Celebrating an Election

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 158, 6 January 1897, Page 2

Celebrating an Election

j A startling incident occurred at New j Bedford, United States, on the night of 3 the Presidential election. Mr Patrick Cunningham, one of the richest men iv } the town, who recently invented an auto-mobile torpedo, which has been adopted by the Government, got very drunk on election night, and declared he would celebrate the event. He accordingly went to bis foundry, selected a • section of his torpedo, consisting of an inner and an outer shell, conical in shape, loaded with 1251 bof slow burning powder tightly packed, the whole weigh--3 ing 5001 b, and conveyed it upon a i waggon to the corners of two main • streets. Placing the torpedo in the ' middle of the street be lighted it, and the machine at once started down the 3 street at a terrific pace, flying about a ■ foot above the surface of the ground. » In its progress the torpedo collided with a tree, and, glancing across the 1 street, struck the front of the market > building sideways. The building at • once collapsed. The torpedo then > exploded, shattering several blocks 1 of houses in the vicinity. The report 1 was heard some miles away. k Fortunately no one was killed, but > four persons who were in the market ' place at the time were thrown violently ' upon a heap of debris, while others were i injured by flying pieces of stone and ' timber. A portion of the torpedo weighing 751 b, was found in the adjoining street having rebounded over the roofs of the intervening houses. Mr Cunniugham has been arrested and committed for trial.