New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-01-08
THOMASSEN'S PLOT.
THE FULL STORY OF THE DISASTER.

TERRIBLE EYFECIS OP THE EXPLOSION
SUFFERING CAUsED-THOMAssEHs SYSTEMATIC
vnLAINY-DETMIs OF SIMILAR PLOTS.
(FRoa An OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUsEl
LONDON. Dec 1S-You will already have received
by cable the outline facts Of the terrible explosion at
Bremerhaven by which over 200 people were either
killed or dangerously injured. The fuller accounts
received here make up a complete story which has
horrible interest all its own.
The North German Lloyd steamer Mose was timed
to start from Bremerhaven on her voyage to New
York on Saturday morning. and at the appointed
time the steam-tug Simeon-whIch had 10 tug her
through the ice that intercepted her passage to the
channel--lay under her bows, and everything was
ready for the departure except the mail bags from
Lloyd's Hail. At the last moment these made Their
appearance on the quay, accompanied by another
wagon containing passengers luggage. The whole
was taken toward the steamer by carts. and as the
last of these was being unladon tremendous ex-
plosion took place. The quay was at this moment
crowded with spectators and passengers taking leave
of their friends who had down to see
them off, In an instant the place WAS strewn
with dead bodies and dismembered limbs. On
board tho Mosel the skylight was blown
off, the cabins aft, starboad aud port were
either crushed in bulged out by tho pressure, OF
altogether smashed the side plates were burst, tho
ports, with their glasses and ryots forced inward,
ard fine ship was besmearcd with blood. Ii was at
first thought that the tug lad burst her boilers but
this was quickly found not 80 be the case: Nhcn
The last package had been unaden large hole, six
or seven feet deep. was found. Investigation showed
that tins package must have contained uybal.t,o,
and that tho conclusion whcn lnfoWh upon inc
prouud caused the explosion. Eighty people We're
Killed by the explosion and nearly 100 Injured ana
muiated. Among the more Horrible details IL 'ne
fate of the II ner family, who were seeing oil their
son, 10 California. The father mother. son ahd
son-n-law are dead, all four; the daughtGr-ln-law
has had her arm, ana ne cid it7 hahd; pioWn OH.
Other eases are almost equally heartfendmg' Where
Whole familics wcro blown into n0n-eXisienco In u
moment.
minute or two after The explosion 1t was noticed
that a man rushed from one of the cabins on to the
deck of tho vessel AID, having gwen ono glance at
the terrible scene, returned 10 tho cabin ana shot
himself The attention Of the police was called TO
this fact aftcrward and the man. who had failed TO
In himself outright was taken TO the hospital in
their custody. II was then known that tho eSplo-
sion had been caused by q case Of dynamite that some
one had fried To smugls on board the MoSol. and it
vas rightly supposed that the wcrld-be suicide
might bc able 70 throw some light upon the affair.
Tho ,na,'s condition was So critical ~ 70 preclude all
iJea Of hi undcrsbiog legal eX1uinatinn; but hnh
ing himself az d.atiia door aHu stung 10 rchoISe ny
tie agOnirs of the injured people, WIN Suiht on
hr,, he wa, i'm thr same ward hr confessed thathe
had deliberately planned 10 blow The Mosl UP !"
mid ocean.
From his own hi,il'I'nli Hlu 7i'T''l'''h''f "'''
;ainrd facts it seems tia. fox eleven years ho has
nassrd under the name OF lillian hlng Ihonn$' or
,boua..cn but there AT, grounds for believing II 10
be Gcii,ior.. Dnriug the War Of Secession he
fought on the Confederate side. and canned some
,oto,i,i, "a a blnckade-rluucr between Ncw-Dr-
lean. and ~ Thomas. AZ the termination of the
war he ,p,ut some time IN England. and aiior"aId
went over ~ Germany. In 1872 be was living with
hi. vif,-a l-o au imcricnn-and hi@ family ~ ltip-
sic where tee moved ia tie beet society, AMI stems
q, have been very friendly with the American Con
sgl v lilc here hc arkcd n matchmaker " CON
sruct him peculiar piece Of machinery that was To
run len DAYS without licking. aud then strike =
heavy blow hut the matchmaker would not or could
not under; kc rho iob. Ab,ut year after this
time clever 81, Snrh'r c1litt utl- ii'ii-0 iTip-
III, Pair md. hearing what ThGmasegn Wantrd'
visited him m 30 y AuguS.-,iri~5a. where Inc was
living In olo,ln'ly furnish Il apartments. Fuchs
d..cribc- hi. customer - u haud-omc st4tcy iu''u
al,pnt 80 ycals OF age. Who could scH.teiy make
himself und,r tool in Ccimau. 1hor'a-sen gave
Fuchs an order for clock {" rug pos Iss,ly i9r
ri,lt DAYS aud then stfiao 3O-p0Ind hnrurer. but
FYcis. not Le.nl able to undeE;1pd dearly from
sem, bfu' - Gttmsn .l,at Was waitJd, de-
c,i-c, he order. On tbc Jth Of March IN the ramo
,t.r Iho.,n.,cn visited fuchs shop IA Bcrnohurg'
ana tai, t,nc glyo hi, dir clio much more inen,iy
and rlea,iy iie raid he wanted tlc apparatus for
some Ill mill, Of his ir Anr1td. ana tne hammer
,,,,.f Le powerful eIor ID to break thoa'dnd
thread. "a one blow Fuchs agreed 10 have
,he cio.k completed by tho 2jih 81
t,Il and on fiat date he delivered y TO
1.c,.. ..r AZ the Hotel ro'pBc 90 Lcip-ic.
Thrua.-ru. alt,r caIt.nily examining the
m.,hHi1n,. pr-- i..'l. % i'.i VIZ il ''I
lsis Che mol. E - i,''. l.y'" ~ li' i.,'
i.i., Ifc af,T0ard oii'r = 80 similar clort7' bnt
-.l had pras.u.d hiusDli with ap"'"hij ol ~ pa
uii, So i.I b.. lui.'u. ID -u b" pace 90 g c.' thal
iiir a. c- iaMacI uou' strike u 'r' can, :. 'o tN-
tl.4, sf ti.. i.,..ulst tuo. Nitcr piIclIWug mo
clnr. IlpAI4, rI made -eycf4 voyages % ana rom
t,l.f.: where II iJ- nr pii' ii,ri tir tii"-
litf Nb.ut Is north, ago Do" settled $50 Nilruitn
AGAR lti,'.i Wgto Tee .eCul' g. h.,r Devoted liIu-
self 70 rorfroias h.3 iai'iral p!as I5 some means
fin. cla,l go oi, Of order. and 1910 a st' md D. r.
pli,.d ai D. sAnp in !iUmen. u ~" GAYS before mo
s.uliug al the iY..- si.rpd "a won't o. llc CLOCK
ius ser and asked him 90 hasten OIt the WoiE. Tho
Cuc, w. ready, ami tho ha hnakcr handed
IT 10 him re t1nr dhg n' io'n,'" ta 10 are
yo.iId il up The cloci.makor nodded III aitrma-
,ion saying he had done 4, 10 ty II. The noAI day
1hoha, ic.urIed again, ana itCd now many llurs
the les had boon turned aud how long iine ~
y,.uId fake 10 ran down. Tle,l'oAmIker could not
give him any answer ahd ho remained al breMen
mill i! had run down. Othri%mo IL - suppTeu
that he intended - place 10 an hoard the Deutsch-
lind o. the day tie Mosfl sliicd he wound M the
clock again, so that IL shorld explode III nid-ccan
aud blow mp Inc vessel, cargo ana PaFtong,rs aitsr
no himself hal landed al southampton, Whtrc u Is
,AiG he intended 10 put or hOiId heavily lnbiIed
CASES AID packages. AZ Bremen ho shipped worth
..- barrel which hc insured for 5000 marks "a
caviar the ploi wis now complete. orything was
renay and the author Of the he.llsh scheme Was
calmly waiting. TIE departure OF the snip
he had destined 10 destruction. iind II not
been for Inc frost which crySialli2ed the dynamite
and caused ~ explode when tho case containing IL
was thIown upon the quay, nothing cohid nave
saved the shn--it wOnld have exploded about three
do fraftl k,t,y ~ or