Rensselaer Journal, Volume 11, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 August 1901 — GREAT TREASURE IS STOLEN. [ARTICLE]

GREAT TREASURE IS STOLEN.

CtaM Bullion Worth Itso.WO Is Cento* ■ Away by Bobbers. I A robbery so bold in it* conception and daring in its execution that it has fairly paralyzed the police occurred at the Selby smelting works, on Bay Shore, Vallejo, California. Four bars of pure gold, each weighing from 1,000 to 3,300 ounces, and some 10,u00 ounces , of other gold, the total value being $280,000, were taken from the strong room of the smelter while watchmen stood guard within fifteen feet of the door. One of the watchmen heard the noise made by the thieves, but said: “It’s only ghosts In the vaults,” and continued on his rounds. The gold was taken from the vault to a boat and carried away. Not a clew is left for the detectives to work upon, and there 1b small hope that any of the stoleh treasure will ever he found. The robbery must have been of months of

planning, while the actual work required many nights of labor. The Selby works are located on the Bay shore, some thirty miles north of San Francisco, and almost opposite Mare island. Here all the gold reaching this city is refined for shipment to the mint. The vault in which gold is stored Is located in the Capel furnace building, almost against the side of a rocky hill, tae robbers were supplied with exact information concerning the location of the strong room, and must have had diagrams, so accurate was their work, and some of them must have possessed a high order of engineering skill. They sank a shaft some three or four feet deep at the back of the furnace building, staying close to the wall, in order that it would not attract attention.