LARGE EARLY 'HOBNAIL' SAFE - Gayler 'Salamander' Fireproof Office Safe, circa 1840, the safe within a safe having an air gap to provide against loss by fire, a solution made popular after the Great Fire of 1935 in New York City. Cast iron maker's plate inside first door. Wooden compartmenteed interior with single drawer, missing one brass knob. On wheels. 36 3/4" x 29" x 29", excluding front knob. Two knobs missing and one off but present from door, one side handle broken but present. From "The Conflagration," New York Herald, Dec 18, 1835: "In 1833, the agent for Gayler's patent double fire proof wrought iron chests and safes advertised that it had 50 models weighing between 300 pounds and 5,000 pounds and suitable for banks, insurance offices, town records, and merchants. The agent stated that "The great iron chest recently set up in the Savings Bank, Chambers Street, New York, was made in the [Gayler] manufactory. It is the largest in the United States, being 10 feet high, 21 feet wide, and weighs 11,000 pounds." On a 1834 billhead, C. J. Gayler of New York City described himself as a "manufacturer of fire proof iron chests and bank safes." In 1835, C. J. Gayler was an "iron chest maker" and J. Delano & Sons were "iron chest makers" on Water Street in New York City."