The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-04-14 00:00:00

THE SEIZURE OF EXPLOSIVES

IN BIRMINGHAM AND LONDON.

On Thursday in last week the Birmingham police
nade an important arrest and seizure of explosives at
a house in Ladywood. It appears that for some weeks
past the suspicions of the police have been aroused by
the proceedings of a young man giving the name of
Albert Whitehead, who has lately rented a small shop
in Ledsam-street, Ladywood, ostensibly for the pur-
pose of carrying on the business of a paperhanger and
oil merchant. It was remarked that his stock in trade
was very scanty, consisting only of a few pieces of
cheap paper and some cans of common oil, and that
although he appeared to be doing notrade, be was in the
_ Loceiving lane- consignments of chemicals.
Whitehead used to attend the shop regularly every
day, returning every evening to the house adjoin-
ing, where he lodged. The police had lately been
.tching the premises night and day, and on several
occasions thsy entered the house in his absence by
means of skeleton keys in order to examine the
chemical mixtures which he was known to be secretly
preparing. Having satisfied themselves as to the
nature of Whitehead's operations the police paid an
early visit to the house on Thursday morning before
he wafrup. Having lured him into the street by the
pretence that he had left his shop-door open all night,
they arrested him on a charge of making and keeping
an explosive substance with intent to commit a
felony. Whitehead's demeanour on finding himself
In custody was very cool. He made no attempt at
resistance, but refused to give any explanation of his
proceedings.

I habit of receiving

In the course of the afternoon the prisoner was
brought before the borough magistrates and, under
the 24th and 25th Vic., o. 97, see. 54, was charged
with manufacturing and being in possession of an ex-
plosive substance—namely, nitro-glycerine, with
intent to commit a felony. Prisoner is a short, dark,
intelligent-looking man, about 51 t. sin. in height, and
apparently about twenty-five years of age; he has
small, sharp-cut features, piercing eyes, and lines of
decision about the mouth, which is fringed on the
upper lip with a short moustache. The prisoner's name
was given As Albert George Whitehead.
Chief Superintendent Palmdale-gage evidencs as to
the prisoner's apprehension that mornings He said it
was about two months since the prisoner came to
Birmingham and took premises in Ledsam-street,
where he had since resided. Some short time ago,
the attention of the police having been attracted to
his proceedings, they had the premises watched night
and day, and thy bad several times entered the house
in order to see what was going on. Some samples of a
liquid found in a vat in the kitchen having been brought
away and determined by Dr. Hill, the borough analyst,
to be nitro-glycerine, instructions were given to the
detectives that in case any tin box or other vessel
should be removed from the house they were to watch
and follow it. On the previous evening a man was seen
to leave the premises, taking with him a box evi-
dently containing something heavy, and one of the
detectives followed him to New.street station. Find.
ing the man took a ticket for London the detective
did likewise, and travelled in the same train with him
to Euston, where the London police, who had pre-
viously been communicated with by wire, were in
attendance and arrested him. It was then ascertained
that the case in his possession contained nitro-
glycerine, and he was brought before the magistrates
and remanded for a week. The Birmingham police then
decided to visit the prisoner's house when they found
in a vat about eight gallons of a liquid which Dr. Hill
had since declared to be nitro-glycerine, besides 14 vir-
boys of nitric and sulphuric acid and nine glazed tins
containing 561 b. of glycerine. In reply to the stipen-
diary, the chief superintendent stated that the pri-
soner's ostensible occupation was that of a painter and
paperhanger. There were a few brushes in the shop
and some common paper, but the shop boy in the pri-
soner's service would state that during the two months
he was there the sum total taken over the counter
was only is. 2d. When the prisoner was arrested and
charged with being in possession of those explo-
sives with intent to commit a felony, he said he came
from Plymouth, but refused to give any account of
his business or the name of any man with whom he
was doing a legitimate trade. Mr. Ferndale then
applied for a remand for a week, stating that he did
so in conformity with a telegram which he had re.
teived from the Home Secretary.

Chief Inspector Black then gave evidence as to
entering the prisoner's premises by means of skeleton
-
keys on Sunday and Monday last, when they brought
away with them a sample of the chemicals from a jar
in the scullery. On Thursday morning on entering
the house they found the same jar full apparently of a
fresh mixture. Prisoner was brought in from the
adjoining premises and asked to account for the acids
in the jar, but he refused, saying "He was not going
to expose his secrets."

The prisoner here denied using the words attributed
to him, but raised no objection to the proposed
remand, which Was accordingly granted.

In consequence of the threats indulged in by
Whitehead after hi 8 arrest, it was thought desirable
to arm the strong mounted escort under which he
was removed to Winson-green Prison, and a guard
niga On the roail to Wieson-green Whitehead
amused himself by singing several Irish songs, breath-
ing defiance to the British Government, one with the
refrain, "I'll die for old Ireland, I will." He repeatedly
boasted of having friends in Birmingham who would
come to his assistance. On his reaching the gaol he
was questioned according to usage as to his religious
profession. "I am any religion you like," he replied,
and when told that some more specific answer was re-
quired, be professed a preference for High Church.
But the warder wished to have the point settled. "I
want to know," he said, "whether you are a Roman
Catholic or a Protestant, because if you are a Catholic:
you will go to a Catholic place of worship next Sun-
day and if you are a Protestant you will go to a Pro-
testant place. "Oh, that is it, is it?" said the pri-
soner, with a look of feigned surprise. "Well, I am
not going to be tried by my religion, and, it you do
not mind, I will take till Sunday to consider it."

DESTRUCTION OF THE EXPLOSIVES SEIZED AT
BIRMINGHAM.

On Friday afternoon Colonel Majendie, C. 8., the
Government Inspector of Explosives, paid a visit to
the premises in Ledsam-street, accompanied by Dr.
Dupr6, F.R.S., chemical adviser to the Home Office,
Dr. Hill, the Birmingham borough analyst, Mr.
Farndale, the Birmingham Chief Superintendent of
Police, and other officers. The Government Inspector
and Dr. Dupre immediately proceeded to take
samples of the liquid in the vat, of which there was
about 301 b,, and the various acids in the shop. They
were both of :opinion that the stuff was in a highly
explosive state, and might go off spontaneously.
Dr. Dnprd turned up his sleeves and proeeeded to ladle
the stuff out of the vat into buckets of water, which, on
beir g filled, were taken out into the yard. A solution of
common soda was then mixed with the nitro-glycerine
in the buckets in order to neutralize it and prevent
spontaneous combustion; but Dr. Duprd explained
that even in that diluted state the compound was still
highly dangerous. Then arose the question as to the
disposal of the material. After a long consultation,
Colonel Majendie said he and his colleagues had come to
the conclusion that the nitro-glycerine bad better be
mixed with sawdust, taken to the sewage farm at
Saltley, spread out in a thin layer, dried and then
burned in small pieces. A sack of sawdust was then
sent for, but before it arrived, Colonel Majendie, after
further consideration, altered his plans. He decided
to send a telegram to the Nobel's Explosive Company
at Ardeer, in Ayrshire, requesting them to send at
once a man competent to transform nitro-glycerine
into dynamite and provide him with a sufficient quan-
tity of the absorbent earth commonly used in this
process,

On Sunday morning the delicate operation of de-
stroying the explosives was successfully carried out
under the direction of Mr. Macready, of Nobel's
Explosive Company, and Dr. Hill, the Birmingham.
borough analyst. Colonel lviajendie had paid a
return visit to Birmingham on the previous day,
and took the opportunity of making another in-
spection of the explosive mixture which was lying
In Ledsam-street pending the arrival of the Glasgow
expert. This precaution proved to be by no means
superfluous, as it waa found that the ice in which
the nitro-glycerine was packed with a view simply
to the maintenance of a low temperature had
actually solidified a part of the mixture and thereby
Increased very seriously the risk of explosion.
Measures were at once taken to thaw the frozen
liquids, without unduly increasing the temperature,
by the removal of a part of the ice and the employ-
ment of blankets. In the evening Mr. Macready and
his assistant arrived from Glasgow with the necessary
materials for the manipulation of the mixture and it
was decided to commence operations on the following
morning. The mixture in the buckets and in the
carboy was first treaed with -soda and ammonia, which
caused a slight effervescence, and the operators then
proceeded to mix it up with an absorbent Hanoverian
earth commonly used in dynamite manufacture. Great
care was observed in this process not to produce
any concussion and to distribute the liquid equally,
and the kneading was effected entirely by hand. When
the crude dynamite was prepared in this way it
filled seven good sized buckets, which were covered
with green baize and removed under police escort in
one of the police vans to the Corporation Sewage
Farm, at Saltley. Here a handful of the earthly mix-
ture was first spread on the open ground and fired by
way of experiment witha fuze, when it blazed up like
loose gunpowder. Finding that the mixture was thus
Innocuous, Mr. Macready laid out a bucketful in a
train of about ten yards and set fire to it. A b:inding
flash of red fire swept from end to end of the train,
followed by dense clouds of pungent yellow sul-
phurous fumes. The operation was repeated with
similar results until the whole contents of the buckets
were exhausted.

The removal of the explosives is thus described :
From an early hour in the morning until the actual
removal of the dangerous compound from Ledsam-
street the excitement in the neighbourhood was in.
tense. The reports in the local. newspapers of the
previous day had made residents in the locality fully
alive to the danger which attended the process, and so
much alarm was created that several persons actually
went some distance away to sleep, taking their
families with them, and making arrangements to
be absent until the whole of the explosive material
had been disposed of. On the other hand, the
curiosity of the general public was aroused to
such a pitch that almost as soon as day broke
numbers cf persons made their way to the scene or
Whitehead's operations, and took up their stand
opposite the prisoner's late premises. A considerable
number of police-constables were specially told off to
keep back the crowd, but by ten o'clock the whole street
on each side of the premises was blocked by an in-
quisitive crowd of individuals in all stations of life ;
and many of the most prominent citizens of Birming•
ham drove down in their carriages for the express

purpose of witnessing the scene, and ascertaining
what progress was being made in the dangerous opera-
tions. Such an exciting scene has not been witneseed
for many a day. A very limited congregation at the
church opposite Whitehead's premises was ascribed
to the fear which was entertained of a terrible explo-
sion taking place. The danger, indeed, was of the
most critical kind. Even the experts acknowledged
the great risk which was being run, and a pro-
found feeling of satisfaction was expressed when
it became known that the process of placing the
deadly compound in buckets had been success-
fully performed. The excitement had reached an in-
tense pitch when at twelve o'clock noon the largest
of the Birmingham prison vans, drawn by four
horses, was driven up in front of the house and the
removal of the carefully-prepared buckets was actu-
ally oammenced. The crowds scattered in all direc•
tions, and very few except the officials and a few
representatives of the Press seemed at all inclined to
stand their ground. With the greatest possible care
each of the seven buckets was conveyed out of the
front door of Whitehead's premises and slowly lifted
Into the van, every precaution being observed by
placing each bucket a certain distance from the others,
and a man entering and taking charge of each bucket as
It was deposited in its assigned place. By a quarter.
past twelve all the buckets had been safely lodged in
the van, and with a considerably decreased crowd to
watch its departure the v hide was driven off in the
direction of the Sewage Farm. Great apprehension was
felt as to the dangerous nature of the journey. In the
first place, the distance to be covered was over four
miles, and some of the most thickly-populated
quarters of the town had to be passed through. To
minimise the danger precautions of the most elaborate
character had been taken by the chief of police. In
front of the police van, the chief superintendent him-
self, accompanied by the borough analyst and an
armed constable, drove in the chief's private car-
riage, the officer retaining a hold upon a revolver
during the whole of the journey. 'Upon the van
itself, by the side of the driver, was another
armed officer, equally well prepared in case of
emergency ; while at the back of the vehicle a
policeman, also armed with
_a revolver, rode upon the
step. Immediately following the van were two close
carriages containing the chiefs of the Birmingham
detective force, who, from the beginning to the end
of the journey, kept a keen watch from the window
upon the thousands of people who curiously eyed the
procession. On entering the sewage farm, which com-
prises a tract of land over a mile square, extra pie-
cautions had to be taken in consequenoe of the
unevenness of the road, and at one period when the
prison van was seen to swerve as if it would topple
over, the other vehicles drew up, and not a little
excitement was occasioned.