The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-01-10

comments by the Old World press OF the Bremerhaven
dynamite explosion tragedy, terrible results and the
probable motives which melted Thomassen to the crime
A GANG OF CoNsPIRAToRs SAID TO BE ENGAGED
IN THE DEADLY WORK.
From the London Spectator Dec 25l
The most important point remains--whether this
man Thomassen alone in his terrible wckedness
whether he had accomphces and this his confession
does tell US The correspondent of Wednesdays
Tunes, who signs himself ''war-hawK," and who wrote
letters the subject the Times of nth June
1873 and tins journal the 2sth June Of the
year signed 'Ex-Yachtsman" believes that there is
gang OF rufians engaged this business of sinking
vessels for the sake of the insured either the
vessels themselves when the gang get possession
vessels the goods which they carry, when tho
former is impossible And, OF course gangs
Of ruGians being usually capitalists,
II is not possible for them often to get
possession Of the vessels themselves and they per-
sst IN their trade therefore, they VIII be obliged 10 at
tempt the frghtfu crime Of numbering hundreds
OF fellow creatures for every premium Of in
they succeed in approprating, as Alexander
alias Thomas has just shown AS yet, have
proof that there any accomplices Of this
his Wholesale scheme of assassination. In the system
ms described TO 1873 the captain sup
posed to be accomplice in the intention Of sinking
leak effected by machine called frat" which
placed the hold the keel and its machinery
arranged to begin boring hole in the bottom of
the vessel at the end OF given number of days When
the hole bored of the vessel sprung
aleak, and the captain decided, with the
concurrence Of the crew, that it was too
late TO get at the source of tho leak, which was
far beneath the cargo and that IL would be impossible
10 stop the leak from the outside Consequently the
vessel was abandoned, and no proof could ever be
gained of the mode in which the leak was originated.
That, however wicked as it was was very different
thing indeed from blowing great ship and all It's
eengers into the air without giving them any chance
even of escape and 1t does not quite follow that be-
cause there gang at work 10 bring about the
former class OF catastrophes there Is gang at work to
bring about the latter But IT is certainly the impress
zion which SEX Yachtsman" leaves ON his readers that
there " such gang now engaged IN insuring heavily
goods the great lines OF French and German packets
with view 90 procuring the wreck Of those packets
and II be true, as he states that an exact model
OF the machine by which Alexander intended
TO sink the Mosel was handed by sex
Yachtsman" to the Secretary Of foreign legation in
PARIS on the 18TH November last II would certainly
seem probable that others besides this pos
sessed of the secret and likely to attempt working it,
II this be So the lookout is indeed terrible II Is not
merely that a lot OF more less educated men-this
Alexander certainly an educated man. for he seems
TO moved good society in Dresden, and to have
been much liked there indeed plots OF this kind could
hardly be maured except by partially educated men
perfectly INSCRIPTIONS as to how much slaughter
and agony OF suspense they intct tor the FAKE Of
little money gain; but what IS even worse that the
paralysis of suspicion which will be introduced every
cast a fear ordinary travelling Surprising
two three great vessels 70 disappear without any It'd
ngs OF them, after this confession OF Aexanders Could
crews easily be found for such ships in fuure2 fthey
were, would they allow the hold TO be hled at all with
put insisting an examination of every box shipped
And now could such Precaution as that be adopted
without virtually putting end to trailer The prac
tce of maritime Insurance. at least must soon cease
under this sort Of danger. No ship owner would ID
able to secure a crew unless they convinced that
the uninsured And even then the suspicion
would not be wholly aayed The gain OF a sum of
dnQg ut m Inv no m
of the motives which might lead TO so awful crime
II the winning OF moderate amount is adequate
enough motive foTtiOri the desire to remove any
man of the way, whose existence an impeachment
10 the assassin designs would be adequate also And in
that the complete cessation OF the practice Of
maritime Insurance. would not persuade the sailors TO
navigate a vessel in which any Of them had got fancy
that there Internal machine OF this sort slowed
away. II would take suspect, very few complete
dsappearances of great ships TO embarass the whole
commerce Of the civilized world, and to make
even society exceedingly suspicious OF the ordinary
modes Of transit.
II is clear that what had impressed the imagination
Of this assassin and his =ccompices If he had any,
ho absolute security against discriminating evidence IL
his scheme had taken effect as he intended II was
much the better as far as regards the shaking this
confidence though far from fortunate, fear, far
regards alarming those who Will suspect imaginary
plots in future, that the scheme Jailed before II could
be put force and failed with results which brought
to light both the criminal and the methods on which he
had relied. The plausible confidence in immunity from
detection will thus have received rude shake but it's
obvious that this could not be gwen without also pub
hshing TO the world what may IN future be appre-
honded from criminals or TINS klnd II there De nuecd
company OF them, all prepared TO 90 TO the same
Lremities as Alexander The blow 10 commerce may
be very great only in consequence OF the deterrent
effect this affair will probably exert the better class
OF sailors but consequence OF the tendency may
have " any great ships disappear IN future, 10 throw
the service hands of more reckless men, who
would expect a higher reward for their work first
be less trustworthy its execution aiterward There
panic like the panic felt by soldiers who believe
The ground they tread upon TO be mined and in this
case sailors would be liable to the same panic nor
would the class who would be most likely to overcome
Tho for lha aka nf hirhu no nj M
Trustworthy under OF real peril Of any
kind.