INFERNAL MACHINE.

Dunstan Times, Issue 596, 19 September 1873, Page 3

INFERNAL MACHINE.

An infernal machine said lo be invented by an American for the purpose of destroy, iog over insured ships, is the subject of a letter in the “ London Times ” of the 13th June, from Mr. F, H. Hemming, the Venezuelan Consul in London. The machine looks like a block of coal of about Gin, by Ibn., and could bo put into the coal bunkers without tlic slightest suspicion. Once there, it would when thrown into the furnace explode after a fixed time. Mr. Hemming says that on tire IGth of April a gentleman called on him and stated that a sailing vessel had then left, or was on the eve of leaving a port in France for one of the principal ports in Venezuela, and that a nVive of France, who had been for Some years previous to the last fifteen or eighteen months resident in Venezuela, was said to have sailed in the vessel, taking with him a supply of these “ infernal machines ” expressly adapted to the secret destruction of steamships. Fortunately Mr. Hemming fortunately received this information on the day of the West Indian mail steamer sailing, and lust no time in sending full particulars direct to the authorities at the b enczuelan port in question, and also sent the same to the Government at Caracas. “I was subsequently,” he says, “shown one ■of the machines themselves, about Gin. by •lin., with tbe exact appearance of an ordinary piece of coal. 1 was told that some were made considerably larger, oven to the size of a man’s head, but always to resemble coal, the reason of which is obvious. Nearly a month later I had another visit from the same person, who told me he had recently heard that there were some persons in the V< nezuo’an port referred to who were interested in some merchant steamers, and that they were preparing for a gigantic fraud. The plan proposed was to load one of these steamers with goods of no actual value, and then put one ef these machines on board, and send her to sea very heavily insured, in tbe hope that she might bo lost, and they would gain ■a very large sum.”