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Just found this on our local news's website: http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=812602
Hmm, Chloropicrin, time to get the hazmat books out and look it up (or google it)
From www.ozarksfirst.com
BENTON, Ar. - An Arkansas man found a relic from the WWI era while cleaning out an old building.

Two vials contained the chemical agent chloropicrin. The chemical can cause vomiting and tears.

The man found it on the back door of a safe, which was apparently a common practice to deter thieves years ago.

"We've encountered some strange things over the years," said Lt. Kevin Russell, spokesperson for the Benton Police Department. "He could have very easily been harmed by that agent that was in there."

Police were able to bring in the Pulaski County Office of Emergency Management that used a laser to analyze the liquid, identifying it as the WWI chemical weapon.

Police say the man did the right thing by calling it in.

Strange comes in the job description of an officer; things like live mortars and hand grenades. Police say this discovery is one of the strangest things even they've encountered.

If you watch this youtube vid, at 3:37 there is actually a sign warning that safe is equipped with tear gas. Proof Positive!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... vvb9xdXIs8

I seriously doubt if mustard gas was used. For one thing it can be fatal. Secondly, its worst effects are not instantly obvious. It can take hours for the serious effects to hit you, which makes no sense as a safecracker dissuader. This gas is so damaging that it is the subject of an international treaty banning its use.

I just saw a safe on craigslist and in one of the photos, there seems to be an aftermarket box attached to the inside of the door and some sort of plunger attached to the box and armed with what looks like glass relocker wires. What do you guys think? tear gas inside that box and the plunger would break the vials?



Squelchtone

PS. here is the advert in case someone wants to see other pics of the safe: http://worcester.craigslist.org/fod/3857857868.html

ST, the gas is inside the tall thin box right behind the lock. It's set up that if the safe cracker were to punch the lock it would drive a pin back and break the glass cylinder in that long upright thin box. I wonder if the cables go through that and if the glass vial is broken it triggers a spring mechanism in the lower box that would lock it up like a relocker?

Here is a picture of the door of an (nearly?) identical safe with the plate removed. Might help in figuring out the riddle.

Looking through the pictures on my phone, think I forgot to post this. From a display case at my favorite lock/safe shop.



Gordon

The old Majestic boxes for the Lock Aid that look like Starrett Micrometer Boxes with the sliding lid are awesome!

As for CS or CN in safes, Locksmith Ledger had mentioned of it back in the 70s or 80s, about some burglar that got his face scalded by CS or CN Gas turned to steam when he torched a safe and breached it.