159 year old safe opened in WA

[DJ Jackalope]

Locksmith cracks Ore. safe that baffled MIT expert

LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) -- A locksmith has managed to open a 159-year-old safe from Oregon that baffled other professional safecrackers and an expert from MIT.

In 2 1/2 hours, Tom Gorham of Longview got the safe open by spinning the dial and feeling for grooves to get the combination, a technique called manipulation.

Just wanted to pass this along. Sounds like the safe itself is probably pretty cool to look at. I'm a sucker for old metal things. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...MPLATE=DEFAULT

Now I want to know what is in it. (probably a twinkie and a credit card app)

[blackhawk]

Re: 159 year old safe opened in WA

they never thought they were going to get it open either...didn't want to damage it because it was so old.

Made the news here about 8 months back...

MIT can't work on anything that old. Give them a carburator...they'd have fits!

Funny how the more simple things are always much more confusing...

[renderman]

Re: 159 year old safe opened in WA

MIT can't work on anything that old. Give them a carburator...they'd have fits!

Funny how the more simple things are always much more confusing...

Manipulating a safe is more voodoo and luck than an exact science. The guy from MIT probably knew what he was doing, but after 150 years, who knows what shape the lock mechanism was in. The guy who got it open probably did the same thing and just got lucky.

Kudo's to the company for allowing people to try and for not just fire axing the thing open. The skill and metalwork in old safes is something not seen much today.

[DJ Jackalope]

Re: 159 year old safe opened in WA

The one thing I didn't quite get about this was... was the safe 159 years old and had been in use until sort of recently, or was the contents also still 159 years old too?

[beakmyn]

Re: 159 year old safe opened in WA

The safe’s contents will remain a mystery for a little while longer. Holcomb wants to tell the board of directors at the Hanthorn Cannery, where the safe was discovered, what was inside before releasing that information to the public, Kelly Gorham said.

Holcomb said he has talked with several long-time Astorians, and no one could remember seeing the safe open. Holcomb found it during a renovation effort for a shopping area along Pier 39.

We'll have to wait and see.