Mike Sullivan, timelock/watchmaker, global service logistics, and a hired contractor spent about 45 minutes drilling through five inches of steel, fixing tumblers on the safe's lock and turning a crank before opening the safe.
 

The safe contained items including old general ledgers, bond records and miscellaneous items such as pencils, envelopes and stationary.
 

More than 30 years after its combination was lost, two Diebold associates unlocked the mystery of a 108-year-old cannonball safe located in the Allegheny Courthouse controller's office in Pittsburgh, Pa. During the last few years, the controller’s office entertained several bids to open the safe, but never accepted any – until Diebold offered to open the safe for free.

“We thought it would be a great idea to get involved and help the county,” said Diebold’s George Lambert, manager, GSL, repair/banklock.  “This is one of Diebold’s areas of expertise, and we were glad to be able to serve the community in this way.”

The safe, manufactured by Hibbard-Rodman-Ely Inc., measured approximately 5 ½ feet tall, 4 feet wide and 2 ½ feet deep, and weighed about 10 tons. It contained various items including old general ledgers, bond records and miscellaneous items such as pencils, envelopes and stationery.