Havelock-Belmont-Methuen - Safecracker opens 100-year-old safe

(News)=id&id(News)=25593Havelock-Belmont-Methuen - Safecracker opens 100-year-old safe by Mark Hoult

12.16.05 World champion safecracker Dan Ormond once opened a lock with more than one million possible combinations in a mere 22 minutes using nothing more than his eyes, ears and a stethoscope. In September Ormond took 45 minutes to open a century-old Canadian Pacific Railway safe built more than a century ago with a possible 600,000 combinations. Of course Ormond was working outside that day, leaning in close to the safe that sits alongside the west wall of the Station Restaurant in Havelock. He had the sound of Highway #7 traffic to contend with, and his sensitive stethoscope was picking up the sound of a conversation on the other side of the road. "I had never opened a safe outside before," Ormond told retired CPR workers and Havelock and area residents gathered at the restaurant on Sunday, December 11. "It's always inside, in a controlled environment, so this was a real challenge." Ormond returned to Havelock last week for the official opening of the safe, made by the J&J Taylor Company for the CPR to hold cash and documents. When the CP train station closed the safe was left inside. But it was stolen in the 1990s, only to be found this year by Station Restaurant owner Nick Miniotis on a scrap pile near the tracks just east of the restored, historic train station. Miniotis contacted the CPR and got permission to move the 1.5-ton safe to the restaurant. The discovery of the safe immediately generated questions about its contents. Numerous people, including two locksmiths, have attempted to open the safe since last April, but none were successful until Ormond, who is based in Hamilton, cracked the combination. Ormond said he discovered a safe within the safe, but found it unlocked. "I took a quick peek, but wanted to protect the integrity of the contents. This is an historical event, because this safe has been locked up for a long time." Ormond said the safe was hand-assembled, probably by one man over a period of six months. It is probably about 100 years old, and was constructed to withstand fire and all attempts at burglary, he said. "This one was designed to hold some pretty serious cash," he said. The Miniotis family asked Ormond to return to Havelock to open the safe publicly. So last Sunday, surrounded by restaurant staff and interested Havelock residents, he once again applied his stethoscope to the cold iron. It didn't take long this time to throw open the doors of the safe. The contents were carefully removed and taken into the restaurant, where they were presented and catalogued. Pulled from the safe were a small drawer from a desk; sealed and unsealed envelopes, some containing Christmas cards, addressed to CPR workers; a pair of safety glasses, possibly belonging to Station Agent Harry Roche; a log book full of receipts, with entries beginning in 1960, and ending in 1984; maps of the railway yard and village; a section of satin ribbon; two keys used to change the safe's combination; a safe locking mechanism; an envelope contained $2.80; and a CP Rail Air Brake and Train Handling Rules and Regulations manual, which former CPR employee Claude Pollock called "the railroader's bible." The original bills and coins found in the safe will go on display in the Station Restaurant, although the equivalent amount will be donated to the Smitty's Christmas Fund. And if possible the envelops will be sent to the people to whom they were addressed. The rest of the contents will also be displayed in the restaurant, which is already full of railroad memorabilia. The Canadian Pacific Railway played a major role in the history of Havelock, at one time employing close to 75 per cent of the village, said Master of Ceremonies Bob Jones. Nine retired employees, including former brakemen, firemen, engineers and conductors, representing more than 300 years of service, were invited to the event. Invited to attend were Claude Pollock, Milt Hornsby, Doug Blakely, Richard Preston, Scott Little, Everett Riley, Ray McFaul, Graydon Harris and Don Rose. Historian Harold Hunter was also invited to attend the official opening of the safe. And in the audience was Marguerite Couch, daughter of Harry Roche, who was the Havelock Station Agent for 44 years. Ormond, who became fascinated by locks after he was the victim of a burglary, has a shop on Lock Street in Hamilton. He started out working in his father's industrial tool company, gaining valuable knowledge of engineering and design. In 2000, and again in 2005, Ormond won the Safecracking Olympics in Lexington, Kentucky, where he competed against safecrackers from all over the world. Champion safecrackers don't use drills and other tools, Ormond said. Instead they rely only on their eyes, their stethoscopes and a piece of paper and a pencil. Safecracking is a highly specialized skill, he said, noting that only about 500 people in the world reach the highest level. Ormond writes books about safecracking, teaches classes and designs tools. He said that usually only one out of 12 people in a class acquire the talent and skill, and only after countless hours of practice.