The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-02-03
About Internal Machines.

cldulCal Skill appears 10 De ldiu uuuef special
contributions in these matters, although it can
scarcely be doubted that those whose skillful
hands contriye these cunning devices are per-
| tectly innocent of the intended application of
their handwork. As far as we at present
! know, he whose wasted life has just been clos
ed by pistol bullet at Bremenhayen employ
| ed an apparatus, consisting of a hammer,
| which was to strike a blow on some explosive
substance at the end of a predetermined time,
and which hammer was actuated by clock
work. No precise description of the machine
has as yet been given, although the exact par
lculars will doubtless transplre during the Ju-
| dica inquiry. 1t is, however, by no means
| improbable that the mechanical arrangement
| VIII prove to be very much like one which was
| designed for similar dastardly purpose near
| ly three years since. AS stated in the letter OF
| IA correspondents writing over the signature Of
"Warhawk,' and which appeared in the Times
| Of the 22d inst, there was at that time con-
| spiracy to ship quantity of highly insured but
worthless goods on board one of the Message
| rles MaratlmeS Companys vessels either at
| Bordeaux or Marseilles. With the goods was
to be shipped
| AN INTERNAL MACHINE,
| which at given time was 10 explode, cause
the destruction of the ship and bring the con-
| spirators their miserable reward. This ma
| chine consisted of chest, containing power
tul explosive compound and an exploding ap-
paratus. The principle Of the eXploder was
that of the neede-gun, needle being driven
| INTO prlmed cartridge, and causing the eXplO-
sion of the whole mass OF the co npound.
The mechanism consisted OF needle or
| striker, Set i'll Il bolt. at the other end of which
was spiral spring held in tube. When the
| bolt was forced back into the lube there was.
! of course, Il powerful pressure behind it tend
| ing to push it outward and to drive the needle
| into the cartridge. In order to hold the bolt
| back until the proper moment for the dis
charge had arrived, Il catch or stud was form
| cd on 1t. which was made to engage with a
| horizontal lever, having a hammer shaped
| head. The lever was connected with springs
| so arranged as to have constant tendency to
| release the head from the catch. This tenden-
| cv, however, was couneracted by a broad disc
of metal which, being placed against the lower
| part of the lever head, held it in its place in
| front OF the catch on the needle bolt. In the
disc was cut a notch sufficiently deep to allow
the lever head to drop into it when tnat part of
| the disc was presented to it, and 50 release the
needle holt. The disc as reyolved by train
| OF cockWork so specded as that the disc should
| travel given distance in a definite time. The
| edge of the disc was marked with number of
! spaces, one space representing day, and the
edge would travel through that space in one
| day. Assuming the disc to be marked into ten
| portions, and the machine to be required to eX-
| pode in eight davs, the lever would be set at
the eighth mark from the notch.
THE CLoCKwoRK
| NOulu JlPn ne started, ana the ulSC would re-
| VoNe until, at the end Of the eighth day, the
| notch would arrive at the lever-head, which
| would be forced into the notch by its springs.
I the needle-bolt would thus be released, and
being impelled sharply forward by the power
| tnl spiral spring at its rear, would cause the
explosion OF the cartridge, and so of the whole
mass of the explosive compound. Thus would
| be conSunmuted catastrophe which it is
| probable no living soul would escape to re-
cord. 1t Is by no means certain that the mis-
| creant Thomas was connected with the con-
| spiracv in which this Internal machine was to
! have been used, although circumstances favor
| ed the Suppositon that he was. If he was, the
| publicity given to the matter at the time, and
| the fact Of the mechanism of the machine hav-
| inc become known, would probably cause him
| to substitute hammer falling on an explosive
| substance for needle penetrating 4 cartridge.
| And the matter would be by no means diff
| cult; for, after all, what we have described is
| little more than needle-gun lock released by
| clock-Work instead OF by hand, and Thomas
wouG only have to apply the principle of the
| percussion lock to his apparatus. This is
| what he probably did a- accounts tell Us of
| the table broken bv the force OF the blow of the
| hammer when the machine was tried.
HOW THE F,r,T rxpIosIGS ,,lI7 .po1-r
|
- ito' qui'c eit'i anu pos9ptt 1t never VII ne
IlI"ue any clearer man II : at the present tlhe.
II i ~ ne dtcoui1c'l lol o!i tllntI one Vi Two
| ny sl."tLGss-lt iliiy haNc arlseh iroih PrehlI'-
t''Ie teeIse o lile manner, Or Sllhcr py rea,
sou vi y I7l ailSttnt Vi tl'e iil'chlAeis caused
| oN NioIeht conclusion such as 4 1itll would
| produce; 81 may nave oeen que 70 the eX-
plosloh ol 'Hf %'slIuciNG agent ltsel from lhe
s''i'c 0''UNv' '"c lt'tti " totilesls' however
ol'ens up lEc 4ue'tLon OF tle nature ol 'he cN-
| piosNeIN neither IL was pure hllfo-SNceflh
| OF one ol Us compounds, lllholracteuf o. uVha-
| niue. Ii IL was hltro-S!yceTllie ana IL hau pe-
come cry StaIlZeu, Whlch VIII happen AT Il telii-
Priatui' Vl 'oout oliN-tiliec utSites + ahieli'
neit, Il very moderate conclusion would be sui
1cleht 70 explode u; II II was llthoiraGteuf or
| harden it and render it more inert than when
II IL plastic condition. This point was eXenl-
pilhcd during some experiments carried out
| Wuh Iitholtacteuf IN W aleS, before the war Oh
| nee committee on explosives, III fcofuafy,
| lS,2. ana Whlch We're reported III the lines of
the I'd oi that mouth. There, upon lgntln@ a
salsatl@e ol ilthofracteuf WIN 4 capped !use,
the sausage being placed against military
| Slockaic' only IL poruol OF II eNpioued \
second ATTEMPT met WIN slmllaf result,
Whlie Il lilr1 ohiy ea;sea the hsh0lracteur TO
| take hre ana Dufn Inc cause OF the lnertness
| OF the compound was the cold TO winch 1t had
! been exposed for some hours on Il bleak hill
top. This points to the conclusion that nitro
| glycerine was the agent used, for it can hardly
| be supposed that proper care had not been
| taken to make the mechanism of the apparatus
| strong enough to resist the shocks to which
| transport would expose it. Moreover, the
enormous and widespread mischief done ap-
pears to be greater than would have been eff
fected by the quantity OF dynamite which the
| boN-ll the size be rightly sated-couid con-
tain, but not more than would be produced by
that bulk of pure ntro-glycerne. Besides,
either lithotracteur or dynamite could have
been procured on the continent without eXcit-
| ing suspicion, whereas nltro-glycerlne could
not The latter article, however, is freely
used in the United States, and can be readily
procured. Circumstances seem to point To
nitro-glycerine As the agent which caused such
| widespread dcsolation at Bremenhayen.
l.r,,,,r ,,o,,,o ~. ,>,,,,,>-r ,,,c,,,>,,,.
JIM" r'''N7 W '>' s.''1>.' "AOi'iNh 10
have been imported INTO the discussions which
| have arisen upon the Mosel catastrophe. Among
these is the coal shell ana the rat, OF the latter
of which there are two species. by the cour,
tesv OF the editor OF iron. we nave recently had
the opportunity OF examining one OF these coal
shells, which came INTO his possession some
two years and half since: we are informed
oy nun lh'' az l'1o 49, s,'iaC 'il'u' umo MeIe sen1
coal shipper at Cardiff, who was offered any
number. 1t is to be borne in mind, however,
fiat the PlimsoIl question was being warmly
agitated at that time, and it Is assumed by
some that these coal shells emanated from
| ,,,bol,Ior of tba Good o.,so