BIG HAUL BY BURGLARS

Chronicle (Levin), 18 June 1946, Page 3

BIG HAUL BY BURGLARS

i -Press Assocmtion j

SAFE BLOWN WITH GELIGNITE j

By Telearayh-

AUCKLAND, June 17. The sum of £873 iu cash was f ouiid ! to liuve been stolen by burglars who | used gelignite to biow open the safe in the strongroom of Whitcombe arnl Tombs Ltd., printevs aiid booksellers, Queen Street, when the premises were opeued up by the staif this morning. Other city businesses visited by thieves during the weekend were the Oakj Furnishing Co., Ltd., 136 Gymonds j Gtreet; Dearsiys Ltd., 7 Nugeut Street, i aad Koiynos (N.Z.) Ltd.,. Kitchener Street. The thieves used a circuitous route to gain access to Whitcombe and Tombs' strongroom. / They went to the top of a public stairway in the Lewis Eady buiidiug next door, jemmied a window out of its franie, and climbed on to thej top of the Whitcombe and Tombs building. l'Tom there they descended by means of a ladder to a sun roof on a lower ievel and entered the premises j through a window. Aftcr blowing open j the door of the strongroom with a | cliarge of gelignite, they set to work on' a small safe wliicli coiitained money. To deaden the hoise of the explosion they packed towels, overalls and saw- 1 dust around the cliarge before igniting it. They took all the money iu tlie | safe but ignored a nuniber of cheques. t lt is not known for certain liow they I got out of the building. To get into the Oak Furnishing Com- ' pany's premises the burglars cJimbed L in to a liglit well at the side of the [ building, a Jarge hoarding screening i tliem from view of passersby by in I Synionds Street. They forced open the ' door giving access to the furuiture showrooms on the ground floor and ! went to the offices at the baclc. They i used gelignite to biow open the door of ; a large safe but this jammed the loek- ; ing niechauism and it could not be un1 fastened. Kugs and cushions taken from tlie lnanager's offi.ee were used to luuH'le the explosion. On ransacking Ihe office they found the key to a sinai ler safe from wliich a fevv ponnds wero stoleu. Scaliug catlike over 20 feet up a pipe on the outside oi' the Mereantile building, intruders who got iuto tlie premises of Koiynos (N.Z.) Ltd., 011 the second lloor, iifted the inside door off its hinges to get from the faetory to the office. Tliev stole a few shilliugs in niuiiey and some paekets of cigarettes belonging to the mauager.but did not interfere with the safe. Only a few shilliugs were taken from the premises of Dearsly's Ltd., boot manufacturers, by thieves who got in j through a window at the baclc of the factorv. Hecords and papers were slrewn all over the oK.ce. None of tlie , three sal'cs was tampered with.