BULLET-PROOF WAGONS FOR BULLION.
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American Efforts to Frustrate Malicious Attacks by Desperadoes upon Bank Messengers and Others Engaged in the Conveyance of Cash and Valuables.
THERE ARE only a few vehicles in 1 this country which have been expressly designed, for the conveyance of bullion and other valuables,, but in America extended employment is being found for armoured wagons chiefly on account of the fact that of late " hold ups" of bank messengers and others entrusted with the care and conveyance of money and valuables have been far to frequent to be pleasant, and have, time and again, been successfully carried out with considerable financial loss ter the companies concerned. Ordinary express, road vehicles, and even railway motor coaches have not been immune from attacks by desperadoes who have, in spite of all precautionary measures, given effect, to their well-planned schemes with little difficulty. In London, apparently, the favourite scheme is to tales van and money In an endeavour to counter these looting campaigns, the Adams Express Co, of America, areputting a number of Hen armoured speed wagons, produced by the Reo Motor Car CO., of Lancing, Michigan, U.S.A., into service and, according to the New York American, the company will shortly have 100 motors of this type in operation.
Many hanks are adopting this kind of road vehicle, and the bandit's nefarious attacks are being rendered hazardous of succeeded accomplishment. The adoption of these armoured wagons is confidently expected to minimize the leas to banks and business concerns occurring through the holding-up of bank messengera and pay-roll carriers.
Whilst such vehicles have been used by individual banks for some time past, the Adams Express. Co.'s extensive adoption of the armoured vehicle is likely to give emphasis to the protective value of such machinee. This company intend using the vehicles for transferring molly to and from New York banks and also for transporting silk and other valuables, for certain manufacturers of these articles.
The bodice which are fitted to these Reo vehicles are of the entirely enclosed type and are lined with chrome-nickel steel 5-64 in. thick and impenetrable to bullets from .45 calibre naval-type automatic guns. A. steel partition, instead of the usual screen, is placed between the driver and the body, and contains a door • and two port-holes. The only other opening in the body is a doer in the rear panel. This and the driver's door are secured with bars and are equipped with exceptionally strong hasps and padlocks. In addition to this the doors are fitted with Yale locks, and can be locked or unlocked from the outside when not barred.
Ten port-holes, which are. strategically placed in the body, permit the armed guards to fire at, any angle from the interior. The port-holes are bevelled inside and can be closed by slides working on a ratchet. which enables them to be locked in any position. The windscreen is of bullet-proof glass in. thick.
Should the driver be injured or in any other way incapacitated, the vehicle can be stopped by the occupants of the body, a lever being provided for throwing the clutch out of engagement and applying the brake.
Other features of the body include a folding step in place of the usual running boards, three folding seats fitted inside, two dome lamps for lighting the interior, gun racks, provision for anchoring a small safe, and ventilators imthe roof.
Several other large American business houses also use vehicles of this type, which, although identical in principle, differs somewhat in details of e.onetruction. For instance, the R-eo machines, employed by the Mechanics and Metals Bank of New York, have interior walls of three separate thicknesses. The first is the outer section containing the panels, the second a metal screen work which. extends completely around the body to the rear of the driver's compartment, the third being the sheet-steel lining. With this type of construction the body is virtually fireproof.
Detroit is another city in which " hold-ups " of bank messengers. have been frequent, and the Highland Park State Bank is amongst the banking concerns which use armoured wagons of Hen manufacture. The vehicle they use for the conveyance of bullion has an exterior of 16-gauge steel and an interior of 13-gauge steel, and is, of course, bulletproof. The entire driver's compartment is enclosed with bullet-proof glass as well as rolling shutters.
More than a year ago, the Bank of Coney Island recognized theprotective value of armoured motor wagons and put
into service the vehicle which we trate on this page. -The body of the, machine .4s built of heavy gauge steel, the space between the inner and outer panels being filled with sand. In a test to which this body was subjected, bullets fired at a, close range from high-powered army rifles failed to penetrate even the exterior wall.
As will be seen, port-holes are fitted in the sides and doors of the body, and these are covered on the inside with sliding shutters.