number of changes in -combination that may be desired.</p> - -<p>“It has been suggested that the ‘detector,’ instead of giving -additional security to Chubb’s lock, affords a partial guidance -to a person attempting to pick it. This objection holds good -to a certain extent in these locks as originally made, in which -all the tumblers had an <i>equal</i> bearing against the detector-stump; -but in the locks as now constructed this objection is -entirely obviated, by giving the tumblers an <i>unequal</i> bearing, -whereby, if an operator feels the obstruction of the detector-stump, -he cannot tell whether the tumbler which he is lifting -is raised too high, or not high enough.</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Lock No. 3.</span>—For banks, Mr. Chubb has introduced what -he particularly calls his ‘bank lock.’ It contains a barrel with -a series of curtains. While the key-hole is open, all access to -the tumblers from the key-hole is completely cut off by two -sliding pieces of solid metal, which fit closely on either side of -the barrel. These pieces are acted upon by an eccentric motion, -so that when the key is applied to the lock, and turned -in it, the key-hole is shut up by the revolution of the curtains, -and then only do the sliding pieces of metal move aside to allow -the key to act upon the tumblers. These pieces return to their -position when the key has passed; therefore, while the key is -lifting the tumblers, all communication is cut off from the exterior -of the lock by these sliding pieces and the series of -curtains. The bolt is made in two pieces, the main bolt never -being in contact with the key, which acts only on the talon-bolt, -and by it transmits the motion to the main bolt. After<span class="pagenum" id="Page150">[150]</span> -the action of locking, the talon-bolt is partly repelled, and a -lever or ‘dog’ connected with it locks into a series of combinations -arranged upon the front parts of the tumblers, and holds -them securely down, so that none of them can be lifted in the -least degree until the talon-bolt is thrown forward to release -them, If, therefore, any pressure be applied to this talon-bolt, -to endeavour by its help to ascertain the combinations of the -tumblers, it will only the more tightly lock them down, and -render the attempt ineffectual. By another contrivance it is -rendered impracticable to move a pick or picks round in the -lock more than a small distance, unless the tumblers could -previously be all lifted to their right positions, which can only -be done by the right key. Should one or more of the tumblers -be surreptitiously raised by any possible means, they cannot -be detained in this uplifted position, for the action of turning -back the pick to try to raise another tumbler sets in motion a -lever which allows the tumblers already raised to drop to their -former position, leaving the operator just as far from the attainment -of his object as at the outset.”</p> - -<p>Such is the statement with which Messrs. Chubb have favoured -us respecting their three new locks. We are willing to -admit the enterprising spirit which has led to their production, -and the ingenuity which has been bestowed on their construction; -but whether they mark a step in advance in the art of -lock-making may perhaps admit of doubt. With respect to -the lock No. 1, we would remark, that locks with the barrel -and curtain combined were made by Mr. Aubin of Wolverhampton -in 1833, and that a specimen of such a lock was -exhibited on his stand of locks in the Great Exhibition. -Locks with the combined barrel and curtain were also made -and sold by Mr. Jones of Newark, N.J., as stated at <a href="#Page104">p. 104</a>.</p> - -<p>With respect to the lock No. 2, the object of the <i>tumbler-bolt</i> -is evidently intended to produce the same effect as the -<i>movable stump</i> in Mr. Hobbs’s protector-lock, <a href="#Fig47">fig. 47</a>, page 100; -but with greater complexity in the construction, there is less -efficiency in the action of this part of Mr. Chubb’s lock as<span class="pagenum" id="Page151">[151]</span> -compared with that of Mr. Hobbs, inasmuch as a pressure -of the stump against the tumblers, corresponding with -the strength of the spring which holds the bolt in its place, -can always be produced, thereby giving friction, and affording -indication as to which tumbler it is that is in tight contact with -the stump.</p> - -<p>With respect to the barrel and curtains of lock No. 3, and -all similar contrivances, the object of which is said to be to -prevent the entrance into the key-hole of all instruments except -the proper key, we would offer the self-evident remark, -that the same aperture which admits the key will also admit -some other instrument. In the case of Mr. Chubb’s “bank-lock,” -it may be questioned whether the revolving curtain, &c. -give it any advantage over the other locks already referred to -which are furnished with similar contrivances. The effect of -the <i>talon-bolt</i> in this lock appears to be the same as that of the -false notches, namely, to hold the tumblers in the position in -which they were placed when the pressure was applied. Hence, -a pressure applied to the talon-bolt affects the parts which -come in contact with the key in the act of locking and unlocking; -and this circumstance brings the lock under the application -of the principle stated at page 99, and thus, if this principle -be admitted, may render the security of the lock somewhat -questionable.</p> - -<p>Various other locks have been brought out since the date -of the “lock controversy” in the year 1851. We would gladly -notice them all, did they shew novelty of design and mark an -advance in the art of the locksmith. We must, however, admire -the ingenuity with which Mr. Hobbs’s movable stump -has been more or less adopted; but in the attempts to imitate -it the objection has not been removed, that it is possible to -produce on the tumblers a pressure or friction equal to the -strength of the spring which holds the tumblers down.</p> - -<p>There is, however, a lock which has lately been introduced -to the public, which calls for special notice, on account of the -high honours which have been bestowed upon it. We refer to<span class="pagenum" id="Page152">[152]</span> -the prize lock of the Society of Arts, London, the invention of -Mr. H. J. Saxby of Sheerness, who has received the Society’s -medal and the sum of ten guineas as the reward of his ingenuity. -The interior of this lock consists of a cylinder with four -pins or slides radiating from the centre, and pressed into the -key-hole by means of spiral springs. The pins project beyond -the periphery of the wheel or cylinder, and into slots in a ring -which is affixed to the case of the lock, thereby preventing the -cylinder from being turned. On each pin is a notch, so placed -that when the proper key is inserted into the key-hole, the -notches on the several pins will be brought into a position -such as will allow the cylinder to turn. The turning of the -cylinder in this, as in the Bramah lock, shoots the bolt.</p> - -<p>A lock on precisely the same principle, but more secure in -its construction, was described by Mr. Hobbs in a paper read -by him before the Society of Arts in January 1852, when diagrams -illustrative of the same were exhibited. This paper was -not reported at any length in the journal of the Society’s proceedings; -but the same paper was read by Mr. Hobbs, March 1, -1852, before the Liverpool Polytechnic Society, and a full report -thereof, and a description of the lock in question, is given -in the “Transactions” of that Society, from September 1849 -to December 1852 (8vo, Liverpool, 1853). This lock is no -other than the Yale lock already noticed at page 83, and is -thus described at page 196 of the “Transactions:”</p> - -<p>“Another description of cylinder-lock was invented, a few -years since, by a Mr. Yale of the State of New York, U.S.A.</p> - -<p>“The Yale lock has two cylinders, one working within the -other; and they are held together by a series of pins reaching -through the cylinders into the key-hole, which is in the centre. -On the back of the inner cylinder is a pin that fits into a slot -in the bolt, and moves it as the cylinder is turned. The pins -that hold the cylinders together and prevent the inner one -from turning, are cut in two at different lengths. The key -is so made, that by inserting it into the key-hole the pins -are moved, so that the joint in the pins meets the joint between<span class="pagenum" id="Page153">[153]</span> -the cylinders, and allows the inner one to be turned. -But, as with the slides of the Bramah lock, should any one of -the pins be pushed too far, the cylinder is held quite as firmly -as though it had not been touched. Some of these locks have -been made with as many as forty pins; and to a person unacquainted -with the principles on which locks are picked, they -would seem to present an insurmountable barrier.</p> - -<p>“Figure 1<a id="FNanchor11"></a><a href="#Footnote11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a> -represents the case of the lock containing the -bolt <span class="smcapall">A</span>, having a groove <span class="smcapall">B</span>, -to receive the pin <span class="smcapall">C</span> on the cylinder. -Figure 2 shews the cap or top-plate of the lock, and the cylinders; -<span class="smcapall">D D</span> is the outer cylinder, that is stationary, being fastened -to the plate; <span class="smcapall">E E</span> the inner or moving cylinder; <span class="smcapall">F F</span> the four -rows of pins, being cut in two at different lengths, and reaching -through the cylinders into the key-hole; <span class="smcapall">G G</span> are the springs -that press the pins to their places; <span class="smcapall">C</span> the pin that fits into the -groove and moves the bolt. Figure 3 is an end view of the -key, shewing four grooves. Figure 4 is a side view, shewing -the irregular surface of the grooves by which the pins are -adjusted.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote11"></a><a href="#FNanchor11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a> -This and the following figures refer to the diagrams exhibited by Mr. -Hobbs.</p> - -</div><!--footnote--> - -<p>“For the purpose of picking the lock, an instrument is made -that will fit between two of the pins; to that is attached a lever -and weight, thereby getting a pressure on the cylinder and -causing the pins to bind; then with another instrument the -pins are felt, and as they are found to bind, they are pressed -in until they are relieved (as they will be when the joint comes -to the right place), thereby easily opening the lock. There is -a great similarity in the operation and security of this and the -lock manufactured by Mr. Cotterill of Birmingham.”</p> - -<p>In the <i>Society of Arts Journal</i> for the 24th June, 1853, is -a letter from Mr. Hobbs on the subject of the prize lock, which, -it appears, he picked, “in the presence of parties connected -with the Society, in the short space of three minutes.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page154">[154]</span></p> - -<h2><span class="h2nr">CHAPTER XI.</span><br /> -<span class="h2name">THE LOCK AND KEY MANUFACTURE.</span></h2> - -<p class="noindent">The manufacture of locks and keys, considered as a department -of working in iron, is one that requires, and indeed -admits of, very little description. The hammer, the file, the -drill, the fly-press, are the chief instruments employed; the -iron itself being brought to something like the desired state -and form by rolling or casting, or both. But the manufacture -is interesting in its social features—in its relation to the persons -employed and the buildings occupied. One by one, several -departments of industry have progressed from the <i>handicraft</i> -to the <i>factory</i> system—from that system in which a man and -a few apprentices work in a small shop in the lockmaker’s -garret or kitchen, to that in which organisation is maintained -among twenty or fifty or a hundred men. Locks have scarcely -yet passed out of the first stage, but there is no good reason -whatever why they should so remain; there are as many reasons -for progress in this as in other arts, and indications are -not wanting that some such progress will be made.</p> - -<p>So far as England is concerned, the neighbourhood of -Wolverhampton is the great storehouse whence locks are obtained. -Eminent lock-makers reside in London and in other -principal towns; but Wolverhampton is regarded by all as the -centre of the trade. This is not a modern localisation, for -we have information respecting the locks of Wolverhampton a -century and a quarter ago. Among the Harleian Manuscripts -is an account of “The Voyage of Don Manuel Gonzales (late -merchant), of the City of Lisbon in Portugal, to Great Britain: -containing an Historical, Geographical, Topographical, Political, -and Ecclesiastical Account of England and Scotland; -with a Curious Collection of things particularly rare, both in -Nature and Antiquity.” This Ms. appears to have been written<span class="pagenum" id="Page155">[155]</span> -about 1732; it was translated from the Portuguese, and -printed in Pinkerton’s Collection of Voyages and Travels. -With reference to Wolverhampton, Gonzales says: “The chief -manufacturers of this town are locksmiths, who are reckoned -the most expert of that trade in England. They are so curious -in this art, that they can contrive a lock so that if a servant -be sent into the closet with the master-key, or their own, it -will shew how many times that servant hath gone in at any -distance of time, and how many times the lock has been shot -for a whole year; some of them being made to discover five -hundred or a thousand times. We are informed also that -a very fine lock was made in this town, sold for 20<i>l.</i>, which -had a set of chimes in it that would go at any hour the owner -should think fit.” If Gonzales were correct in these descriptions, -they indicate an exercise of considerable ingenuity in -lock-construction, especially in reference to the lock which -keeps a registry of the number of times it has been opened. -There is abundant evidence that the old lock-makers were -very fond of these knick-knack locks, which would do all -sorts of strange and unexpected things; and this may in part -account for the great favour in which locks have been held by -amateur machinists.</p> - -<p>The lock-manufacture in South Staffordshire is of a remarkable -character, comprised as it is within so small an area. -Although Wolverhampton is known commercially as the chief -depôt of the English lock trade, yet it is at Willenhall, three -or four miles eastward of that town, that the actual manufacture -is chiefly carried on. When the Commission was appointed -a few years ago to inquire into the condition of children -employed in trades and manufactures, Mr. R. H. Horne was -deputed to examine the Wolverhampton district; and his report -is too curious, and too closely connected with our present -subject, to be passed unnoticed. We here give an abstract of -such parts of his report as bear reference to the lock-makers -of Willenhall.</p> - -<p>Almost the entire industry of Willenhall is in the three<span class="pagenum" id="Page156">[156]</span> -articles of currycombs, locks and keys, and articles connected -incidentally with locks, such as bolts and latches. At the -time Mr. Horne wrote, in 1841, there were among the master -manufacturers 268 locksmiths, 76 key-makers, 14 bolt-makers, -and 13 latch-makers; besides many small masters living in -such out-of-the-way corners that they escaped enumeration. -In the <i>Post-Office Directory</i> of that district, of later date, there -are entries of rather a curious character. In the first place it -is observable that different kinds of locks are made by different -persons, each manufacturer confining his operations apparently -to one kind of lock; one is a <i>rim-lock</i> maker, another a -<i>trunk-lock</i> maker, a third a <i>cabinet-lock</i> maker, a fourth a <i>padlock</i> -maker, a fifth a <i>mortice-lock</i> maker, and so on. But a -much more singular feature is, that lock-making is combined -with retail dealing of a totally different kind; thus among the -occupations put down opposite the names of individuals are, -“key-stamper and beer-retailer,” “door-lock maker and beer-retailer,” -“grocer and trunk-lock maker,” “Malt-Shovel tavern-keeper -and rim-lock maker,” “lock-maker and provision-dealer,” -“grocer and key-maker,” “cabinet-lock maker and -Woolpack tavern,” “key-stamper and registrar of births, &c.,” -“Hope and Anchor and cabinet-lock maker,” “auctioneer and -locksmith,” “rim-lock and varnish maker,” and so forth. It -is probable that in some of these cases the wife attends to the -retail shop, while the husband attends to the workshop.</p> - -<p>Among all the lock-manufacturers of the town there are -scarcely half a dozen in what may be termed a large way of -business; there are many who employ from five to fifteen pairs -of hands, but the great majority are small masters who are -themselves working mechanics, and are aided by apprentices -from one to four in number, perhaps two on an average. Mr. -Horne thinks that there were not fewer than a thousand boys -at work in the town, chiefly upon locks and keys. The children -and young persons are employed at all ages, from seven -up to manhood; from the earliest age, indeed, in which they -are able to hold a file. It is a characteristic fact, where so<span class="pagenum" id="Page157">[157]</span> -many of the male inhabitants are employed at the bench from -such early years, that a certain distortion of figure is observable; -the right shoulder-blade becomes displaced and projects, -and the right leg crooks and bends inwards at the knee, like -the letter K,—it is the leg which is hindermost in standing -at the vice. The right hand also has frequently a marked distortion. -“Almost every thing it holds takes the position of the -file. If the poor man carries a limp lettuce or a limper mackarel -from Wolverhampton market, they are never dangled, but -always held like the file. If he carry nothing, his right hand -is in just the same position.”</p> - -<p>The hours of labour among the small masters are scarcely -brought within any system at all; for all the work is piecework, -not paid for by the day or hour; and each man works -as long as he likes, or as long as his business impels him. -Some will file away from four or five in the morning till eleven -or twelve at night. In the larger shops, where there are many -hands employed, they come to work when they like, leave -when they like, and do as much work as they like when there; -this freedom of action being spread over a working-day of -perhaps sixteen hours. The masters say that the men prefer -this system, or want of system, to any thing more precise and -regular. In the beginning of the week there is often much -idleness and holiday-keeping; and the Willenhall men make -up for this by a day of sixteen, eighteen, or even twenty hours’ -work towards the end of the week. In the beginning of the -week, men and boys have defined hours and definite periods -for meals; but towards the end of the week, when hurry and -drive are the order of the day, they eat their meals while at -work, and bolt their victuals standing. “You see a locksmith -and his two apprentices, with a plate before each of them, -heaped up (at the best of times, when they can get such -things) with potatoes and lumps of something or other, but -seldom meat, and a large slice of bread in one hand; your -attention is called off for two minutes, and on turning round -again, you see the man and boys filing at the vice.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page158">[158]</span></p> - -<p>In the processes as carried on at Willenhall, they are applied -chiefly to the manufacture of mortice, box, trunk, rim, -cabinet, case, bright, dead, closet, and padlocks. Except some -of the parts of the brass-work, which are <i>cast</i>, these locks are -made by <i>forging</i>, <i>pressing</i>, and <i>filing</i>. The forging is a light kind -of smith’s work, aided by a light hammer and a small pair of -bellows; children and young persons are largely employed in -this process. Pressing is a kind of work by which certain -parts of the lock are pressed or stamped out. The presses are -of various sizes, but all require much strength to work them; -the press has a horizontal lever, crossing the top of a vertical -screw, and there is generally an iron weight at the end of each -arm or half of the lever to increase the power; one of the lever -arms is grasped in the right hand of the presser, and whirled -round with a jerk; while the fingers of the left hand place the -metal in its proper position, and remove it when it has been -stamped or pressed. There is, of course, a die or cutter -attached to the press, to cut the metal in the proper form. -Sometimes the press has only one arm to the lever, and no -weight at the end of this, so that the labour of working is -much increased. Children and youths are employed at this -process, so far as their strength will admit. The last process, -<i>filing</i>, is that by which the separate pieces are shaped and -smoothed for adjustment in their proper places; here children -and youths are almost exclusively employed; they stand upon -blocks so as to be able to reach the vice, and then work away -with the file, unrelieved by any change in the nature of the -process.</p> - -<p>In key-making the processes may be said to comprise -<i>forging</i>, <i>stamping</i>, <i>piercing</i>, and <i>filing</i>. The forging differs very -little from that required in making the pieces for a lock. The -stamping is effected by placing the end of an iron wire, taken -red-hot from the forge, into one half of a key-mould made in -a block or kind of anvil; a heavy weight is then raised between -an upright framework, in the grooves of which it runs -by means of a cord; the cord is drawn by both hands, with<span class="pagenum" id="Page159">[159]</span> -the assistance of one foot in a stirrup attached to the end of -the cord; at the bottom of the weight thus raised is the other -half of the key-mould. Such being the nature of the stamping -apparatus, the process is thus conducted: the foot in the -stirrup being suddenly raised, and the cord loosed, the weight -falls upon the red-hot wire, and the blow stamps it into the -two moulds or half-moulds, which are brought accurately together -by means of the slides or side-grooves in the framework. -The rough key is also trimmed and cleared by the -pressing apparatus; that is, the surplus metal all round is -cut off by a single blow; and the metal which fills up the ring -or handle of the key is cut or pressed out in the same way. -This is a heavy part of the key-work, for which the labour of -men rather than that of boys is required. The process of -<i>piercing</i> the key consists in making the pipe or barrel, required -for most keys, except those which are intended to open a lock -for both sides; the pipe is drilled by a small machine worked -with the foot like a lathe; it is a process requiring more skill -than strength, relatively to other parts of the manufacture. -The <i>filing</i> of a key is important; for not only is the whole key -made bright, but the wards are cut by the file and chisel. -Boys and youths are employed in filing the common keys; but -those of better quality are entrusted to men.</p> - -<p>The apprenticeship system is carried on to a remarkable -extent among the lock and key makers of Willenhall. The -small masters take apprentices at any age at which they can -work. Some of them employ only apprentices, never paying -wages for journeymen, but always taking on a new apprentice -as soon as a former one is out of his time. The boys are -mostly procured from other towns, and they bring with them a -small apprenticeship-fee and a suit or two of clothes. They -are bound to the masters by legal indenture or contract; and -the masters board and lodge and clothe them during their -apprenticeship. One consequence of this system is, that when -the apprentice has served his time, he is almost driven to become -a small master himself from want of employment as a journeyman;<span class="pagenum" id="Page160">[160]</span> -and he then takes apprentices as his master did before -him. This accounts for the fact that in Willenhall there -are few large manufacturers and few journeymen; while there -is a constantly-increasing number of small masters and of apprentices.</p> - -<p>The Willenhall makers nearly all look to the Wolverhampton -factors or dealers for a market for their wares—so -far at least as concerns locks and keys; there are some other -articles which they sell more frequently to Birmingham houses. -The master and an apprentice, or perhaps two, generally -trudge off to Wolverhampton on a Saturday, bearing the stock -of locks which he may have to sell; and the money receipts for -the locks or keys sold are usually in part spent at the large -market of Wolverhampton previous to the homeward journey. -The Willenhall men take contracts at so low a price as to prevent -the competition of other places; it is stated, that whatever be -prices elsewhere, nothing can come below the Willenhall prices -for cheap locks. The men work hard for small returns, and yet -they have a strong yearning for their own town. A Willenhall -girl will seldom marry except to a townsman; and thus -they intermarry to an extent which maintains their characteristics -as a peculiar community. As an example of their disinclination -to leave their own town, Mr. Horne states the following -circumstance: “Some years ago a factor, who had -projected a manufactory in Brussels, engaged some five-and-twenty -Willenhall men, whom he was at the expense of taking -over. He gave them all work, and from hard-earned wages -of from 9<i>s.</i> to 15<i>s.</i> a-week, these ‘practised hands’ found -themselves able to earn 3<i>l.</i> a-week and upwards. But they -were not satisfied, and began to feel uncomfortable; first one -left, and returned home; then another; then one or two; till, -in the course of a few weeks, every man had returned to Willenhall”—there -to work harder and earn less.</p> - -<p>It is just possible that the application of the factory system -to lock-making may first become important by making the <i>best</i> -locks cheaper than they can be made by the handicraft method;<span class="pagenum" id="Page161">[161]</span> -for there seems not much probability, at least for a great length -of time to come, that any new system will be able to compete -with Willenhall in the common locks—those of which more -thousands are sold than there are tens of the better locks. In -this, however, it would not do to predict rashly. Hand-loom -weaving is cheap enough, unfortunately for those who practise -it; but yet the factory system comes down as low as the lowest -hand-loom weaving.</p> - -<p>The editor of Hebert’s <i>Encyclopædia</i>, after noticing the -facilities for opening most locks by copying the key, makes -the following announcement: “It affords the editor of this -work much satisfaction to state, that he has in his possession -a lock, the key of which <i>cannot be copied</i>, a locksmith possessing -no tools by which an exactly similar one can be made; -the machine by which the original one was made is so arranged -as to be deprived of the power of producing another like it. -The lock is very simple, very strong, and can be very cheaply -made. The cost of a complete machine to make them would -be about 100<i>l.</i>; with that they might be manufactured at one-half -the expense of any patent lock. The inventor is desirous -to have the subject brought before the public under a patent; -but want of time to devote himself to such an object at present -obliges him to lay it aside.” The invention not being patented, -the editor of course gave no diagram or engraving of the lock -or machine; nor does there appear to have been a patent obtained -during the sixteen or eighteen years which have elapsed -since the above notice was published. There are, however, -mechanical principles sufficiently well known to lead to a belief -that such a machine is practicable; a ticket-printing or -numbering machine will, in printing 100,000 tickets, produce -such variations that no two impressions shall be identical; and -a key-making machine might, after fashioning a particular -part of each key, modify the arrangement of certain wheels -and pinions so far as to produce a slightly different result -when the next key is to be operated on.</p> - -<p>In the manufacture of locks and keys generally, there is<span class="pagenum" id="Page162">[162]</span> -no reason why the factory system should not, to a certain extent, -be applicable. By this will be understood, the production -of similar parts by tools or machines, graduated in respect to -each other with more care than can be done by the hand method. -If we suppose that a lock of particular construction -comprises twenty screws and small pieces of metal, and that -there are required, for general disposal in the market, five -sizes of such a lock; there would thus be a hundred pieces -of metal required for the series, each one differing, either in -shape or size, from every one of the others. Now, on the factory -or manufacturing system, as compared with the handicraft -system, forging, drawing, casting, stamping, and punching, -would supersede much of the filing; the drilling machine -would supersede the drill-stock and bow, and other machines -would supersede other hand-worked tools. This would be -done—not merely because the work could be accomplished -more quickly or more cheaply—but because an accuracy of -adjustment would be attained, such as no hand-work could -equal, unless it be such special work as would command a -high rate of payment. For any one size in the series, and -any one piece of metal in each size of lock, a standard would -be obtained which could be copied to any extent, and all the -copies would be like each other. To pursue our illustration, -the manufacturer might have a hundred boxes or drawers, -and might supply each with a hundred copies of the particular -piece of metal to which it is appropriated, all so exactly -alike that any one copy might be taken as well as any -other. Ten pieces, one from each of ten of these boxes, would -together form a lock; ten, one from each of another ten boxes, -would form a second lock, and so on; and there would be, in -the whole of the boxes, materials for a thousand locks of one -construction, a hundred of each size.</p> - -<p>Now the advantage of the machine or factory mode of -producing such articles is this, that they can be made in -large numbers at one time, whenever the steam-engine is at -work; and that when so made, the pieces are shaped so exactly<span class="pagenum" id="Page163">[163]</span> -alike, the screws have threads so identical, and the holes are -bored so equal in diameter, that any one of a hundred copies -would act precisely like all the others, thereby giving great -advantages to the men employed in putting the lock together.</p> - -<p>These principles are being applied by Messrs. Hobbs and -Co. in their London establishment. A number of machines, -worked by steam-power, are employed in shaping the several -pieces of metal contained in a lock; and all the several -pieces are deposited in labelled compartments, one -to each kind of piece. The machines are employed—in -some cases to do coarse work, which they can accomplish -more quickly than it can be done by men; and in other cases -to do delicate work, which they can accomplish more accurately -than men; but so far is this from converting the -men into lowly-paid automatons (as some might suppose), -that the manufacturers are better able to pay good wages for -the handicraft labour necessary in putting the locks together, -than for forming the separate parts by hand; just as the -“watchmaker,” as he is called, who puts the separate parts -of the watch together, is a better-paid mechanic than the man -who is engaged in fabricating any particular parts of the -watch.</p> - -<p>It may be observed that the system of manufacturing on a -large scale, by many men engaged in one large building, is -more nearly universal in the United States than in England. -The workshop system, as pursued at Willenhall by the lock-makers, -is very little practised in America. Being comparatively -a new community, and being at liberty to select for -imitation or for improvement whichever of the usages or systems -in the old country they may prefer, the Americans have -preferred to adopt the factory system rather than the workshop -system, and to carry out the former to an extent not yet equalled -in England—not yet equalled, we mean, in the number of trades -to which it is applied.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page164">[164]</span></p> - -<h2><span class="h2nr">CHAPTER XII.</span><br /> -<span class="h2name">ENGLISH PATENTS FOR LOCKS—AUBIN’S LOCK TROPHY.</span></h2> - -<p class="noindent">We propose to conclude this small work with a few details -respecting the various patented inventions in locks, and concerning -Mr. Aubin’s remarkable lock trophy. These two -subjects relate to locks in general, rather than to any specified -constructions in particular, and can on that account more -conveniently be given here than in connexion with any of -the foregoing chapters.</p> - -<p>Mr. Chubb, in the appendix to his paper on locks and -keys read before the Institution of Civil Engineers, gave a -useful list of all the patents taken out in England in relation -to this subject, down to the year 1849. We here transcribe -this list:</p> - -<p class="center blankbefore75"><i>List of Patents for Locks and Latches granted since the -Establishment of the Patent Laws.</i></p> - -<p class="blankbefore75">“As no complete list of the patents granted for locks from -the time of James I. has hitherto been published, it is believed -that the following list, which has been very carefully -drawn up, and which comprises all patents from the year 1774, -when the first patent for a lock was granted, to the present -time, will be found useful as a reference for all who are interested -in the subject.</p> - -<table class="patents" summary="Patents"> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1774</td> -<td class="month">May</td> -<td class="date">27</td> -<td class="patentee">Black, George, Berwick-on-Tweed.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="dittomonth">„</td> -<td class="center br">„</td> -<td class="patentee">Barron, Robert, London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1778</td> -<td class="month">May</td> -<td class="date">29</td> -<td class="patentee">Martin, Joshua Lover, Fleet-street, London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1779</td> -<td class="month">May</td> -<td class="date">28</td> -<td class="patentee">Henry, Solomon, Swithin’s-lane, London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1780</td> -<td class="month">March</td> -<td class="date">4</td> -<td class="patentee">Campion, J. Newcastle-court, Strand, London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1782</td> -<td class="month">January</td> -<td class="date">18</td> -<td class="patentee">Hutchinson, Samuel, Marylebone, London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1784</td> -<td class="dittomonth">„</td> -<td class="br"> </td> -<td class="patentee">Bramah, Joseph, Piccadilly, London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1789</td> -<td class="month">July</td> -<td class="date">7</td> -<td class="patentee">Cornthwaite, Thomas, Kendal, Westmoreland.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1790</td> -<td class="month">February</td> -<td class="date">23</td> -<td class="patentee">Rowntree, Thomas, Surrey-street, Blackfriars, London.<span class="pagenum" id="Page165">[165]</span></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">October</td> -<td class="date">29</td> -<td class="patentee">Bird, Moses, Wardour-street, London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1791</td> -<td class="month">July</td> -<td class="date">19</td> -<td class="patentee">Ferryman, Rev. Robert, Gloucester.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">November</td> -<td class="date">3</td> -<td class="patentee">Antis, John, Fulneck, near Leeds.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1797</td> -<td class="month">November</td> -<td class="date">18</td> -<td class="patentee">Langton, Daniel.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1798</td> -<td class="month">May</td> -<td class="date">3</td> -<td class="patentee">Bramah, Joseph.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">December</td> -<td class="date">8</td> -<td class="patentee">Turner, Thomas.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1799</td> -<td class="month">April</td> -<td class="date">11</td> -<td class="patentee">Davis, George.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1801</td> -<td class="month">February</td> -<td class="date">10</td> -<td class="patentee">Scott, Richard, Lieut.-Colonel.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">June</td> -<td class="date">24</td> -<td class="patentee">Holemberg, Samuel, London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td colspan="2" class="center br">...</td> -<td class="patentee">Roux, Albert, Switzerland.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1805</td> -<td class="month">May</td> -<td class="date">18</td> -<td class="patentee">Stansbury, Abraham Ogier, New York.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">December</td> -<td class="date">29</td> -<td class="patentee">Thompson, William, Birmingham.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1815</td> -<td class="month">March</td> -<td class="date">7</td> -<td class="patentee">Mitchell, William, Glasgow; and Lawton, John, London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1816</td> -<td class="month">May</td> -<td class="date">14</td> -<td class="patentee">Ruxton, Thomas, Esq., Dublin.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1817</td> -<td class="month">February</td> -<td class="date">8</td> -<td class="patentee">Clark, William, Esq., Bath.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1818</td> -<td class="month">February</td> -<td class="date">3</td> -<td class="patentee">Chubb, Jeremiah, Portsea.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1819</td> -<td class="month">October</td> -<td class="date">18</td> -<td class="patentee">Strutt, Anthony Radford, Mackeney.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1820</td> -<td class="month">April</td> -<td class="date">11</td> -<td class="patentee">Jennings, Henry Constantine, Esq., Middlesex.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">December</td> -<td class="date">14</td> -<td class="patentee">Mallett, William, Dublin.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1823</td> -<td class="month">July</td> -<td class="date">10</td> -<td class="patentee">Fairbanks, Stephen, Middlesex.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">November</td> -<td class="date">13</td> -<td class="patentee">Ward, John, Middlesex.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1824</td> -<td class="month">June</td> -<td class="date">15</td> -<td class="patentee">Chubb, Charles, Portsea.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1825</td> -<td class="month">May</td> -<td class="date">14</td> -<td class="patentee">Young, John, Wolverhampton.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1828</td> -<td class="month">May</td> -<td class="date">17</td> -<td class="patentee">Chubb, Charles, London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1829</td> -<td class="month">June</td> -<td class="date">1</td> -<td class="patentee">Gottlieb, Andrew, Middlesex.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1830</td> -<td class="month">January</td> -<td class="date">18</td> -<td class="patentee">Carpenter, James, and Young, John, Wolverhampton.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">January</td> -<td class="date">26</td> -<td class="patentee">Arnold, John, Sheffield.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1831</td> -<td class="month">April</td> -<td class="date">14</td> -<td class="patentee">Rutherford, William, Jedburgh, N.B.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">May</td> -<td class="date">23</td> -<td class="patentee">Barnard, George, Bristol.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">July</td> -<td class="date">27</td> -<td class="patentee">Young, John, Wolverhampton.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1832</td> -<td class="month">December</td> -<td class="date">20</td> -<td class="patentee">Parsons, Thomas, London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1833</td> -<td class="month">December</td> -<td class="date">3</td> -<td class="patentee">Parsons, T., Newport, Salop.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">December</td> -<td class="date">20</td> -<td class="patentee">Chubb, Charles, London; and Hunter, E., Wolverhampton.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1834</td> -<td class="month">September</td> -<td class="date">6</td> -<td class="patentee">Longfield, William, Otley.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">October</td> -<td class="date">11</td> -<td class="patentee">Audley, Lord Baron Stafford.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1835</td> -<td class="month">March</td> -<td class="date">18</td> -<td class="patentee">Hill, R., Birmingham.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">December</td> -<td class="date">16</td> -<td class="patentee">Warwick, J., London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1836</td> -<td class="month">February</td> -<td class="date">10</td> -<td class="patentee">Fenton, Rev. S., Pembroke.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1838</td> -<td class="month">June</td> -<td class="date">30</td> -<td class="patentee">Uzielli, M., London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">November</td> -<td class="date">13</td> -<td class="patentee">Thompson, S., London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1839</td> -<td class="month">February</td> -<td class="date">21</td> -<td class="patentee">Uzielli, M., London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">June</td> -<td class="date">12</td> -<td class="patentee">Sanders, J. Stafford.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">July</td> -<td class="date">3</td> -<td class="patentee">Cochrane, A., Strand, London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">July</td> -<td class="date">20</td> -<td class="patentee">Schwieso, J. C., London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">August</td> -<td class="date">1</td> -<td class="patentee">Williams, W. M., London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">December</td> -<td class="date">2</td> -<td class="patentee">Guest, J., jun., Birmingham.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1840</td> -<td class="month">February</td> -<td class="date">27</td> -<td class="patentee">Williams, W. M., London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">March</td> -<td class="date">20</td> -<td class="patentee">Gerish, F. W.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">May</td> -<td class="date">2</td> -<td class="patentee">Pearse, W., Hoxton, Middlesex.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">June</td> -<td class="date">13</td> -<td class="patentee">Wolverson, J., and Rawlett, W., Stafford.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">October</td> -<td class="date">22</td> -<td class="patentee">Clark, T.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">December</td> -<td class="date">23</td> -<td class="patentee">Baillie, B., London.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1841</td> -<td class="month">March</td> -<td class="date">29</td> -<td class="patentee">Tildesley and Sanders, Willenhall and Wolverhampton.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">May</td> -<td class="date">6</td> -<td class="patentee">Hancock, James, Sidney-square, Mile End.<span class="pagenum" id="Page166">[166]</span></td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">July</td> -<td class="date">14</td> -<td class="patentee">Berry, Miles, Chancery-lane.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">September</td> -<td class="date">28</td> -<td class="patentee">Strong, Theodore Frederick, Goswell-road.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">November</td> -<td class="date">9</td> -<td class="patentee">Smith, Jesse, Wolverhampton.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1842</td> -<td class="month">January</td> -<td class="date">15</td> -<td class="patentee">Poole, Moses, Lincoln’s-inn.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">May</td> -<td class="date">24</td> -<td class="patentee">Duce, Joseph, Wolverhampton.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">June</td> -<td class="date">1</td> -<td class="patentee">Williams, W. M., 163 Fenchurch-street.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">December</td> -<td class="date">29</td> -<td class="patentee">Rock, Joseph, jun., Birmingham.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1843</td> -<td class="month">November</td> -<td class="date">25</td> -<td class="patentee">Tann, E. E. and J., Hackney-road.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="dittomonth">„</td> -<td class="center br">„</td> -<td class="patentee">Rock, Joseph, jun., Birmingham.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1844</td> -<td class="month">July</td> -<td class="date">30</td> -<td class="patentee">Fletcher, Rev. William, Moreton House, Buckingham.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1845</td> -<td class="month">April</td> -<td class="date">15</td> -<td class="patentee">Carter, George, Willenhall.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">July</td> -<td class="date">12</td> -<td class="patentee">Ratcliff, Edmund, Birmingham.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">December</td> -<td class="date">4</td> -<td class="patentee">Poole, Moses, Lincoln’s-inn.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">December</td> -<td class="date">22</td> -<td class="patentee">Smith, Philip, High-street, Lambeth.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1846</td> -<td class="month">July</td> -<td class="date">6</td> -<td class="patentee">De la Fons, John Palmer, Carleton-hill, St. John’s Wood.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">July</td> -<td class="date">15</td> -<td class="patentee">Thomas, William, Cheapside.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">December</td> -<td class="date">14</td> -<td class="patentee">Chubb, John, St. Paul’s Churchyard.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1847</td> -<td class="month">January</td> -<td class="date">11</td> -<td class="patentee">Chubb, John, and Hunter, Ebenezer, sen., St. Paul’s Churchyard.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">„</td> -<td class="month">April</td> -<td class="date">15</td> -<td class="patentee">Collett, Charles Minors, 62 Chancery-lane.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1848</td> -<td class="month">September</td> -<td class="date">28</td> -<td class="patentee">Newall, Robert Stirling, Gateshead.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="year">1849</td> -<td class="month">May</td> -<td class="date">8</td> -<td class="patentee">Wilkes, Samuel, Wednesbury-heath, Wolverhampton.</td> -</tr> - -</table> - -<p>Mr. Chubb also gave a list of such papers m the Transactions -of the Society of Arts as refer to locks and keys.</p> - -<p class="center blankbefore75"><i>List of References to the “Transactions of the Society of Arts,” -on the subject of Locks.</i></p> - -<table class="references" summary="References"> - -<tr> -<th>vol.</th> -<th>page.</th> -<th colspan="2" class="bordered"> </th> -<th>vol.</th> -<th>page.</th> -<th colspan="2"> </th> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="vol"> 1.</td> -<td class="page">317</td> -<td class="title">Mr.</td> -<td class="name bordered">Moore.</td> -<td class="vol">38.</td> -<td class="page">111</td> -<td class="title">Mr.</td> -<td class="name">A. Ainger.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="vol"> 2.</td> -<td class="page">187</td> -<td class="center">„</td> -<td class="name bordered">Cornthwaite.</td> -<td class="vol">„</td> -<td class="page">205</td> -<td class="center">„</td> -<td class="name">Bramah.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="vol"> 3.</td> -<td class="page">160</td> -<td colspan="2" class="name bordered">Marquis of Worcester.</td> -<td class="vol">42.</td> -<td class="page">125</td> -<td class="center">„</td> -<td class="name">J. Duce.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="vol">„</td> -<td class="page">165</td> -<td class="title">Mr.</td> -<td class="name bordered">Mr. Taylor.</td> -<td class="vol">43.</td> -<td class="page">114</td> -<td class="center">„</td> -<td class="name">W. Friend.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="vol">„</td> -<td class="page">163</td> -<td class="center">„</td> -<td class="name bordered">Marshall.</td> -<td class="vol">45.</td> -<td class="page">123</td> -<td class="center">„</td> -<td class="name">Machin.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="vol">18.</td> -<td class="page">239</td> -<td class="center">„</td> -<td class="name bordered">T. Arkwright.</td> -<td class="vol">48.</td> -<td class="page">132</td> -<td class="center">„</td> -<td class="name">S. Mordan.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="vol">„</td> -<td class="page">243</td> -<td class="center">„</td> -<td class="name bordered">Bullock.</td> -<td class="vol">50.</td> -<td class="page"> 86</td> -<td class="center">„</td> -<td class="name">A. Mackinnon.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="vol">19.</td> -<td class="page">290</td> -<td class="center">„</td> -<td class="name bordered">W. Bullock.</td> -<td class="vol">51.</td> -<td class="page">128</td> -<td class="center">„</td> -<td class="name">J. Meighan.</td> -</tr> - -<tr> -<td class="vol">36.</td> -<td class="page">111</td> -<td class="center">„</td> -<td class="name bordered">M. Somerford.</td> -<td colspan="4"> </td> -</tr> - -</table> - -<p>Among the most curious mechanical productions in the -Great Exhibition of 1851, was one which attracted very little -notice, viz. that forwarded by Mr. C. Aubin of Wolverhampton. -Whether it was that attention, so far as regards locks, was too -much absorbed by the “lock controversy,” or whether there -was a deficiency of descriptive cataloguing, no juror or newspaper -critic, as far as we are aware, took notice of the production -in question. In the <i>Official Illustrated Catalogue</i> it is -entered simply as “Specimens to illustrate the rise and progress<span class="pagenum" id="Page167">[167]</span> -of the art of making locks, containing forty-four different -movements by the most celebrated inventors in the lock trade.” -This trophy of lock ingenuity (for such it may be justly considered -to be) is now in the possession of Mr. Hobbs. Springing -from a hexagonal base-piece is a central axis, about three -feet in height, supporting four horizontal circular discs, placed -at different parts of its height. Each of the vertical faces of -the base-piece contains a lock, which is worked by its respective -key. Each disc contains a number of locks: 16 on the -lowest, 12 on the next above, 9 on the third in height, while a -Bramah lock surmounts the whole. All the locks on the discs -are so arranged that their bolts shoot outwards, or radially away -from the axis of the machine. Every lock has its own proper -key inserted in the key-hole; and as the locks lie down horizontally, -the shaft of each key is of course vertical. There are delicate -pieces of mechanism contained within the central axis and -within the discs, consisting of levers, racks, and pinions; and -the Bramah lock is contrived so ingeniously, that the Bramah -key, by acting upon that lock, acts upon all this mechanism. -The Bramah barrel, in rotating horizontally under the action of -its key, gives a rotary movement to a rod passing vertically -through the centre of the whole apparatus; this rod, at the levels -of the several discs, acts upon racks and pinions, and these in -turn act upon the key-pins of the several locks. When, therefore, -the Bramah key is turned, the whole of these key-pins -rotate, each exactly in the same way as if the lock were being -closed or opened, and the bolts shoot in or out accordingly. -The Bramah key, although it acts as a master-key, is not such -as usually obtains that designation; it is simply a means of -putting in action certain rack-and-pinion mechanism, which -does not belong to lock-work considered <i>per se</i>. All the locks -are faithful representatives of the several patents or modes of -construction to which they severally refer; and each exhibits -the works sufficiently open to display the principle on which -it is arranged. Each lock is numbered, and is referred to in -an accompanying description. The works are finished with<span class="pagenum" id="Page168">[168]</span> -the utmost care and polish; and the trophy being somewhat -tastefully arranged, and kept under a glass shade, forms a really -elegant specimen of mechanical skill.</p> - -<p>For an account of the locks themselves which constitute -this trophy, we cannot do better than avail ourselves of the -description given in the article “Lock” in Tomlinson’s <i>Cyclopædia -of Useful Arts</i>, adding a few further details in respect -to some of the locks of the series. The locks are arranged -and numbered according to their similarity of construction; -and it is instructive to remark the evidence here afforded, -that many patentees would have saved much time and money -if they had better known the productions of their predecessors. -In describing these locks we shall do so briefly, sufficient to -shew their relative principles of construction; many of them -having been described more or less fully in former chapters.</p> - -<p>No. 1 on the list is called a <i>Roman lock</i>; it consists of a -single bolt, with a binder-spring for holding the bolt in any -position in which it may be placed until a sufficient force is -applied to overcome it: it embodies the simple principle on -which thousands of common locks are annually made.</p> - -<p>No. 2, called a <i>French lock</i> (all such designations are of rather -doubtful correctness), resembling No. 1 in every thing except -having the addition of a friction-roller. The bolt of either of -these two locks can easily be forced back by pressing on the end.</p> - -<p>No. 3 is marked <i>Ancient</i>; it is a bolt-lock, and was found -in an ancient building. It exhibits an improvement on both -the former specimens, in so far as the bolt requires, before it -can be shot, to be pressed down, in order to release it from a -catch at the back end of the bolt; this release cannot be -effected without the aid of a key or some other implement -applied through the key-hole, and thus the bolt answers the -purpose both of bolt and tumbler.</p> - -<p>No. 4, also marked <i>Ancient</i>, is in principle a single-acting -tumbler-lock; that is, one in which the tumbler may fail to -be lifted high enough, but cannot be raised too high, to release -the bolt: whereas a double-acting tumbler, being susceptible<span class="pagenum" id="Page169">[169]</span> -both of too much and too little ascent, must be raised to one -definite and precise height to attain the required object.</p> - -<p>No. 5, an <i>old English lock</i>, exhibits a great advance in -principle, being provided with the double action just described -as being wanting in No. 4.</p> - -<p>No. 6, <i>modern English</i> (no maker’s name), is a single-acting -tumbler-lock.</p> - -<p>No. 7, by <i>Mace</i>, is a double-acting tumbler, but without -exhibiting any peculiarities of construction.</p> - -<p>No. 8 is <i>Somerford’s first patent</i>. It is a double-acting <i>draw</i> -tumbler-lock; that is, there is a tumbler which is drawn down -instead of being lifted, as in most locks.</p> - -<p>No. 9, designated, we know not on what grounds, an <i>Indian</i> -lock, has a single-acting tumbler with a pin.</p> - -<p>No. 10, patented by Thompson in 1805. In this lock -there are two tumblers, one of which is single and the other -double-acting.</p> - -<p>Next follow a considerable number of locks, which differ -one from another too slightly to render any formal description -necessary. No. 11, by <i>Daniells</i>, is a single-acting tumbler, -differing only in form from those previously used. No. 12 is -by <i>Walton</i>. No. 13 is <i>Barron’s</i> first patent, taken out in 1774. -No. 14 is by <i>Bickerton</i>. No. 15 is a <i>Dutch</i> lock. No. 16 is -by <i>Duce</i>, senior. No. 17, by <i>Sanders</i>, is a lock with four -double-acting tumblers. No. 18, patented by <i>Cornthwaite</i> in -1789, is so nearly like Sanders’s, brought before public notice -in 1839, as to corroborate what we have said concerning the -identity, or at least close resemblance, of inventions widely -asunder in point of time. No. 19 is by <i>Richards and Peers</i>.</p> - -<p>No. 20 is <i>Somerford’s</i> second patent; a lock which seems -to embody the principle of Mr. Tann’s “reliance-wards,” patented -many years later. No. 21 is <i>Rowntree’s</i> lock, patented -in 1790. No. 22 is the first patent lock of <i>Duce</i>, junior, dated -1823. No. 23 is <i>Parsons’</i> first patent, of 1832. No. 24 is -<i>Bickerton’s</i> second. No. 25, patented by <i>Price</i> in 1774; this, -so far as at present appears, was the first lock ever constructed<span class="pagenum" id="Page170">[170]</span> -with four double-acting tumblers, bearing a closer resemblance -than would generally be supposed to those patented by other -persons in more recent years. No. 26 exhibits a somewhat -similar coincidence. It was introduced by Aubin in 1830, and -is furnished with a <i>revolving curtain</i> for the purpose of closing -the key-hole during the revolution of the key. Other inventors -have since then adopted the revolving curtain; and in a -patent taken out so recently as 1852, this appendage is claimed -as part of the patent.</p> - -<p>No. 27 is <i>Barron’s</i> second patent, dated 1778; a lock which -has perhaps been the model for a larger manufacture of plain -simple tumbler-locks than any other. No. 28 is by <i>Bird</i>, 1790. -No. 29 is the second patent of <i>Duce</i>, junior. No. 30 is -<i>Ruxton’s</i>, 1818. No. 31 is <i>Chubb’s</i> simplified lock, 1834. -No. 32 is by <i>Marr</i>. No. 33, by <i>Tann</i>, is the “reliance-ward” -lock adverted to above as having been anticipated, in respect -to its leading principle, by <i>Somerford’s</i> second patent. No. 34 -is by <i>Hunter</i>, 1833. No. 35 is <i>Parsons’</i> second patent, of the -same year. No. 36 is by <i>Lang</i>, 1830. No. 37 is <i>Lawton’s</i>, -dated 1815. No. 38, patented by <i>Strutt</i> in 1839, has an -arrangement for holding the tumblers, in the event of a -pressure being applied to the bolt; an arrangement bearing -a considerable resemblance to one recently adopted in Chubb’s -bankers’ lock. No. 39 is by <i>Scott</i>, 1815. No. 40, <i>Chubb’s</i> -patent of 1818, is the original detector-lock of this maker. -Most of the detectors since patented by various persons are -little other than variations of Chubb’s original.</p> - -<p>No. 41, <i>Parsons’</i> third patent of 1833, is a <i>changeable</i> lock -of peculiar construction. The elevation of the tumblers is -regulated by an adjusting-screw passing through the lock to -the inside of the door; this screw changes the positive but -not the relative positions of the tumblers; so that the same -difference in the steps of the key must be retained, the -change being made only in the length of the bit: the number -of changes for each lock is very limited.</p> - -<p>No. 42, invented by <i>Pierce</i> in 1840, seems to be a carrying<span class="pagenum" id="Page171">[171]</span> -out of the plan suggested by the Marquis of Worcester in his -<i>Century of Inventions</i>, where he says that “a lock may be so -constructed that if a stranger attempteth to open it, it catches -his hand as a trap catcheth a fox; though far from maiming -him for life, yet marketh him so, that if once suspected he -might easily be detected.” In Pierce’s lock a steel barb or -sharp arrow-head is concealed below the key-hole, in such a -manner that if any person in attempting to open the lock -should over-lift the tumbler, the barb would be thrust by a -spring into his hand. It is said that the patentee himself -experienced the efficacy of this invention, by receiving the -barb into his own hand.</p> - -<p>No. 43, by <i>Ruxton</i>, patented in 1816, is furnished with a -tell-tale, so arranged that if the tumbler be over-lifted in an -attempt to pick the lock, a pin or catch is thrown out from -the lock, which would be visible on opening the lock with -the proper key. This invention preceded Chubb’s detector -by two years, and would be entitled to some of the honours -of originality were not Chubb’s arrangement much more -simple and effective.</p> - -<p>No. 44 is <i>Bramah’s</i>, the patent of 1784, and the crowning -lock of the trophy, by which all the others are opened. Similar -locks by <i>Russell</i> and <i>Mordan</i> are applications of the -Bramah principle, with little or no variation.</p> - -<p class="blankbefore75">No attempt has been made in these pages to describe every -variety of lock that has been introduced. Several forms of -puzzle locks, known as <i>Russian</i> and <i>Chinese locks</i>, have the -forms of various animals, and they are locked and unlocked -by pressing upon or moving some portion of the body of the -animal: the security of such locks depends in many cases -upon keeping the part to be pressed or moved secret. There -are also various forms of alarum locks; but these do not -greatly differ from common locks, except in having certain -appendages, such as a pistol, which if loaded and properly -adjusted, will be fired on any attempt being made to open<span class="pagenum" id="Page172">[172]</span> -the lock, either with its own key or some other instrument. -Some locks are furnished with a bell or a rattle, which is -rung or sprung on attempting to open the lock, and in this -way the inmates of the house are informed of the attempt to -effect an entrance. It will, however, be evident to any one -who has read the preceding pages, that devices of this kind -do not add to the security of the lock; they rather tend to -degrade the art of the locksmith to that of the toyman. The -locksmith, in common with every other artist, can only improve -in his art by studying the principles upon which it -rests, and illustrating them by the most approved examples -which the constructive genius of his predecessors or contemporaries -has furnished.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page173">[173]</span></p> - -<h2><span class="gesp2">APPENDIX</span>.</h2> - -<h3><span class="h3nr">CHAPTER XIII.</span><br /> -<span class="h3name">ON AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF LOCK AND -KEY.<a id="FNanchor12" href="#Footnote12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a></span></h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote12"></a><a href="#FNanchor12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a> -By J. Beverley Fenby, Mechanical Engineer, of Birmingham. -Extracted chiefly from the Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical -Engineers, 1866.</p> - -</div><!--footnote--> - -<p class="noindent">The simple <i>fixed-guard</i> or <i>warded</i> lock is so utterly worthless -for security, no matter what amount of good workmanship be -bestowed upon it, that it demands but short notice. It was -contrived with the intention of making the passage to the -bolt intricate; but it will be seen at once that this intricacy -does not really offer any security. The wards of a lock are -circular arcs of thin metal, so arranged as to require a key of -peculiar pattern to pass amongst them, the shape of the cuts -in the key being a section of the wards. To make a really -complicated box of wards, and to cut keys which shall accurately -fit their sweep, is a matter requiring considerable -manual dexterity; and some warded locks are therefore expensive. -But even with the best of them, all that it is necessary -to do for opening the lock is to take a blank key which -will properly fit the keyhole, coat it with wax, and then inserting -it in the lock, press it round against the wards, which -will cause them to leave an accurate impression of their -section on the key. The parts impressed are then cut out -with small files, drills, and saws, and the occasional use of -fine cross-cut chisels. The key will then pass those wards -which impressed themselves upon it; and if these are the<span class="pagenum" id="Page174">[174]</span> -only wards, it will go completely round and open the lock. -If there are also other wards in addition, not brought up -flush with the first wards, the key is waxed again and pressed -against them, and then further cut out, as before. This -process is evidently one of absolute certainty, and the key so -made is in all respects as capable of mastering the lock as -the original key.</p> - -<p>These warded locks are however easily opened with merely -a piece of bent steel wire,—bent into such a sweep as will -reach right round the wards instead of passing amongst -them, thus escaping all chance of being obstructed by them. -Such an instrument is called by burglars a “twirl.”</p> - -<p>The fixed-guard or warded lock was the one in general use -in the middle ages.</p> - -<p>The next kind of lock is the <i>tumbler</i> lock, in which the -bolt is moved backwards and forwards by the key as usual, -but these movements cannot take place till a small lever with -a stump on one side be lifted. This lever and stump form -the tumbler, which is held down by a spring; and in the -tail of the bolt are two notches, into one of which the stump -fits when the bolt is shot, and into the other when it is withdrawn. -All that is necessary to effect the picking of this -lock is to lift the tumbler high enough for clearing the -stump out of the notch, and then draw back the bolt. The -tumbler may be lifted with one pick, and the bolt drawn -back with another; but generally one pick will suffice for -both purposes.</p> - -<p>In the Barron tumbler lock the principle of double-action -was introduced.</p> - -<p>The next improvement was the <i>lever</i> lock properly so called, -under which designation the majority of the modern locks -may be classed.</p> - -<p>The Bramah lock was an admirable contrivance with remarkably -beautiful mechanism contained in a small compass; -and since its invention there have been several ingenious -modifications of the same principle in different radial locks,<span class="pagenum" id="Page175">[175]</span> -such as the Yale lock, in which the slides move radially -instead of axially. One advantage in these radial locks is -the greater difficulty in copying the keys, in comparison with -the flat keys of ordinary lever locks: this difficulty however -is not an insurmountable one.</p> - -<p>A very ingenious addition was made to the action of the -lever lock in Newell’s American lock, which was shown in -the 1851 Exhibition, and described at <a href="#Page89">page 89</a> of the present -volume.</p> - -<p>Though locks such as those already referred to exhibit -great dissimilarity of construction, yet there is one point in -which they all agree, and that is in the possession of a direct -passage from the outside to the works. Although various -locks have been devised with the object of having no direct -passage to the works from the outside, one consideration -shows the inevitable existence of such a passage; namely, -that without it the key could not possibly at one and the -same time touch the hand of the operator and the works of -the lock. It therefore follows that any instrument which -can pass in the same space as the key may be brought to -bear on the works, whatever may be their construction.</p> - -<p>It can now be shown that, if picking instruments are thus -brought to bear on the works through the keyhole, there is a -regular tentative system whereby the picking of any lock -with an open keyhole can sooner or later be effected.</p> - -<p>From the foregoing observations it is evident that there -are two important defects in the principle of the previous -lever locks, which being defects in principle are fatal to their -security; namely, the means of access to the works of the -lock through the keyhole, allowing of a series of attempts -being made to open the lock by picking instruments; and -also the facility afforded for repeating the trial of a false key -made from a wax impression of the true key, and thus perfecting -it by successive alterations after trial. In consequence -of the possibility thus allowed of making these successive -attempts either by picking instruments or by a false<span class="pagenum" id="Page176">[176]</span> -key, it has been shown by the cases that have occurred of -locks of the best makes which have been falsely opened, that, -however numerous and complicated may be the secondary -impediments introduced into these locks, there can be no real -security against the ultimate success of sufficiently numerous -and persevering attempts, except by the adoption of some new -principle of construction specially meeting the above two -defects.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig53"> -<img src="images/illo176.png" alt="Adytic lock" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 53.</p> -</div> - -<p>In the invention of the Improved Lock and Key now to be -described, and which has been termed the <i>adytic</i> -lock,<a id="FNanchor13"></a><a href="#Footnote13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a> the -writer’s object has been to meet this requirement. In <a href="#Fig53">fig. 53</a> -is shown an elevation of this lock, such as is made for an iron -safe; two of the front cover plates being removed to show the -construction.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote13"></a><a href="#FNanchor13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a> -From the Greek αδυτος, <i>inaccessible</i>.</p> - -</div><!--footnote--> - -<p>The head <span class="smcapall">B</span> of the main bolt is of such a thickness as to be -flush with the face of the levers <span class="smcapall">L</span> and guard -<span class="smcapall">A</span>; and the<span class="pagenum" id="Page177">[177]</span> -strap or tail <span class="smcapall">D</span> of the bolt is thin, and passes behind the levers -and guard, and also behind the plate <span class="smcapall">H H</span>. The part of the -tail <span class="smcapall">D</span> which would lie under the levers -<span class="smcapall">L</span> and cylinder <span class="smcapall">C</span> is -removed, as seen in <a href="#Fig54">fig. 54</a>, and replaced by a separate flat -plate or stump-bolt, carrying the stump <span class="smcapall">S</span>. This stump-bolt -has a projection <span class="smcapall">K</span> upon it, let into a recess in the tail <span class="smcapall">D</span> -of the main bolt, but with <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>10</sub>th inch vertical play in the recess. -A spring in the tail of the main bolt presses the stump-bolt -downwards, keeping the stump <span class="smcapall">S</span> in the notches of the -levers <span class="smcapall">L</span>, as shown in <a href="#Fig53">fig. 53</a>. The stump-bolt can thus descend -<sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>10</sub>th inch at first without moving the main bolt, and this -amount of vertical movement is sufficient to carry the stump -in and out of the notches in the levers; but the stump-bolt -cannot descend further without taking the main bolt with it.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig54"> -<img src="images/illo177.png" alt="Adytic lock" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 54.</p> -</div> - -<div class="containerright8m"> - -<div class="figright nomargin" id="Fig55"> -<img src="images/illo178.png" alt="Adytic key" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 55.</p> -</div> - -</div><!--container--> - -<p>Immediately in front of the bolts comes the fixed plate <span class="smcapall">H H</span>, -in which is cut the cam groove shown by the dotted line <span class="smcapall">J J</span>; -and also the vertical slot <span class="smcapall">E</span> for the pin <span class="smcapall">P</span> to work through, -together with another vertical slot in which the stump <span class="smcapall">S</span> fits -and works. This plate carries the centre pin <span class="smcapall">U</span> on which the -levers <span class="smcapall">L</span> turn. The levers are six in number, though any<span class="pagenum" id="Page178">[178]</span> -other number may be used; and they occupy collectively -<sup>3</sup>⁄<sub>8</sub>ths inch thickness. In front of the plate <span class="smcapall">H</span> is fixed the -guard <span class="smcapall">A</span>, which is made of iron or steel, -and has the brass cylinder <span class="smcapall">C</span> ground into it. -The guard is made a shade thicker than -the levers <span class="smcapall">L</span>, in order to prevent the back -plate <span class="smcapall">H</span> and the corresponding front plate -from being so tightened on the levers as -to impede their freedom of movement. The -cylinder <span class="smcapall">C</span> is the same thickness as the -levers, excepting the centre boss <span class="smcapall">F</span>, which -projects from the back of the cylinder and -works in a bearing in the back plate <span class="smcapall">H</span>, and -also projects in front through the thickness -of the two front cover plates. The small -keyhole in the centre of the boss goes only -a short distance into the cylinder <span class="smcapall">C</span>, being -merely for the purpose of enabling the -stem of the key <span class="smcapall">M</span>, <a href="#Fig55">fig. 55</a>, to turn the -cylinder; the bit of the key is a separate -piece, <span class="smcapall">N</span>, <a href="#Fig57">fig. 57</a>, which is inserted through -a separate keyhole into the radial slot of -the revolving cylinder <span class="smcapall">C</span>, as shown at <span class="smcapall">N</span> in -<a href="#Fig53">fig. 53</a>.</p> - -<p>This radial slot is cut in the side of the cylinder <span class="smcapall">C</span> that is -furthest from the levers when the cylinder is in the position -shown in <a href="#Fig53">fig. 53</a>; and in the slot fits the slide block <span class="smcapall">R</span>, which -is a steel block having a pin projecting on each side. The -back pin enters the guide groove <span class="smcapall">J J</span> in the back plate <span class="smcapall">H</span>, as -shown by the dotted line, and the front pin enters the corresponding -guide groove in the front cover plate, which is -shown removed. The back pin of the slide block projects -through the back plate <span class="smcapall">H</span>, as shown in <a href="#Fig56">fig. 56</a>, and works in -the cam groove <span class="smcapall">O</span> in the tail of the stump-bolt -<span class="smcapall">S</span>, <a href="#Fig54">fig. 54</a>, which -is so shaped that as the slide block travels round the guide -groove <span class="smcapall">J J</span>, shown by the dotted lines, it moves -the stump-bolt<span class="pagenum" id="Page179">[179]</span> -vertically as may be required according to the position of the -bolts and levers.</p> - -<p>In the position of the lock shown in <a href="#Fig53">fig. 53</a>, the bit <span class="smcapall">N</span> has -been inserted into the vacant space of the radial slot in the -cylinder <span class="smcapall">C</span>, in front of the slide block <span class="smcapall">R</span>. The size of this -vacant space is <sup>3</sup>⁄<sub>8</sub>ths inch long by -<sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>8</sub>th inch wide and <sup>3</sup>⁄<sub>8</sub>ths -inch deep; and in the two front cover plates of the lock, -and also in the door to which the lock is attached, a hole -is made of the same shape. In the door there is no bearing -for the centre boss <span class="smcapall">F</span>, but only a small keyhole corresponding -in size with that in the boss <span class="smcapall">F</span> for inserting the stem of -the key.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig56"> -<img src="images/illo179.png" alt="Adytic lock" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 56.</p> -</div> - -<p class="blankbefore75">In the position of the parts shown in <a href="#Fig53">fig. 53</a>, it will be seen -that the levers <span class="smcapall">L</span> are held pressing down against the circumference -of the cylinder <span class="smcapall">C</span> by their springs <span class="smcapall">I</span> bearing against the -pin <span class="smcapall">P</span>. In this position also the bolt spring between the main -bolt and the stump-bolt, <a href="#Fig54">fig. 54</a>, presses the stump <span class="smcapall">S</span> down into -the notches of the levers, so that the levers are completely -locked by the stump, as seen in <a href="#Fig53">fig. 53</a>.</p> - -<p>In order to unlock the lock, which in <a href="#Fig53">fig. 53</a> is shown with -the bolt shot, it is necessary that all the gatings <span class="smcapall">G</span> in the -levers should be brought precisely under the stump <span class="smcapall">S</span>. -Through the centre keyhole <span class="smcapall">F</span> there is no communication -possible at any time with the levers <span class="smcapall">L</span>; nor will any instrument, -however slender, if passed into the radial slot through -the aperture at <span class="smcapall">N</span> be able to reach them, whether the cylinder -<span class="smcapall">C</span> be in the position shown in -<a href="#Fig53">fig. 53</a> or turned round into any<span class="pagenum" id="Page180">[180]</span> -other position. For the only difference made by turning the -solid cylinder <span class="smcapall">C</span> is that the radial slot in it is carried away -from the aperture in the external plates, and the solid part of -the cylinder is brought opposite to the aperture, which is -thereby completely closed against the insertion of a picking -instrument. This construction accordingly not only precludes -the possibility of opening this lock with an ordinary key, in -which the part that acts on the levers is attached to the stem -of the key, but it also renders it an absolute impossibility to -introduce a pick of any form, as nothing can reach the levers -<span class="smcapall">L</span> except a detached piece of such a size and shape as to be -capable of travelling round in the vacant space left in front of -the slide block <span class="smcapall">R</span> in the radial slot of the cylinder <span class="smcapall">C</span>.</p> - -<div class="containerleft10m"> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig57"> -<img src="images/illo180.png" alt="Lock bit" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 57.</p> -</div> - -</div><!--container--> - -<p>For the purpose of unlocking the lock the bit <span class="smcapall">N</span>, <a href="#Fig57">fig. 57</a>, is -used. This bit is of such a size as to fit into the -vacant space of <sup>3</sup>⁄<sub>8</sub> × <sup>3</sup>⁄<sub>8</sub> -× <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>8</sub> inch in the radial slot of -the cylinder <span class="smcapall">C</span>; and the indent at <span class="smcapall">V</span> is merely for -the purpose of ensuring the insertion of the bit in -the right direction, the external aperture for the -bit being made with a corresponding projection -to fit the indent in the bit. This bit being inserted -through the aperture in the door, is pushed in by means -of the key stem <span class="smcapall">M</span>, which is flattened on two sides for that -purpose, as shown in <a href="#Fig55">fig. 55</a>; and the bit is thus pushed -home into its place in the radial slot of the cylinder, as -shown at <span class="smcapall">N</span>, <a href="#Fig53">fig. 53</a>.</p> - -<p>The key stem <span class="smcapall">M</span> is now inserted into the centre keyhole <span class="smcapall">F</span>, -and the cylinder is turned round by it in the direction shown -by the arrow, carrying round the slide block <span class="smcapall">R</span> and the bit <span class="smcapall">N</span>. -The slide block <span class="smcapall">R</span>, while moving through the concentric portion -at the commencement of the guide grooves <span class="smcapall">J J</span>, does not affect -the bit; but by means of the cam groove <span class="smcapall">O</span> in the tail of the -stump-bolt, <a href="#Fig54">fig. 54</a>, it moves that bolt so far as to lift the stump -<span class="smcapall">S</span> completely out of the notches in the levers <span class="smcapall">L</span>, which are -thereby left free to be raised. On continuing to turn the -cylinder <span class="smcapall">C</span>, the eccentric part of the guide grooves -<span class="smcapall">J J</span> causes<span class="pagenum" id="Page181">[181]</span> -the slide block <span class="smcapall">R</span> to move outwards along the radial slot, -pushing the bit <span class="smcapall">N</span> before it; and the bit is thus made to project -beyond the circumference of the cylinder, which it can -then do, being no longer confined by the guard <span class="smcapall">A</span>. The further -projection of the bit as the cylinder revolves causes the steps -in the bit to lift their respective levers; and the steps in the -bit are so arranged that, when the cylinder arrives at the -position shown in <a href="#Fig58">fig. 58</a>, all the gatings <span class="smcapall">G</span> are brought simultaneously -opposite the stump <span class="smcapall">S</span>, which is instantly shot down -through the distance of the <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>10</sub>th inch play by the bolt spring. -The bit <span class="smcapall">N</span> remains in contact with the extreme part <span class="smcapall">T</span> of the -levers while the stump <span class="smcapall">S</span> is entering the gatings, the action of -the bolt spring being so rapid that the bit cannot move -through any appreciable distance during the time.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig58"> -<img src="images/illo181.png" alt="Adytic lock" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 58.</p> -</div> - -<p>In other locks a spring action of this kind would greatly -facilitate the picking, inasmuch as it would afford the gentle -uniform pressure desired upon the levers. In other locks, -therefore, the bolt is caused to move, and the stump to<span class="pagenum" id="Page182">[182]</span> -enter the gatings, by the direct contact of the key with -the bolt, instead of by a spring; but as the key, while -moving the stump into the gatings, is also altering its -position under the levers, a slight tremulous motion of the -levers is thereby occasioned, which no care in manufacture -can obviate. This tremulous motion is aggravated by the -circumstance that, as the keyhole is open to inspection, it is -necessary to make all the levers fit flush with one another when -down, in order to avoid affording any clue to the shape of the -key from the positions of the levers; but as the various steps -of the key, being of different lengths, describe different arcs, -the curves of the levers when raised are of necessity in error -to them all. The result of these combined faults is that the -gatings have to be made wider than the stump, to allow a -sufficient amount of play, thus introducing a fatal element of -insecurity in the construction of the lock, since the security -is of course enhanced in proportion as the gatings fit the -stump accurately. In the new lock, on the contrary, the arc -<span class="smcapall">T</span>, <a href="#Fig58">fig. 58</a>, in each lever, can be shaped truly to its own proper -radius, independent of all the rest of the levers; and as the -action of the stump is instantaneous in catching the gatings -as soon as they are all brought simultaneously under it, the -stump and gatings can be made to fit one another with the -most perfect accuracy, and without the slightest play.</p> - -<p>On turning the cylinder <span class="smcapall">C</span> further round, the bit <span class="smcapall">N</span> passes -from under the levers, which remain held back by the insertion -of the stump in the gatings; and just before reaching -the position shown in <a href="#Fig59">fig. 59</a>, the slide block <span class="smcapall">R</span> has pushed -the bit completely out of the radial slot, and the bit falls -down as shown in <a href="#Fig59">fig. 59</a>, and drops through a hole into the -inside of the safe that is locked. At this point the back pin -of the slide block comes in contact with the lower side of the -cam groove <span class="smcapall">O</span> in the stump-bolt, <a href="#Fig54">fig. 54</a>; and by turning the -cylinder <span class="smcapall">C</span> onwards to the position shown in <a href="#Fig60">fig. 60</a>, the withdrawal -of the bolt <span class="smcapall">B</span> is completed, bringing the parts into the -position shown in <a href="#Fig60">fig. 60</a>. In these drawings only one lever<span class="pagenum" id="Page183">[183]</span> -<span class="smcapall">L</span> is shown; but there are altogether six levers, as shown in -the sectional plan, <a href="#Fig56">fig. 56</a>. The pin <span class="smcapall">P</span> is fixed in the tail <span class="smcapall">D</span> of -the main bolt, so as to travel with the bolt; and by this -means the springs <span class="smcapall">I</span> are released from strain, as shown in -<a href="#Fig60">fig. 60</a>, as soon as the bolt is withdrawn.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig59"> -<img src="images/illo183.png" alt="Adytic lock" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 59.</p> -</div> - -<p class="blankbefore75">From the nicety with which the various parts of this lock -are constructed, it is evident that the levers must be very -accurately lifted by the bit of the key in order to withdraw -the bolt; and therefore any error in the bit, such as would -occur with a false bit, will effectually prevent the lock from -being opened. This may be illustrated by supposing the -false bit to be so close an imitation as to have five of its steps -absolutely correct, and the sixth only slightly wrong: though -it is almost impossible that such a near approach to correctness -could be attained in practice. The counterfeit bit being -inserted in the lock, and the cylinder turned round, all will -go on the same as with the true bit, up to the time when the<span class="pagenum" id="Page184">[184]</span> -false bit reaches the point <span class="smcapall">T</span> of the levers, as previously shown -with the true bit in <a href="#Fig58">fig. 58</a>. Here a change of action takes -place; but what is the nature of the change the operator has -no means as yet of ascertaining. In the case supposed, where -five of the steps in the bit are right, but the sixth is wrong, the -gating of the sixth lever does not precisely coincide with the -others, nor with the stump <span class="smcapall">S</span>; and the consequence is that, at -the critical moment when the stump ought to spring into the -gatings and hold back the levers from falling forwards, it will -be prevented from entering the gatings, owing to the entrance -being partly blocked up by the one lever, which stands more -or less across it.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig60"> -<img src="images/illo184.png" alt="Adytic lock" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 60.</p> -</div> - -<p>The fact, however, that the stump cannot enter the gatings, -does not become known to the operator until the cylinder <span class="smcapall">C</span> -has been turned further round, so as to bring the slide-block -pin in contact with the lower side of the cam groove <span class="smcapall">O</span> in the -stump-bolt; and before this point has been reached the false -bit has already passed clear of the levers, which, not being -retained by the stump, are instantly thrown forwards again -by their springs, and locked in their original position by the<span class="pagenum" id="Page185">[185]</span> -stump entering the notches. At the same time the false bit -has dropped into the inside of the safe in the same manner as -the true bit, as shown in <a href="#Fig61">fig. 61</a>.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig61"> -<img src="images/illo185.png" alt="Adytic lock" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 61.</p> -</div> - -<p>Hence a person putting a false bit into one of these locks -will not only infallibly lose it at the very first trial, but will -do so without gaining any information as to the nature of its -inaccuracy; for as the gatings of the levers cannot be seen or -felt, all that can be told about the action of a false bit is, -that it has failed to open the lock. In fact, a counterfeit bit -passes under the levers, and through the lock, just like the -true bit; and it is only the stoppage afterwards met with of -the bolt that indicates the failure of the false bit, which is -by that time gone beyond recovery. Whatever amount of -labour, therefore, may have been spent on the fabrication of a -counterfeit bit, this bit can only be tried once, so that no -alteration can afterwards be made in it.</p> - -<p>Nothing that can be inserted into the radial slot of the -cylinder <span class="smcapall">C</span> through the aperture in the front plates can do -any injury to the lock; and a charge of gunpowder inserted in<span class="pagenum" id="Page186">[186]</span> -that way would only blow out again at the orifice without -damaging the lock, both the apertures for the key being -merely blind holes with parallel sides.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig62"> -<img src="images/illo186a.png" alt="Key cutter" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 62.</p> -</div> - -<div class="containerright40"> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig63"> -<img src="images/illo186b.png" alt="Key cutter" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 63.</p> -</div> - -</div><!--container--> - -<p class="blankbefore75">For the manufacture of the -bits for the keys of this lock -a self-acting machine is employed, -in which the height -and width of the several steps -in the bit are regulated by -adjustments of very great accuracy, -and admitting of an -almost endless variety of figure -for the bits. This key-cutting -machine is shown in -<a href="#Fig62">figs. 62</a> to <a href="#Fig63">64</a>, and consists -of a small circular saw <span class="smcapall">A</span> running vertically, of the same<span class="pagenum" id="Page187">[187]</span> -thickness as each step in the bit <span class="smcapall">I</span>, which is brought up -to the saw by the slide-rest <span class="smcapall">B</span>. The bit <span class="smcapall">I</span> is fixed in the -holder <span class="smcapall">C</span>, which rocks upon a centre, so as to give the required -curvature to the edge of each step in the bit when cut by<span class="pagenum" id="Page188">[188]</span> -the saw, as shown in the full-size section of the bit-holder, -<a href="#Fig63">fig. 63</a>. The adjustment of the depth of cut is effected by the -set screw <span class="smcapall">D</span> upon the slide-rest coming up against the eccentric -ring <span class="smcapall">E</span> upon the bed of the slide-rest; this ring is turned -round by hand, and set to sixteen different positions by means -of the catch-pin <span class="smcapall">F</span> and the sixteen holes on the circumference -of the ring, allowing of sixteen different depths of cut. The -lateral adjustment for the pitch between the successive steps -of the bit is effected by the two bed-screws <span class="smcapall">G G</span> acting on the -slide-rest <span class="smcapall">B</span>, having a dividing plate on the head, and such a -pitch of thread that one turn of the screws traverses the slide-rest -through the exact distance of one step in the bit. The -occurrence of any play or backlash is entirely prevented by -having the screws placed one at each end of the slide-rest; so -that by slacking back one screw through one or more turns, -and then advancing the other through the same number of -turns, the slide-rest is always held with perfect steadiness -between them, filling exactly the space between the ends of -the two screws.</p> - -<p>The number of changes admissible in this key-cutting -machine, if used for making keys for locks having six levers, -is the number of permutations that sixteen terms are capable -of when taken six together, which is upwards of sixteen -millions. Some of these changes are so slight that too great -accuracy of workmanship would be required to make the -locks accordingly; but of those changes that differ from one -another so far that no lock could be opened by any other than -its own key, more remain than could be used up by all the -locks in the world.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig64"> -<img src="images/illo187.png" alt="Key cutter" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 64.</p> -</div> - -<p>The writer may observe that it was the study of the circumstances -of the great gold robbery on the 15th of May, -1855, by Agar and his confederates (when two of the best -lever locks were picked, and gold stolen weighing upwards -of 200 lbs., while in transit on the South-Eastern Railway -from London to Paris, packed in three sealed iron-bound -boxes, inclosed in a bullion safe, secured by those locks),<span class="pagenum" id="Page189">[189]</span> -and of the various modes of picking locks, which led him to -turn his attention to the achievement of what had been so -long and perseveringly sought after, namely, an unpickable -lock. The principle of a detached bit has been previously -tried, in so far as that locks have been made in which the bit of -the key was deposited in the lock by unscrewing the key stem, -and then withdrawn by screwing in the stem again. But -inasmuch as the detached bit, even though it failed to open -the lock in the case of a counterfeit key, could always be -brought back again to the keyhole and removed, this admitted -of a repetition of attempts with successive alterations of the -one counterfeit key, without the certainty that any warning -would be given by the lock of such attempts having been -made.</p> - -<p>In another still more complicated lock with a detached bit -there were two keyholes, into one of which the bit of the key -was put, and the stem being then unscrewed from the bit, -was put into the second keyhole and turned round so as to close -the first keyhole over the bit; a separate handle was then -turned to work the lock, six separate operations being required -for either opening or closing the lock. Further, a -kind of retainer has been attempted by so arranging the lock -that, if any key was put in but the right one, it was held in -the keyhole in such a manner that it could never be got out. -In this case, however, if the false key would not open the -lock, neither would it let even the right one do so, and it -would be necessary to break open the door secured by the -lock.</p> - -<p class="blankbefore75">In the new lock here described, the special points that have -been aimed at are the following:—</p> - -<p>Firstly, in no position of the lock is there any access to the -works from the outside through the keyhole. This access -through the keyhole is more or less a defect in all other principles -of lock, as it admits of feeling and manipulating the -works for the purpose of getting information for picking the<span class="pagenum" id="Page190">[190]</span> -lock in the absence of the right key; whereas in the new -lock there is no opening whatever at any time, except the -two plain parallel recesses into which the key and the bit are -fitted. From the moment the turning of the lock commences -both these recesses are effectually blocked up: the one for the -bit being conveyed bodily away from the keyhole, and its -place taken by the solid metal of the cylinder; while the -other is completely filled by the key, which cannot be withdrawn -except by turning it back to the original position. In -consequence of this construction no injury can be done to the -lock by explosion of gunpowder in the keyhole, the only -openings from the outside being parallel at their sides, and -not communicating with any portion of the interior of the -lock; and the simplicity and solidity of construction are such -that the revolving cylinder is made practically air-tight within -its bearing. This effectually prevents all attempts to open -the lock by picklocks, and leaves no alternative but the -attempt to make a sufficiently accurate copy of the true key.</p> - -<p>Secondly, as no clue whatever can be obtained from the -outside of the lock respecting the key required, the attempts -upon the lock are thus limited to the chance of obtaining a -wax impression of the true key. The difficulty of making a -counterfeit key sufficiently correct by this means for opening -one of the best of the previous constructions of lock is very -great; but in the new lock this difficulty is greatly increased -by the fact of the levers remaining absolutely stationary while -the stump enters the gatings, in consequence of which the -gatings are made so close a fit to the stump that an exceedingly -minute error in the lifting of any of the levers is sufficient -to prevent the lock being opened. This extreme -delicacy of construction can be carried out practically without -objection in the new lock, because there is no possibility of -putting a strain from the key upon the stump, so as to cause -injury by forcing it at the moment of entering the gatings; -for the only force acting upon the stump at that time is -the uniform pressure of its own spring. In addition to this<span class="pagenum" id="Page191">[191]</span> -source of increased safety, there is the still more important -circumstance that only a single trial can be made of each -counterfeit bit; because, if carried forwards far enough to -try its effect in opening the lock by passing the levers, the -bit is inevitably lost by falling through the lock and inside -the door. Thus not only is all chance prevented of a second -trial with the same key, but the bit retained inside the door -gives warning of the attempt having been made, and shows -how near the counterfeit key has approached to the original. -The numerous cases that have occurred of attempts to open -locks by counterfeit keys, such as the remarkable instance -previously referred to, show that even with the most practised -hands it is next to impossible to make from a wax impression -a key that will serve for opening a good lock the very first -time it is tried; and the striking importance is therefore seen -of this arrangement in the new lock, which prevents more -than a single attempt being made with a counterfeit.</p> - -<p>Thirdly, another advantage to be named in this lock is that -the stem alone of the key is required to lock it, but it can -only be unlocked by the complete key. The stem, therefore, -can be left by the principal of an establishment for locking up -by a subordinate; but the bit, which is the essential part of the -key required for opening the lock, need never be used or seen -by any one but the principal himself. As the hole in the -external door-plate for the stem of the key has a notch on -one side only to admit the key stem, and the cylinder is prevented -from making a complete revolution, the stem of the -key cannot be withdrawn from the lock except when the bolt -is shot; so that its absence from the keyhole serves as a proof -that the bolt is shot.</p> - -<p>Fourthly, one other advantage in this lock is its simplicity -and solidity of construction. It contains no more parts than -the simpler forms of lever lock having the same number of -levers, and the total number of separate pieces in the complete -lock is only sixteen. The principle of security, therefore, -upon which the new lock is constructed, avoids entirely the<span class="pagenum" id="Page192">[192]</span> -complications and the delicate and minute class of work rendered -necessary in other locks by the use of detectors and the -other auxiliary contrivances employed for increasing the difficulty -of picking.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Mr. Fenby exhibited, at a <i>conversazione</i> of the Institute of -Civil Engineers, and at the meeting of Mechanical Engineers, -specimens of his adytic lock, and showed its action both with -the true key and with counterfeit keys; and he showed by -trial that the counterfeit failed to open the lock, notwithstanding -that by means of the permutating cutting machine -it had been made a much nearer approach to a perfect copy -than was practicable in the best handwork from a wax impression. -He also exhibited the key-cutting machine employed for -cutting the bits; and also a set of burglar’s tools employed -for drilling into the door of an iron safe sufficiently for -breaking open or removing the lock, showing that the hold -required for giving the cutting pressure upon the powerful -drill employed for the purpose was obtained by a steel cross -piece inserted into the keyhole and turned at right angles, so -as to hold across inside the lock; but in the new lock, as the -keyhole had no opening into the lock, and only a slight -shoulder on one side, no means were afforded for obtaining -the required hold for the drill.</p> - -<p>The following are the salient points of the discussion that -followed the reading of his paper:—</p> - -<p>The Chairman remarked that the paper just read gave a -very excellent and clear description of the detailed working -of the new lock, and he thought this construction of lock was -a most valuable one, as affording real security against all -fraudulent attempts. He inquired whether there would be -any possibility of tampering with the lock by examining it -upon the inside of a safe door, whenever the door might -happen to be left unlocked.</p> - -<p>Mr. Fenby replied that there was no means of tampering<span class="pagenum" id="Page193">[193]</span> -with the lock from the inside of the door, as the two keyholes -for working the lock were only in the front face of the door, -and the lock was all closed up on the inside of the door, -excepting the hole through which the bit was allowed to drop -out; but this would be useless for the purpose of tampering -with the lock, as the bit dropped down a tube leading to the -bottom of the door, through which no examination of the lock -could be successfully made.</p> - -<p>The Chairman inquired whether there was any provision -against the bit being accidentally locked up inside the safe, -in which case it appeared the lock could not be opened again.</p> - -<p>Mr. Fenby replied that the owner of the safe must of course -be careful after unlocking the safe to take the bit out before -locking it again, otherwise there would be no means of opening -the lock afterwards with that key. As a precaution, -however, against any such accident, each lock was provided -with three bits, all duplicates, one of which would be kept -in the pocket for use, while the two others would be preserved -in a place of safety for the chance of any such contingency. -Moreover, in most of the safes fitted with these -locks, the tube through which the bit dropped had been made -of such a length as to carry out the bit on opening the door, -dropping it into a small tin tray outside the safe; and by this -means the accidental locking in of the right bit was rendered -impossible. One of the advantages of the new lock was that -the stem of the key was not required to be kept constantly in -the possession of the owner, but it might be left in the -lock, as the bit alone was the valuable part of the key; and -as the bits were of such small size and convenient shape, a -number of them might readily be kept in the pocket by a person -having charge of a number of safes, without the inconvenience -attending a large bunch of ordinary keys. In the -case of an attempt being made to open the lock with a counterfeit -bit, the advantages of retaining the counterfeit inside the -safe were not merely that the person attempting the lock was -deprived of his instrument, while the proprietor immediately<span class="pagenum" id="Page194">[194]</span> -discovered the attempt upon the next occasion of -opening the safe; but the retention of the counterfeit itself -afforded the means of judging, by a comparison with the true -bit, whether the attempt had been made altogether in the -dark as to the actual construction of the lock, or whether it -was likely that some clue regarding the true bit had been -obtained by means of a wax impression or otherwise. In the -latter case the owner of the safe might think it desirable to -have the lock taken off, and the arrangement of the levers altered, -and a new bit made so as to baffle any further attempts.</p> - -<p>Mr. W. S. Longridge observed that the inconvenience that -had been alluded to with the new lock, of accidentally locking -up the bit inside the safe, was no greater than occurred with -an ordinary safe lock if ever the key was accidentally lost; -in either case, unless the precaution was taken of keeping a -duplicate in reserve, it would of course be necessary to have -the safe broken open.</p> - -<p>The Chairman inquired how the ideas had been arrived at -of separating the bit from the key, and of preventing all access -to the works through the keyhole, and also of retaining the -bit inside the door after any attempt at unlocking.</p> - -<p>Mr. Fenby replied that his attention had in the first -instance been attracted to the subject of the picking of locks as -a mechanical problem, and he had found that there had hitherto -been no principle in lockmaking which could effectually -baffle persevering attempts at picking. For although there -were certain complicated constructions of locks, having many -points of excellence, they had all yielded in time to the picking -instrument in clever hands; and it must be remembered -that any individual lock when once constructed remained -stationary as regarded subsequent improvement, whereas the -art of picking that lock was continually progressing towards -success, with all previous constructions of locks, and it was -clear therefore that the lock must ultimately be defeated. -He had been further stimulated in the investigation of this -subject by the occurrence of the great gold robbery referred<span class="pagenum" id="Page195">[195]</span> -to at page 188; and the circumstance which had struck him -most forcibly in connection with that robbery had been that -locks of the best make hitherto known had admitted of seven -successive trials being made upon them without detection, -each trial furnishing the information for further perfecting -the counterfeit key, until the locks were at length opened.</p> - -<p>These considerations had led him to the conclusion that two -points were established and were required to be kept in view -for the construction of any lock that should be really secure -against fraudulent attempts. The first point was that wherever -a man could get instruments into the lock he could ultimately -solve any problem laid before him by the maker of the lock, as -the lock when once made could be tried any number of times -if an instrument could be got into it at all. Hence he had -concluded that it was requisite for all access to the interior to -be cut off, so as to preclude all possibility of getting a pick-lock -in; and this was accordingly accomplished by adopting -the plan of separating the bit from the stem of the key. The -second point established was that it was necessary to prevent -the possibility of making a succession of trials with the same -counterfeit key; and it had then struck him that, if the bit of -the key were arranged to drop inside the safe in unlocking, -there would be no means of going on gradually improving -and touching up the counterfeit from the results of previous -trials, as the false bit would be irrecoverably lost in the very -first attempt, without furnishing any clue whatever as a guide -for alteration in a subsequent trial. The first lock that he -had invented for meeting the requirements thus pointed out -had been made with a solid block having a tunnel through it, -but involving the same principle of retaining the bit of the -key and keeping the levers inaccessible from the outside. -Subsequently, however, he had abandoned that construction -and produced the new lock shown in the drawings, having -the revolving barrel with radial slot.</p> - -<p>The Chairman proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Fenby for -his paper, which was passed.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page196">[196]</span></p> - -<h3><span class="h3nr">CHAPTER XIV.</span><br /> -<span class="h3name">FENBY’S PATENT STOP-LOCK.</span></h3> - -<p class="noindent">This lock has been designed with a view to doing away -with several weak points in the construction of lever locks.</p> - -<p>The introduction of the movable stump by Mr. Hobbs, in -order to defeat picking by the tentative method of applying -pressure to the bolt, so as to cause binding between the stump -and the levers, was a great advance in the art of lock-making.</p> - -<p>The movable stump, as so constructed, was, however, open -to this objection, that while sufficiently delicate and certain -in its action to render picking very difficult, it was at the -same time, through the smallness of its parts—resulting from -the confined space available for its action—unsuited to withstand -any amount of force applied to push back the bolt.</p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig65"> -<img src="images/illo196.png" alt="Stop-lock" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 65.</p> -</div> - -<p>In the lock under notice the stump <i>s</i> is formed in the solid -on the shorter arm <i>a</i><sup>1</sup> of a cranked lever or oscillating stop -<i>a</i>. This stop <i>a</i> works on the steel pin or centre <i>b</i>, which<span class="pagenum" id="Page197">[197]</span> -latter has a bearing in both plates of the lock. At the end <i>a</i> -of the stop <i>a</i> is a recess formed to fit the corner <i>d</i> of the bolt-head. -<i>c</i> is a stud limiting the range of <i>a</i> in an upward -direction, so that when in its normal position the stop <i>a</i> may -just clear the bolt-head, as shown in <a href="#Fig65">figs. 65</a>, <a href="#Fig66">66</a>, and <a href="#Fig67">67</a>. The -tail of the bolt, instead of being in the form usually adopted, -is formed of the bar <i>e</i> set on edge so as to reach from the back -to the front plate of the lock, completely dividing the lower -part, in which the keyhole lies, from the upper, in which the -main parts of the works are placed.</p> - -<p>This bar <i>e</i> works between the guide pieces <i>g g</i>, so that in -whatever position the bolt may be, the division of the lock -into two chambers is complete. At <i>f</i> is the recess in which -the key acts to move the bolt. The levers <i>l</i> turn upon the -pin <i>i</i> formed in the solid of the bolt-head. The part of each -lever on which the key is to act passes through a slot or -recess in <i>e</i>, the parts <i>h</i> and <i>h</i><sup>1</sup> of the levers being struck to -the arcs of circles, having their centres coincident with that -upon which the levers turn at <i>i</i>.</p> - -<p>As it is not possible to lift the levers out of this slot in the -bar <i>e</i>, and further, as the levers and bolt move together in a -longitudinal direction, the movements necessary to locking -and unlocking open no communication between the upper and -lower chambers of the lock.</p> - -<p>The springs of the levers are formed out of the solid metal -of the levers themselves, and are thus not liable to that displacement -which so often occurs with separate springs, nor -to the corrosion by oxidation incidental to steel springs. -They are cut round the corner, and down the front of the -lever, to gain greater elasticity.</p> - -<p>In <a href="#Fig65">fig. 65</a> the lock is shown with the front plate removed, -and the works as they stand when unlocked. <a href="#Fig66">Fig. 66</a> is the -same, except that the works are shown locked, and the back -plate removed instead of the front. <a href="#Fig67">Fig. 67</a> shows the <i>front</i> -view of <a href="#Fig66">fig. 66</a>. <a href="#Fig68">Fig. 68</a> shows the result of any attempt to -pick the lock by pressure.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page198">[198]</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig66"> -<img src="images/illo197a.png" alt="Stop lock" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 66.</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig67"> -<img src="images/illo197b.png" alt="Stop lock" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 67.</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter" id="Fig68"> -<img src="images/illo198.png" alt="Stop lock" /> -<p class="caption">fig. 68.</p> -</div> - -<p>The lock being locked, as shown in figs. 66 and 67, it will -be seen that the stop <i>a</i> just clears the angle <i>d</i> of the bolt-head.<span class="pagenum" id="Page199">[199]</span> -Further, that the gatings <i>r</i> of the levers <i>l</i> cannot pass the -stump <i>s</i>, unless the levers be so lifted as to coincide with each -other and the stump. The stop <i>a</i> being held up by a very -light pressure from the lever springs, a small force applied to -the stump <i>s</i> is sufficient to upset its equilibrium, and bring -down its end <i>a</i><sup>2</sup> upon the bolt-head at <i>d</i>, as shown in <a href="#Fig68">fig. 68</a>. -This occurs whenever an attempt is made to “<i>feel</i>” the stump -with the levers; and not only does the stop <i>a</i> free the levers -from all pressure, and so preserve them and the stump from -injury, and the lock from being picked, but it also forms a -strut for securing the bolt: in fact, no violence short of that -necessary to shear the pin <i>b</i> can make the bolt yield.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page200">[200]</span></p> - -<p>The drawings show a mortise lock, but the improvements -shown are universally applicable in the construction of locks -of all kinds.</p> - -<p>For the manufacture of these and other locks, and kindred -articles, Messrs. J. B. Fenby and Co., engineers of the Liverpool -Works, Birmingham, have put up, from the designs of -their managing partner, Mr. J. Beverley Fenby, an experimental -set of machinery, almost entirely self-acting, and -calculated to turn out large quantities of the component parts -of locks and other articles with extreme accuracy and -rapidity.</p> - -<p>The whole set works on the interchangeable system—as -already in use for military small arms. It is not, -however, to be supposed that, because the parts of the -locks are interchangeable, one key will open several locks—such -a source of insecurity being guarded against by the -permutating key-cutting machines invented by Mr. Fenby. -These machines give complete command over the making -of keys, whether it be required to make a comparatively -unlimited number, all differing from each other, to make -a number alike, or to make sets with master keys.</p> - -<p>Atmospheric and hydraulic pressure also plays an important -part in shaping many of the parts of the locks.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page201">[201]</span></p> - -<h3>NOTE UPON IRON SAFES.</h3> - -<p>At the conclusion of this work upon locks it will not be out -of place to make a few remarks upon the degree of real safety -that attaches to what are commonly called “safes,” and to -point out in a common-sense way what are the chief dangers -that these may incur from depredators (whether burglars or -in times of public anarchy and violence), and what are the -main conditions to be relied upon for safety—assuming that, by -one or other of the constructions pointed out in the preceding -pages, the <i>lock</i> of the safe be such as to be practically unpickable, -and that carelessness shall not have placed the true key -in the possession of the thief.</p> - -<p>There can be no doubt upon the mind of any mechanic or -engineer, thoroughly acquainted with practical working in -metals, that a good deal of what has been brought forward -and affirmed, both by safe-makers and by burglars themselves -(turned approvers), as to the wonderfully-ingenious devices -resorted to by the latter, by which, if we were to believe -it all, nothing in the shape of steel or iron can possibly withstand -ultimately the redoubtable powers of these people, is -simply fiction—imaginary ingenuity utterly impracticable if -tried. Such, for example, is the notion of its being possible, -by an ounce or two of gunpowder exploded in the interior, to -so blow asunder and dislocate the parts of a well-made safe-lock -that the bolts shall then be easily got loose, or that a -steel-plated safe which resists the drill can be softened “by -the blowpipe.” And just as absurd are some of the wonderful -pieces of ingenuity by which some of the burglars’ actual -devices are supposed to be met and frustrated; as, for example, -one for which we believe a patent has been obtained, consisting -in filling-in the hollow space between the inside and outside -plates of the safe with cast-iron bullets left loose. These -might, no doubt, break a <i>flat</i>-stemmed drill, after that had<span class="pagenum" id="Page202">[202]</span> -pierced the outer plate, but could have no effect whatever -upon a <i>round</i>-shanked drill, such as one of the ordinary American -spiral, or <i>teredo</i>-pointed drills.</p> - -<p>That there are some methods of violence still untried, and -yet at the command of the burglar who dares to risk a tolerably -loud noise of explosive agents, is well known to skilful -mechanical engineers, and for obvious reasons it would be -unwise that we should give any information as to such; but the -real practical and too-often effectual methods of the burglar -limit themselves almost entirely to the use of the succession -of steel wedges, followed by the powerful steel-pointed pinching -bar, or bars, to the forcing or prizing-screw, and to making -more or less way for this by cutting out beforehand by the -pin-drill.</p> - -<p>A safe, to be safe, must be so circumstanced or so constructed, -or both, that it should be able to resist the best efforts -that can be made by these methods for several hours; perhaps -we might say as much as thirty to thirty-six hours—viz., -from Saturday night to Monday morning.</p> - -<p>Now we hesitate not to say that the unsafeness of “safes” -arises not from any structural difficulty whatever, but almost -always from the parsimony and ignorance of those who purchase -and employ them. Safes, like razors, are made to sell, -and if the public demand is for cheap safes, such as we see -every day advertised in the newspapers, it was sure to have -been, and is, met by a supply of things called safes which are -utterly unsafe. The great mass of the showy green and gold -gewgaws that one sees in the safe-shop windows, with flaming -testimonials as to their fire and burglar-proof powers, are -simple shams: a genuine safe could not be made at their -prices.</p> - -<p>The very first condition to constitute a genuine safe is that -it shall have an ample mass of metal—<i>i.e.</i>, not of cast-iron, -but of wrought-iron, or best of steel, all round it; and especially -that the margins of metal all round the door shall be -of such huge and surplus scantling that no amount of wedging,<span class="pagenum" id="Page203">[203]</span> -by construction possible, should be able to bend any one -side sensibly. The next is that the workmanship of every part -of the safe be first-class: not that there be merely a moulded -door with a showy lock and a trumpery brass-plate upon it, -but that every corner and joint of plate with plate in sides -and back be effectually united and jointed in the best manner, -and that the fitting of the hardened edges of the door shall be -like those of a valve, and not even let a watch-spring be got -in between. If these obvious conditions be observed, and that -the safe itself be properly posited in the premises, it will be -found, even with ordinary forms of construction as to doors -and bolts, but with a really unpickable lock, a very hard nut -for the best burglar to crack.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/illo203.png" alt="" /> -<p class="caption">Chatwood’s Safes.</p> -</div> - -<p>But much more may be effected without any serious increase -of cost. Several forms of safes are now made, the -rabbets of the doors of which are so formed that it is almost -a physical impossibility to get any wedge, however thin, to -drive in between the door and the frame. This is effected in -Chatwood’s patent safes (of Bolton and Manchester), as figured -above, by making the door rabbets in cross section <i>curvilinear</i>,<span class="pagenum" id="Page204">[204]</span> -so that even if the fit be not so perfect but that the edges of -a very thin wedge can still be inserted, it yet cannot be -driven—for, as it goes forward, it must become curved, and -if soft, so as thus to bend, the thin steel will not bear the -severe strain of driving, but if hard, it breaks off into short -bits close to the entrance. In addition to this Chatwood’s -(and we believe other makers’) safes have bolts so constructed, -as seen in the figure, that they <i>hook</i> or lock into the bolt -recesses in the frame in such a manner as to hold the opposite -sides of the frame together, so that, independent of its own -proper stiffness, it cannot be bent anywhere, unless by tearing -asunder the end on the iron bar constituting each cross-bolt. -The bolts, in fact, not only secure the door (as in ordinary) -from opening, but secure the door and frame together. With -such a safe, if the owner will only provide a proper position -for it in his premises, he may rest pretty easy in mind.</p> - -<p>Safes are very commonly stood upon a wooden floor, or made -to form part of a wood-framed bookcase, or press, or stand in -a recess. Often they are comeatable all round, and even -underneath, with nought but an inch board below them, and -almost always they are left with the front door freely and fully -exposed, and with ample and convenient room left all round. -This for two or three workmen to manipulate the safe as they -may.</p> - -<p>Now the only real conditions of safety are that the iron safe -should be bedded into brickwork set in Portland cement and -sand; or, what is much better, in hard granite or gritstone -masonry, bedded in like manner. Without this be done, a -fire-proof safe is simply a delusion; constructed how it may be, -it is only a crucible of more or less badly-conducting power, -in which, after a time longer or shorter, deeds, bank-notes, -documents, &c., will be calcined, and coin or jewellery -melted, and gems flawed and destroyed. We say this in the -full face of the delusive so-called “fiery ordeals” to which -many of the so-called double-cased fire-proof safes are alleged -to have been for hours exposed. The safe should always be<span class="pagenum" id="Page205">[205]</span> -embedded in masonry, and rest upon that in such a way that -it cannot get undermined by either fire or burglars.</p> - -<p>Whenever the premises admit of it, the door of the -safe itself should be set back 10 or 12 inches from the face of -the wall in which it is embedded, and an outer door, flush -with the face of the wall, should be provided of iron, with a -good lock and multiple bolts. The door of the safe should -open to the right; and if so, the outer door should open to -the left; and neither should open more than square to their -position when shut. No one but a practical workman or -engineer can have an adequate notion of the extent to -which any mechanical operation upon the door of a safe thus -circumstanced is hampered by its being set back into the -wall, and with an outer door that even when open, cuts off -all ready manual access to the inner door from one side.</p> - -<p>When premises are constructed, as they should be for all -banks and bullion merchants, jewellers, &c., having special -regard to a safe as an indisputably secure depository, then -the safe should be completely iron or steel cased, and embedded -in hard stone masonry (we shall not here go into -additional special precautions against the remoter effects of -fire), covered in with a strong fire-brick arch, and with -nothing but the solid ground below. The door of the safe -should only be approachable through an iron or stone-lined -passage, just the size of the safe-door, and no more. This -should be some feet in length, and have an outer double-cased -steel door, or perhaps that and an intermediate iron -falling-door or portcullis, between the outer door and the -safe-door. With a safe-door so circumstanced, even supposing -both these outer doors forced and open, it is almost -impracticable for even a single workman, however agile or -adroit, to perform any mechanical operation whatever upon -the door, least of all upon its surrounding rabbates. These -are so close to the solid granite walls, starting out at right -angles from the rabbate all round, that he has no room to do -anything; and to get a prizing-bar at the door-rabbate, or<span class="pagenum" id="Page206">[206]</span> -even to get a second man to assist the first in any way, is -impossible, simply for want of room.</p> - -<p>The whole of the doors and all the surfaces of such -passage should be painted a dull, lustreless black. No one -who has not tried it, has any idea of the difficulty of -illuminating such a black passage, by even several candles, -sufficiently to perform any delicate mechanical operation; -and good light is essential to the safe-breaker.</p> - -<p>In banks there is no better plan than has been ere now -adopted of making the iron safe a great cube, with the door -at one side, placing the whole safe with its bottom resting -upon the stem or plunger of an hydraulic press, the cylinder -of which is fixed in the bottom of the pit in the solid earth, -of a size capable of enabling the whole safe to be bodily -lowered down into the cavity at the end of the day’s work, -and pumped up again out of its hiding-place the next morning. -The lever of the hydraulic pump is taken away, and -the socket into which it fits is plugged, and the plug locked -into its place, and then the pump—situated in a recess in -solid masonry—is itself locked up. The top of the safe itself, -when it has been lowered to the bottom of its chamber, -stands 10 or 12 inches below the floor-level of the stone floor, -and a pair of iron doors is then closed over it and locked down.</p> - -<p>A safe executed in this way, though requiring a considerable -expenditure at first, if well done, might bid defiance to -anything almost, even unlimited gunpowder, for some days. -The only addition of safety that almost could be conceived -would be that adopted at the bullion vaults of the Bank of -France in Paris, where these, situated in casemates two -stories under ground, are only approachable by one narrow, -winding staircase, which can be itself, in case of emergency, -rapidly rendered useless, and the cylindrical well in which it -is placed filled up with about 30 feet in depth of water, -which cannot be pumped out until a continuous supply be -shut off by distant means only known to one or two trusted -employés.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page207">[207]</span></p> - -<p>Since this revision has been in type the great “safes’ -contest” or wager of battle between the rival safes of Mr. -Herring of New York, and Mr. Chatwood of Bolton, for -£600 a side, has come off, at the International Exhibition, -Paris, Mr. R. Mallet and Mr. Robert F. Fairlie, C.E., -being the representatives of the English interests upon -the occasion. The result, which, owing to the conduct of -some of the parties concerned, assumed an unpleasant and -incomplete form, may be found detailed fully in a pamphlet -published by Tinsley Brothers, London. It is referred to -here because, although no decision of the wager made could -be come to, the facts ascertained are of great interest and -importance as respects the proper construction of safes. -They show conclusively that an effectively constructed door -and jambs is really the one thing needful to absolute security, -provided the safe itself be built up, as we have urged, into -masonry.</p> - -<p>They also show that there are good grounds for doubting -that the American (Herring’s) “safe within safe” construction, -with a thick mass of so-called fire-proofing powdery composition -between them, is at all as protective against mere -violence and the persevering use of wedges, as Chatwood’s -simpler but far more effective construction, especially of his -door and jambs. If one of the latter safes, wholly of steel -plating, be fairly embedded into masonry, and another outside -flush door of his construction, with curved rabbates -and hooking locking bolts, be supplied to the masonry ope -itself, it is scarcely an exaggeration to call such a safe -“Invincible,” so far as anything that burglars, in any civilised -place in Europe at least, can effect.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page208">[208-<br />209]<a id="Page209"></a></span></p> - -<h2 class="front">INDEX.</h2> - -<ul class="index"> - -<li>Adytic lock, <a href="#Page176">176</a>; machine for manufacturing the keys of the, <a href="#Page185">185</a>; -number of changes in the lock, <a href="#Page188">188</a>; advantages of, <a href="#Page189">189</a>; discussion on its -value, <a href="#Page192">192</a>.</li> - -<li>Ainger on the Bramah lock, <a href="#Page111">111</a>.</li> - -<li>Ainger’s lock, <a href="#Page61">61</a>.</li> - -<li>Alarum lock, <a href="#Page40">40</a>.</li> - -<li>American locks, <a href="#Page82">82</a>; Stansbury’s lock, <a href="#Page83">83</a>; Yale’s lock, -<a href="#Page83">83</a>; Dr. Andrews’s lock, <a href="#Page84">84</a>; Day and Newell’s locks, <a href="#Page86">86</a>; -their Parautoptic lock, <a href="#Page89">89</a>; Hobbs’s Protector lock, <a href="#Page99">99</a>.</li> - -<li>Ancient locks, <a href="#Page8">8</a>.</li> - -<li>Andrews’s lock, <a href="#Page84">84</a>; snail wheel lock, <a href="#Page85">85</a>.</li> - -<li>Appendix, <a href="#Page173">173</a>.</li> - -<li>Aubin’s lock trophy, <a href="#Page166">166</a>; locks forming it described, <a href="#Page168">168</a>.</li> - -<li class="letterstart">Barron’s tumbler lock, <a href="#Page49">49</a>; Bramah on, <a href="#Page68">68</a>.</li> - -<li>Bird’s tumbler lock, <a href="#Page52">52</a>.</li> - -<li>Bramah on Barron’s tumbler lock, <a href="#Page68">68</a>; on the defects of the tumbler lock, <a href="#Page68">68</a>; -on the defects of the warded lock, <a href="#Page66">66</a>.</li> - -<li>Bramah lock, <a href="#Page70">70</a>; cylinder lock, <a href="#Page73">73</a>; number of changes in the Bramah lock, -<a href="#Page81">81</a>; picked by Mr. Hobbs, <a href="#Page121">121</a>; report of the arbitrators, -<a href="#Page123">123</a>, <a href="#Page124">124</a>; a description of the lock picked, <a href="#Page125">125</a>; -letters from Messrs. Bramah questioning the fairness of the trial, <a href="#Page126">126</a>; method of picking, -<a href="#Page110">110</a>; method employed by Mr. Hobbs, <a href="#Page129">129</a>; Ainger on the Bramah lock, -<a href="#Page110">110</a>; Farey on the Bramah lock, <a href="#Page113">113</a>; improvements made since 1851, -<a href="#Page131">131</a>.</li> - -<li>Brown’s letter lock, <a href="#Page23">23</a>; picked by Mr. Hobbs, <a href="#Page139">139</a>.</li> - -<li>Bullion vaults of the Bank of France, <a href="#Page206">206</a>.</li> - -<li class="letterstart">Chatwood’s safes described, <a href="#Page203">203</a>.</li> - -<li>Chinese locks, <a href="#Page171">171</a>.</li> - -<li>Chubb on Davies’s lock, <a href="#Page112">112</a>; on lock picking, <a href="#Page132">132</a>.</li> - -<li>Chubb’s lock, <a href="#Page53">53</a>; described, <a href="#Page54">54</a>, <a href="#Page56">56</a>; key of, -<a href="#Page57">57</a>; attempt to pick, <a href="#Page58">58</a>; experiments on, <a href="#Page59">59</a>; number of -changes in the lock, <a href="#Page55">55</a>; the detector lock picked by Mr. Hobbs, <a href="#Page115">115</a>; value of -the detector questioned, <a href="#Page117">117</a>; improvements, <a href="#Page121">121</a>; Mr. Hodge on the Chubb lock, -<a href="#Page114">114</a>; Chubb’s new locks, <a href="#Page147">147</a>; bank locks, <a href="#Page149">149</a>.</li> - -<li>Clockwork, application of, to locks, <a href="#Page39">39</a>.</li> - -<li>Closet-lock, <a href="#Page17">17</a>.</li> - -<li>Commercial importance of locks, <a href="#Page2">2</a>.</li> - -<li>Contrivances for adding to the security of locks, <a href="#Page35">35</a>.</li> - -<li>Cut locks, <a href="#Page18">18</a>.</li> - -<li class="letterstart">Davies’s lock<span class="pagenum" id="Page210">[210]</span>, Captain O’Brien on 112; Mr. Chubb on, -<a href="#Page112">112</a>.</li> - -<li>Davis’s lock, <a href="#Page60">60</a>.</li> - -<li>Day and Newell’s lock, <a href="#Page86">86</a>; Parautoptic lock, <a href="#Page89">89</a> <i>et seq.</i></li> - -<li>Dead-lock, <a href="#Page17">17</a>.</li> - -<li>Denison’s large lock, <a href="#Page142">142</a>; small ditto, <a href="#Page146">146</a>.</li> - -<li>Dial locks, <a href="#Page23">23</a>; method of picking, <a href="#Page138">138</a>.</li> - -<li>Duhamel du Monceau’s <i>Art du Serrurier</i>, <a href="#Page4">4</a>.</li> - -<li class="letterstart">Egyptian door-fastenings, <a href="#Page13">13</a>.</li> - -<li>Egyptian pin-lock, <a href="#Page14">14</a>; method of picking, <a href="#Page139">139</a>.</li> - -<li>Escutcheon, uses of the, explained, <a href="#Page37">37</a>.</li> - -<li>Exhibition of 1851, effects of the, in improving English locks, <a href="#Page140">140</a>; Jury Report on locks, -<a href="#Page131">131</a>; observations on the Report, <a href="#Page133">133</a>.</li> - -<li class="letterstart">Farey on the Bramah lock, <a href="#Page113">113</a>.</li> - -<li>Fenby on warded locks, <a href="#Page173">173</a>; on tumbler locks, <a href="#Page174">174</a>.</li> - -<li>Fenby’s adytic lock, <a href="#Page176">176</a>; machine for making the keys of, <a href="#Page185">185</a>; number of -changes in the, <a href="#Page188">188</a>; advantages of, <a href="#Page189">189</a>; discussion on the value of the lock, -<a href="#Page192">192</a>; stop-lock, <a href="#Page196">196</a>; machines for the manufacture of the locks, -<a href="#Page200">200</a>.</li> - -<li>Fons, Mr. de la, his improvement in locks, <a href="#Page148">148</a>.</li> - -<li>French locks, ancient, <a href="#Page32">32</a>.</li> - -<li>Friend’s secret lock, <a href="#Page39">39</a>.</li> - -<li class="letterstart">Greek locks, <a href="#Page9">9</a>.</li> - -<li class="letterstart">Hobbs on English locks made before 1851, <a href="#Page115">115</a>; he picks a Chubb lock, -<a href="#Page116">116</a>; a Bramah lock picked by Mr. Hobbs, <a href="#Page122">122</a>; his mode of picking the Bramah -lock described, <a href="#Page129">129</a>; Mr. Brown’s letter-lock picked by him, <a href="#Page139">139</a>.</li> - -<li>Hobbs’s protector lock, <a href="#Page99">99</a>.</li> - -<li>Hodge on the Chubb lock, <a href="#Page114">114</a>.</li> - -<li class="letterstart">Iron-rim lock, <a href="#Page17">17</a>.</li> - -<li id="Index1">Iron safes, value of, <a href="#Page201">201</a>; the best position for a safe, <a href="#Page204">204</a>; -chamber for jewellers’ safes described, <a href="#Page205">205</a>; arrangement of bank safes, <a href="#Page205">205</a>; -Chatwood’s safes, <a href="#Page203">203</a>.</li> - -<li class="letterstart">Kemp’s union lock, <a href="#Page81">81</a>.</li> - -<li>Keys, master, <a href="#Page31">31</a>; skeleton, <a href="#Page30">30</a>; Mackinnon’s key, <a href="#Page62">62</a>; -Machin’s web key, <a href="#Page154">154</a>.</li> - -<li>Knob lock, <a href="#Page17">17</a>.</li> - -<li class="letterstart">Lacedæmonian lock, <a href="#Page11">11</a>.</li> - -<li>Left-hand lock, <a href="#Page17">17</a>.</li> - -<li>Letter locks, <a href="#Page22">22</a>; method of picking, <a href="#Page138">138</a>.</li> - -<li>Lever locks, <a href="#Page43">43</a>.</li> - -<li>Literature of lock-making, <a href="#Page4">4</a>; list of references to the “Transactions of the Society of Arts” -relating to lock-making, <a href="#Page166">166</a>.</li> - -<li>Lock classification, <a href="#Page17">17</a>.</li> - -<li>Lock controversy, <a href="#Page102">102</a>; previous to the Great Exhibition, <a href="#Page103">103</a>; Mr. Chubb on -Davies’s lock, <a href="#Page112">112</a>; Captain O’Brien on Davies’s and other locks, <a href="#Page112">112</a>; Mr. -Farey on the Bramah lock, <a href="#Page113">113</a>; Mr. Hodge on locks, <a href="#Page114">114</a>; lock controversy -during and since the Great Exhibition, <a href="#Page115">115</a>; Mr. Hobbs on English locks, <a href="#Page115">115</a>; -he picks the Chubb lock, <a href="#Page116">116</a>; the Bramah lock picked by him, <a href="#Page121">121</a>; statements -of Messrs. Bramah, <a href="#Page125">125</a>; attempt of Messrs. Garbutt to pick the parautoptic lock, -<a href="#Page134">134</a>.</li> - -<li>Lock manufacture at Wolverhampton, state of, described, <a href="#Page154">154</a>.</li> - -<li>Lock-picking, distinction between “picking” and “ringing the changes” on a lock, <a href="#Page136">136</a>; tentative -process of picking, <a href="#Page110">110</a>; method of picking letter and dial locks, <a href="#Page138">138</a>; mode of -picking the Egyptian lock, <a href="#Page139">139</a>; method of picking tumbler locks, <a href="#Page118">118</a>; method -of picking the Yale lock, <a href="#Page140">140</a>; Mr. Chubb on lock-picking, <a href="#Page132">132</a>; contrivances to -prevent the picking of locks<span class="pagenum" id="Page211">[211]</span>, <a href="#Page105">105</a>.</li> - -<li>Lock trophy, Aubin’s, <a href="#Page166">166</a>; locks composing the, described, <a href="#Page168">168</a>.</li> - -<li>Lock and key, improved, <a href="#Page176">176</a>.</li> - -<li>Locks, English patents for, <a href="#Page164">164</a>; Jury Report, Exhibition of 1851, on, <a href="#Page131">131</a>; -observations on the Report, <a href="#Page133">133</a>; effects of the Exhibition of 1851 in improving English locks, -<a href="#Page140">140</a>; use of machinery in the manufacture of, <a href="#Page163">163</a>, <a href="#Page200">200</a>.</li> - -<li>Locks, &c., invented by the Marquis of Worcester, <a href="#Page35">35</a>.</li> - -<li>Locks and keys, literature of, <a href="#Page4">4</a>; list of references in the “Transactions of the Society of Arts” -relating to, <a href="#Page166">166</a>.</li> - -<li>Louis XVI., his fondness for lock-making, <a href="#Page26">26</a>, <a href="#Page35">35</a>.</li> - -<li class="letterstart">Machin’s web key, <a href="#Page61">61</a>.</li> - -<li>Mackinnon’s key, <a href="#Page62">62</a>.</li> - -<li>Manufacture of locks and keys at Wolverhampton, state of the, <a href="#Page154">154</a>.</li> - -<li>Marshall’s secret escutcheon, <a href="#Page37">37</a>.</li> - -<li>Master keys, <a href="#Page31">31</a>.</li> - -<li>Meighan’s alarum lock, <a href="#Page40">40</a>.</li> - -<li>Mitchell and Lawton’s tumbler lock, <a href="#Page52">52</a>.</li> - -<li>Mortise locks, <a href="#Page17">17</a>, <a href="#Page18">18</a>.</li> - -<li>Multiple-bolt locks, <a href="#Page41">41</a>,</li> - -<li class="letterstart">Nettlefold’s lock, <a href="#Page60">60</a>.</li> - -<li>Newell’s parautoptic lock, <a href="#Page89">89</a>.</li> - -<li class="letterstart">O’Brien, Captain, on Davies’s lock, <a href="#Page112">112</a>.</li> - -<li>Owen’s experiments on Chubb and Bramah locks, <a href="#Page59">59</a>.</li> - -<li class="letterstart">Parautoptic lock, <a href="#Page89">89</a>; key, <a href="#Page91">91</a>; Austrian Report on, -<a href="#Page93">93</a>; English patent for, <a href="#Page98">98</a>; attempts to pick the, in America, -<a href="#Page106">106</a>; Report of the American Institute on the lock, <a href="#Page107">107</a>; latest challenge -issued by Messrs. Day and Newell, <a href="#Page108">108</a>; Mr. Garbutt’s attempt to pick the, <a href="#Page134">134</a>; -failure of the attempt, <a href="#Page135">135</a>.</li> - -<li>Parnell’s defiance lock, <a href="#Page141">141</a>.</li> - -<li>Parson’s lock, <a href="#Page61">61</a>.</li> - -<li>Patents, English, for locks, <a href="#Page164">164</a>.</li> - -<li>Pin-lock of Egypt, <a href="#Page14">14</a>.</li> - -<li>Puzzle-lock, <a href="#Page19">19</a>.</li> - -<li class="letterstart">Regnier’s puzzle locks, <a href="#Page21">21</a>.</li> - -<li>Right-hand lock, <a href="#Page17">17</a>.</li> - -<li>Ring lock, <a href="#Page17">17</a>.</li> - -<li>Roman locks, <a href="#Page10">10</a>.</li> - -<li>Rowntree’s tumbler lock, <a href="#Page50">50</a>.</li> - -<li>Russell’s screw-lock for casks, <a href="#Page38">38</a>.</li> - -<li>Russian locks, <a href="#Page171">171</a>.</li> - -<li>Rutherford’s lock, <a href="#Page39">39</a>.</li> - -<li>Ruxton’s detector for tumbler locks, <a href="#Page53">53</a>.</li> - -<li class="letterstart">Safes, value of iron, <a href="#Page201">201</a>; Chatwood’s, <a href="#Page203">203</a>; see also -<i><a href="#Index1">Iron Safes</a></i>.</li> - -<li>Saxby’s prize lock, <a href="#Page152">152</a>; picked by Mr. Hobbs, <a href="#Page153">153</a>.</li> - -<li>Screw locks, <a href="#Page38">38</a>.</li> - -<li>Skeleton keys, <a href="#Page30">30</a>.</li> - -<li>Society of Arts’ prize lock, <a href="#Page30">30</a>.</li> - -<li>Somerford’s lock, <a href="#Page60">60</a>.</li> - -<li>Spring-stock lock, <a href="#Page17">17</a>.</li> - -<li>Stansbury’s lock, <a href="#Page83">83</a>.</li> - -<li>Stop lock, Fenby’s, <a href="#Page196">196</a>.</li> - -<li>Straight locks, <a href="#Page18">18</a>.</li> - -<li class="letterstart">Tentative process of lock-picking, <a href="#Page110">110</a>.</li> - -<li>Three-bolt lock, <a href="#Page17">17</a>.</li> - -<li>Tumbler locks, <a href="#Page43">43</a>; lock described by M. de Réaumur, <a href="#Page46">46</a>; modern tumbler lock, -<a href="#Page52">52</a>; introduction of the detector, <a href="#Page53">53</a>; Chubb’s lock, <a href="#Page53">53</a>, -<a href="#Page56">56</a>; key of, <a href="#Page57">57</a>; advantages and defects of tumbler locks, -<a href="#Page63">63</a>; Hobbs’s method of adjustment, <a href="#Page63">63</a>.</li> - -<li>Tumbler locks, Mr. Fenby on, <a href="#Page174">174</a>; method of picking, <a href="#Page118">118</a>; double action, -<a href="#Page49">49</a>.</li> - -<li>Two-bolt lock, <a href="#Page17">17</a>.</li> - -<li class="letterstart">Ward locks, <a href="#Page18">18</a>.</li> - -<li>Warded locks, <a href="#Page27">27</a>; action of the key on the wards, <a href="#Page28">28</a>; insecurity of, -<a href="#Page29">29</a>; warded locks of the last century, <a href="#Page31">31</a>; insecurity of, illustrated by Mr. -Chubb<span class="pagenum" id="Page212">[212]</span>, <a href="#Page34">34</a>; Bramah on the defects of, -<a href="#Page66">66</a>; Mr. Fenby on, <a href="#Page173">173</a>.</li> - -<li>Wheel locks, <a href="#Page18">18</a>.</li> - -<li>Wheel and pinion, application of, to locks, <a href="#Page39">39</a>.</li> - -<li>Williams’s lock, <a href="#Page62">62</a>.</li> - -<li>Wolverhampton, account of the state of the lock and key manufacture at, <a href="#Page154">154</a>.</li> - -<li>Worcester, inventions of the Marquis of, relating to lock-making, <a href="#Page35">35</a>.</li> - -<li class="letterstart">Yale’s lock, <a href="#Page83">83</a>; method of picking, <a href="#Page140">140</a>.</li> - -<li>Yale’s cylinder lock, <a href="#Page152">152</a>.</li> - -</ul> - -<p> </p> - -<p class="center fsize70 blankbelow75"><span class="bt">PRINTED BY VIRTUE AND CO., CITY ROAD, LONDON.</span></p> - -<p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p> </p> - -<div class="tnbot" id="TN"> - -<h2>Transcriber’s Note</h2> - -<p>Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation have not been standardised.</p> - -<p>The calculations in the text regarding the number of combinations and permutations have been transcribed without -further comment, even when they might be open to discussion.</p> - -<p>The reference letters and numbers given in the descriptions of illustrations are not always present in these -illustrations, but they may be present in other illustrations of the same object.</p> - -<p>Page 33, <span class="smcapall">S S</span>, <span class="smcapall">O O</span>, <span class="smcapall">Z Z</span>, -are ornaments fastened on at <i>b c d</i>: this does not appear to be in accordance with the illustrations.</p> - -<p>Page 153, footnote [11]: these figures are not present in this book.</p> - -<p>Page 164: “As no complete list ...: the closing quote mark is missing.</p> - -<p>Page 164 ff, table, entry 1784: the date column was blank in the source document.</p> - -<p class="blankbefore75">Changes made</p> - -<p>Footnotes have been moved to under the paragraph in which they were referenced.</p> - -<p>Where necessary, parts of the hatching or other details in illustrations have been removed to make reference letters -(better) visible. </p> - -<p>Page 9: closing quote mark inserted after "curious knot".</p> - -<p>Page 45: "receptacles at <span class="smcapall">C</span> <i>d</i>" changed to "receptacles at <i>c d</i>".</p> - -<p>Page 48: fig. 23 was printed upside-down in the source document.</p> - -<p>Page 51: "the notches <i>f</i> or <i>g</i> in the bolt" changed to "the notches <i>s</i> or <i>g</i> in the bolt", -cf. fig. 26.</p> - -<p>Page 57: "the notches <i>n n</i>" changed to "the notches <i>n n´</i>".</p> - -<p>Page 77: "shewn at <i>a a</i> in fig. 37" changed to "shewn at <i>a´ a´</i> in fig. 37"; "3, 2, 3" changed to "3, 2, 3´".</p> - -<p>Page 89: "<span class="smcapall">T</span> the third" changed to "<span class="smcapall">T</span>³ the third" cf. -illustration.</p> - -<p>Page 100: "piece of metal <i>h p</i>" changed to "piece of metal <i>h h</i>" cf. illustration.</p> - -<p>Page 104: "ged" changed to "get".</p> - -</div><!--tnbot--> - -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<hr class="pgx" /> -<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RUDIMENTARY TREATISE ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOCKS***</p> -<p>******* This file should be named 63128-h.htm or 63128-h.zip *******</p> -<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/3/1/2/63128">http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/1/2/63128</a></p> -<p> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed.</p> - -<p>Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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