Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-01-30
Clever Nihilist Engineers.

Clever Nihiitst Engineers.
At last Russian letters and papers are
allowed to convey more details relative
to the terrible incident of the lat inst.
Though at distance of two miles from
the station, the spot where the attempt
was made is situated in O densely in.
habited part of the suburbs. In Sep.
tember one OF the wooden cottages COM
handing the railway, 160 feet distant
from the metals, was purchased by a
young man protesting to be an artisan
from Samara. He was evidently in a
hurry to close, anu without any bar
gaming paid the $50 paper ruples asked
by the proprietor. Immediately after
he moved into the house, accompanied
| by young woman, and two associates.
He held little intercourse with his
neighbors, and led quiet and retired
life. His furniture was scanty and his
food supplied by the poorest shops in
| tho neighborhood. On the rare occa.
sions when messenger or neighbor en-.
tered the house, lamps were seen burn.
| ing before the sacred images, and the
walls were found covered with portraits
of the Emperor and Empress, as bofts
an orthodox Russian.
About the middle of October the new
tenants commenced to sink we'll in
their court yard, telling the neighbors
that they required large quantity of
water for trade purposes. AS has since
come out, the we'll was only sunk to ac-
count for the quantities of sand rem owed
from shaft dug in wooden shed form
ing part of the premises. This Shaft
was driven to the depth of five feet.
From tho bottom of the shaft subter-
ranean passage was bored in the direc-
ton OF the railway, the sand being
placed in the court yard and some OF
the cottage rooms. This passage was
1G0 feet long and about three feet high.
1t was scientifically constructed, brick.
ed throughout, and where it reached
tho side of the emblnkment, widened
into spacious hole for the reception
Eof the explosive material. For the lat
ter pyroxiline seems to have been select.
led. Being placed at the desired spot,
Ia little time before the imperial train
was due, it seems to have frozen in the
severe cold of the last few days, which
accounts fer the comparatively small
mischief done. From the pyroxilne q
wire was laid down toan electric battery
CONSTRUCTED on the most primitive
principles, and placed in the wooden
shed in the court yard.
| While the Emperor, who, thanks to
an inversion OF the usual order of the
trains, had passed the fatal spot un-
seattle was paying homage before the
wooden statue of the Virgin at the
kremlin gate, the second train reached
the spot opposite the miners house and
| was blown into the air. Those Of the
railway servants who escaped unhurt
Immediately ran to the next telegraph
station to inform the police, but the
wires were cut all round, and it was an
hour before the first constable appeared
on the scene. No trace Of the criminals
was detected, the only evidence left
being the battery and morsel OF food.
AS no one dared to acquaint the EN-
peror with what had occurred, his
Majesty learned the incident only on
the following morning. Two more
days elapsed before the st. Petersburg
press were permitted to allude to the
event. '..
The labor expended by the consp,ra-
tors in digging the Moscow mine is
truly astonishing. Taking the length
of the subterrauean passage at the
figures given above, the earth dug out
cannot have weighed less than II 1000
hundred weights. II we assume five
minutes to be required to dig out and
bring to the surface quantity weigh
ing forty pounds, $500 hours, some
four months, must have been needed to
construct the entire passage. Even
this gives no idea of the amount OF
work done. It being alleged that the
entire passage, as we'll rs tho cavern at
its termination, was bricked, no fewer
than II 900 can have been wanted to
accomplish this work. 10 perform it
without light or air for length OF lou
feet 4 st have been no trifling matter.
Again, as it cannot have taken less than
fifty wagons to convey the bricks to the
revolutionary cottage the cunning OF its
denizens in achieving the exploit with
out arousing suspicion is one OF the
most marvellous features OF the case.
Nor are the art and tact displayed IN
the arrangement Of the mine to be lost
sight Of. Where the soil consisted OF
loose sand, the gallery, according to
the most approved technical rules was
supported by boards maintained by tri-
angular frames which could not have
been brought to the spot without carts
aud horses. II I add that the passage
terminated at five feet from the railway
embankment, as to carry it under the
embankment might have caused some
train to break in before the time ap-
pointed. the reader will be able to con-
ceive tho prodigious amount OF work
and talent devoted to the undertaking.
From these and similar circumstances
not few Russians are led to imagine
that there is more in this subterranean
matter than appears on the surface.
Berlin Correspondence London Stand
ayd.