The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-07-31

The Port Byron Lime Associate on
Safe, Blown open---The Report
of the Explosion Heard o
distance OF Several
Blocks.

of the Explosion Heard o
distance OF Several
Blocks.
This morning Saturday. after O'Clock
loud explosion was heard on Second
Avenue in the neighborhood of the Har.
per House. and the inhabitants were more
or less disturbed. The night clerk at the
Harper House. and the night clerk at the
Rock Island House both heard the noise
and though the latter is distant over four
blocks the sound seemed close at hand,
The telephone was used to the police
headquarters but at that time the police
were all out on their beats. The watch
man at the depot, theniprooeeded to The
county Jail and called up the Sheriff Per
kins, who with Louis V. Eckhardt the
turnkey. started out. The police by this
time had heard the report and were on
the alert. A thorough examination
of the neighborhood was made,
but the exact location of the ex-
plosion was not discovered. the fact
being that the sound appeared much
nearer the Harper House, and May Bros.
store, on the corner of Nineteenth and
and Second Avenue was the spot from
whence the sound was believed to have
proceeded. This morning it was dis.
covered that the office of the Port Byron
Lime Association. had .been entered and
the cafe drilled and blown open. The
appearance of the place was something
to rather astonish the beholder. The
burglars had got 10 from the rear. pro-
badly by raising the sliding door. auG
they pried open a sash in window al
the back of the cfice. laid it down or
some barrels. and went in. They next
proceeded TO pull down the window cur
aims of the front windows. and then the
front door was pried open with bar, bu
before. they got this done they cut near the
lock and got purchase at the bolt of til,
lock. The next proceeding was evidently
to drill a hole in the safe, near the lock
which was done in workman like manner
ard then the work of charging and blowins
was done. The explosion must have beer
verygreat for the front of the door OF the safe
was thrown clean across the Office, and the
other parts of the door which is filed with
cement was broken in piecas and scattered
and other portions of the safe was also
Injured, A table standing. near was sen,
some distance off. and the marks on the
floor as we'll as on the wooden rail which
runs the length of the office. and wa:
knocked down, shows the force with which
the pieces of the safe were exploded. The
burglars then entered and as the drawer
in which the money IS usually kept had
not been opened By the explosion they
with bar forced it out. and took 1t with
them; as it!was afterwards found in Muir
~ & Murphey's coal shed. on Third aven-
ne where the thieves had thrown it. Be
sides books and papers which were some
what scorched by the explosion, there
was only about $40 in cash. In the cafe.
and two postoffice orders for $11 and $22;
the former of which was found near the
drawer.
The safe was one made by Mosler's Safe
& Lock Co., Cincinnati, and of the usual
pattern, with combination lock. Two large
paues of glass in one of the front windows
were blown out by the explosion. In their
hurry the burglars left boring brace and
a long screw driver. The building of the
Port Byron Lime tAssociation stands on
Second avenue. and extends back to the
alley near the railroad crossing at Twenti-
eth street The Office occupies the south
west corner of the. building, and opens out
on the main thoroughfare. Mr.. William
Nevin. the agent :of the company, esti
mates the damage done, will amount to
over 5000. He receives large sums Of
money at!times, but does not keep it in
the safe as general rule, though he had
just paid out $57 in silver, during the
afternoon. Nothing has been discovered
so far of the burglars. and though many
of the neighbors heard 1.-THE sound of the
explosion. only one man says he looked
out of his window and saw two men run
past, but he could not describe them. The
police made dilligent search last night
aud are now investigating the matter.
The general impression il that the men
who did the work were professionals, as
every thing was very systematic, and the
pulling down the front blinds and opening
the door was all methodical.