TREASURY BUILDING ALARMS ACCIDENTALLY SET OFF BY EMPLOYEE
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) In the morning of July 12, 1926, a female employee at the Treasury Building* accidentally set off the burglar alarm system as she "tampered with the lock on an opened vault door."
According to The Evening Star, guards drew their weapons and took up positions in the hallways to block attempted escape by would-be burglars.
The alarms could be heard by people passing by on the street.
"All the heavily-barred doors at all entrances were slammed shut."
*Treasury Building, located at 15th St. & Pennsylvania Avenue, became a National Historic Landmark in 1972. Its West Wing facing the White House was completed in 1864 along with a burglar-proof vault.
SOURCES
"The Treasury Building," United States Department of the Treasury, www.home.treasury.gov/
"Treasury Excited By Burglar Alarm Set Off by Woman," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., July 12, 1926, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
