The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-12-28
CLEVER NIHILisT ENGINEERS.
How They Burrowed Under Railroad to-
Blow tho Gar to the Moon.

| berlin Correspondence London Bthndardl
| At last RusBnn letters and papers are NJ
| lowed to convoy more details relative to tho
| tetrihle Incident Of the first instant. Though
1T q distanoe Of two miles from tho station,
| the spot where tho attempt was made Is sit
| uated In n deusely inhabited part of the SUI
| hnrhg. In September ono nf tho wooden cot
tageH commanding the railway 100 feet dis
| taht from tho nletals, WINS purchased by
young man protesting to be- an artisan from
| SHmnra lle was evidently Ia n hurry TO
| close. and without my bargaining paid the
| $50 paper rublea asked by the proprietor Inn
| mediately nfter he moved into tho house. nc
Goinphnisti by young woman and two asso-
GIntaa lIo held little intercourse with ha
| neighhors md led quiet and retired life His
furniture was scauty and bis food supplied by
tho poorest shops In the nelghbarhood. On
the rnr0 nechsiuns when n messenger or
nNiEhbor entered the house lamps we're seen
burning before tho sacred images. and the
wallis Were found covered with portraits of
The Emperor and Empress, as BELTS an ortho-
dox Russian.
About tho middle OF October tho new ten
ants commenced to sink n we'll I'm their court
yard, t0lling the neighbors that they re-
unircd ~ lnrgo quantity OF water for trade
purposes, A. has eince como out, the we'll
was only aunlt to account Tor the quantities
oR sand removed from shaft dug In u
wooden shed forming part OF tho promises.
THIS shaft WGs driven To tho depth Of five
feet. From tho bottom Of the shaft SUBJ
Of tho railway. tho pand being plaeed In the
court yard ana some Of the cottage rooms.
THIS pnagage wHs leo feet long and about
three feet high. 1T was scientifically con-
Btructed, briGked throughout, and where It
reached tho side Of tho embaukment widened
into spacious hole for tho reception of the
explosive nnterla For tho latter pyroxlline
seems to have been selaCte Being placed
mt tho desired Rput, n little time before the
imperial train was duo, it seems to have
frozen In the severe cold Of tho last few days,
which accounts for tho comparatively small
mischief done. From the pyroxiiins n wire
was laid down 10 m electric battery con-
Htrueted on the most primitive principles,
and placed Ia the wooden shed in the court
yard.
While the Emperor who thanks 10 an in
version of tho usual order Of the trains. had
passed the fatal spot nnscathod was paying
homage before the wooden statue Of the Vir-
gin At the Krfmlln gate tho second train
reached the spot opposite the minors house.
mud YVES blown into tho air, Those of the
railway servants who escaped unhurt lfnme-
diatoly rnn To tho next telegraph station to
Inform the police, but tho wires were cut all
round, and 1t was an hour before the first
con9tablrs appeared on the scene. No trace
IT the crlminas was detected. the only EVIL
ience left being tho battery and morsel OF
food
As no ono dared to acquaint the Emperor
with what had occurred, his Majesty learned
Fhe Incident only on tho following morning.
Two more days elapsed before the st. peters-
burg press wore permitted to ailude to the
event.
Tho labor expended by tho conspIrators In
digging the Moscow mine Is truly astenish-
ing. linking the length Of tho subterranean
pnesage Mt tho figures given above. tho earth
lug out cannot have weighed lesB than ~ 600
hundred weights. II We assume five min
ltes To be required to dig out and bring to the
}llrHace ~ quantity weighing forty pounds, ?
300 hours some four months, must have
leen needed to construct the entire passage.
Even this gives no iden Of tho amount OF
work done. 1t being alleged that the entire
Dassage AS we'll NJ the cavern Mt its termina-
lion, was brichod, no fewer than 10000 can
nave been wanted to accomplish this work.
70 perform It without light or mir for length
IF leo feet must have been no triflng matter.
A gain, MS 1t Canuot have taken less than fifty
wagons to convoy tho bricks to the
evolutionary cottage. tho cunning of
Is denzens In achieving the exploit
Without arousIng suspicious Is one OF the
most marvellous features OF the case. Nor
tre the art and tact displayed In the arrange
mont OF the mine TO be lost sight of. Where
he soil consisted of loose sand, the gallery.
according to the most approved technical
Jules, was supported by boards maintained
" triangular frames, which could not have
zen brought To the spot without carts and
lorscs. II add that the passage terminated
It five feet from tho railway embankment as
o carry 1t under the en- bankment might have
,auscd some train 10 break In before the time
appointed, tho reader will be able TO conceive
fn prOti4tof15 amount of york and talent
evoted to tho undertaking. From these and
imilar circumstances not few Russians are
ed to imagine that there Is more in this sub
erraneAn matter than appears on the sur
ace.