Infernal Machine in a Ship's Cargo.

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 248, 24 February 1894, Page 4

Infernal Machine in a Ship's Cargo.

A discovery of a highly sensational character wai made at New York on December 9 t In ihe early portion of ihe year a quantity of coffee was dispatched from Oexaca, Mexico, by the stpamship City of Washington, to a prominent firm in New York, and was delivered during the month of May. The conmgnment consisted of several hundred bags. "When they were being placed in the warehouse one bag was noticed to emit a very peculiar smell, jras put aside to be examined, and was afterwards forgotten. The other bags of coffee were sold to retailers in various~parts of the country Thf bag which bad been reserved for inspection was discovered on Saturday by its smell, and it was forthwith opened to ascertain the cause of its giving forth such an odour. At first it appeared to contain coffee berries, but as the contents were emptied out % completely equipped infernal machine was bought to light. It was fitted with wires and percussion caps, and attached to it was a large roll of dynamite . The whole was wrapped in a sheet of thick oiled paper, aad it was the rotting away of the covering which caused the odour. Upon the roll of duiamite were the words : — " Doeanale drexicane, Dynamita Nobel." There was some doubt at first what the nature ■ of the substance wan, and :t was accordingly submitted to an expert chemist for enminaton, who pronounced it to be d.viitujiie. This discovery is very sag* gestive in view ot the loss of the steam ship City of Alexandra, belonging to the same line on November 1, which was burnt off v üba with the loss of many lives. The lire on the vessel then began with a mysterious explosion. The vessels belong to the Ward Line, whose agent in New York was interviewed by a Dalziel representative, when he said ;— " Ever since the City of Alexandra wasde* stroyed the company has had reason to suspect some of the ' longshoremen ' who are now on strike ot knowing something about the mysterious explosion on that steamer. Tnere is no question whatever but someone wanted also to blow up the steamship City of Washington..