Diebold Constellation

[Doug MacQueen]

While I truly appreciate the pictures and the attempt to connect the development of safe and vault designs, I think you may be attributing more to Farrel than he deserves. That is not to put him down in any way. It is just that so much in the safe and vault designs is purely reactionary, and because of this it is not unusual to see the same or similar ideas popping up around the same time. Take pressure systems and crane hinges which you havre brought up. Once nitro came into use, makers strived to make the doors fit much tighter. Huh we have a problem. Yes we can slam it shut but we made the door so tight we can't pull it open. Make it even tighter and you can't even shut it. So the pressure bars and crane hinges come into use. I am not finding a Farrel patent regarding hinges for 1865 but here is a 1871 patent. I also don't know of a Diebold 1871 patent regarding hinges but maybe you have. Also included are a Diebold Kienzle showing a crane hinge and this safe is prior to 1874. A Herring Farrel showing the 1871 patent. A Harris, a Hall and a Detroit as well