The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-04-04
$500 per annuns, das adrGnce.
fderous Powder Plot In sna gran


most diabolical though unsuccessful at,
.e"pt d. assassination, by means of powder.
eu'iea on Saturday evening at the resi-.
a.hce Of Emil Grisar, the Belgian Consul. No.
Jpn Io"eh Street. Mr.. Grisar was absent
nun .ne CITY on visit to Europe, and Is X
pected 10 return in few days. During hi,
absence his residence has been occupied bv
six OF his friends, who have employed their
own servants and kept a bachelors home.
eating and sleeping in the building. The
building is two story frame, 1S feet in front
and about fifty feet deep. A hallway about
five feet wide runs through the front door t,
the kitchen. The first floor |, divided into
parlor in front, dining room and kitchen
in the rear. In addition to the main building
there is two story frame building standing
on the rear of the lot, some so or go fest from
the kitchen, and entirely disconnected with It.
In this building there is a sitting room and
two or three lodging rooms. There we're en-
ployed about the house French woman as
chief cook and housekeeper, a young China
man as her assistant, and white man who
has charge OF the rooms in the rear building.
AT abou' quarter to o'clock a terrific ex-
plosion took place under the house. The six
gentlemen above named had just finished
their dinner and LETT the dining table, and
Were in the rooms of the rear building. The
woman and Chinaman were standing toceth-
er at small table in the kitchen, and the
white servant or porter was in the rear bui,d-
ing. All fortunately we've out OF the reach of.
danger. The explosion is believed to have
been prodvided by the ignition of a can of gun
powder. Iu the immediate vicinity the shock
was 50 great as to arouse the entire neighbor-
hood, and at once drew an immense crowd to
the damaged building. The occupants OF the
adjoining house, standing ten feet from the
consulate, say their building seemed TO be
raised entirely from the ground by the con-
cussion. AT the distance OF block or two
the report was supposed TO be that Of can
non. The Inmates of the injured building
were ct course Greatly terrified and bewilder-
ed. The French woman and Chiuaman In
the kitchen stood about twenty four ieet from
the explosive cehtre with their faces towards
1t. They say the floor seemed to bo suddenly
raised in front oil them with such force a. to
throw them backward nearly off their feet
The explosive material had been placed near
the rear of the parlor floor and within foot
or two OF the front end o: the dining room.
The conclusion seems to have lIfted up and
shattered the floors OF both rooms, making q
complete wreck Of many OF the tmbers and
nearly all the furniture In that part of the
house. The floor directly over the powder
was badly shatttr red; the door between the
two rooms was torn entirely fiom its hinges;
the top OF the door frame and the sides were
split and broken; the washboards, fifteen
feet OH, we've tprn away, anu one-haf the
noor of the parlor was raised from its posi-
ton. In front of the building was a porch
about five feet wide and eighteen feet long.
This, although twenty feet distant from the
powder, was more complete wreck Than any
portion OF the floor within The building. All
vrnEn AL .xx1 II
around in confusion, and two or three of the
Joists We're broken loose. The effect on the
furniture and crockery in the two rooms was
equally destructive and still more curious
than that OF the timbers. The chairs, tables,
DC, were so broken up that
scarcely an article escaped injury. The mar
ble top VI a centre tab was broken to pieces.
The dining extension-table, though made Of
oak, withstood the shock no better than
those OF more costly, but less tenacious mate
cious material. To each end OF this table was
attached heavy oak moulding, on the under
side OF the circular lid. Each OF these mould
ines was fastened to the lid by eight large
screws and several nails. Both of these
mouIdinos were torn entirely of, and were
found lying on the floor. This effect could
have been produced in no other way than bY
the coDcussion of air on the lower side OF the
table. The loose boards in the centre of the
table were thrown from their places; the roll
ers we've broken from the legs, but the legs
themselves were not broken. A glass tuleen,
with the lid on, sat on small shelf in the
dining room, about twenty feet from the pow
der. 1t was not thrown from the shelf, but Q
segment OF the side, about four inches wide
and seven inches long, was taken from tue
side, having been forced outward by the ex-
pansion of the air within. This eass was
thiee-quarters OF an inch thick. The crock
cry ware in closet was nearly all destroyed,
mantle ornaments and window glass were
shattered to pieces; the chairs aud lounges
wcrc broken tn manner which bespoke thu
force with which they had been buried rum
Que position to another. A street car hap
nened to be nearly opposite the house when
.ne exP,oss.- Aaeurred. One of the lamps IN
the car was extinguisnru sy-.i.a shock. A
the earth was Jared at a coi.sidersDSs a.
taDce and buildings shaken, the first impress
sion on the minds OF many was that an earth
quake bad occurred.
In. object aimed at by the author of the
dastardly deed, was, of course. the assassipa-
tion OF one or more OF the occupants OF the
house. Or the six gentlemen, whose names
have been given, neither has any Idea that he
has an enemy in the world who would seek
t, taxa his Life, and the entire affair is wrap
ped in mysiery.-San Francisco Bulletin.