Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1881-07-28

In these days CT invention and conquest the

In these days Ct invention and conquest the |
.cience O. navigation has attained such 8 stand |
ard, together with the many m :ans now used to
obviate accidents from the use OF steam, thai
ocean Disasters Of any considerable magnitude
are becoming rare The powerful iron steamers
OF tc lay seem am ct to defy the elements, AID
turn their proWs into the very seeth Of the fsrces!
hurricanes and ride cut heavy seas with impu.
nifty. The eI poriencas OF passenger ships on the
Atlantic lssI December, VIII n the hesvies!
weather ever witnessed by the present gener
alton prevailed. corroborates this observation.
Though scores of steamers were out in it ELL not
one was Loaf and but single casually recorded.
tbs! VI o passe- ger who, cried By SEQ tlcSness,
leaped over bard and WAS lost. But while !imld
people were beginning to Ell y the consolstlon
naturally derived from these facts. new and
moro terrible cause of slsr m is announced VIII n
m AXES every other source Of anxiety entertained
By transatlantic travellers sink into insigni6-
canoe. and intrudes Itself grim spectral like con-
tinuslly into the negotiations Of those whose
business or inclinstons take them down to the
ses in ships" We refer 10 the shipment OF the
modern internal machines on bosrd steamers
plying between this couatry and Europe. These
disbolcal inventions, Of course. ere smuggled
aboard in barrels Of cement and other freight, SO
was ths case few days E2o when Cunarder
Transported several from the new 10 the old
world. While no harm may be intended in ev.
cry instance TO vessels carrying such freight,
there is at the same time no guarantee hgalns!
go explosion of the same in trRusitu. snd such
it is ssid, would bs the force of the conclusion in
such an event that the largest ship would stimuli.
taneously be converted into kindliag wood. and
send dismembered portions OF human bodies 10
the four winds Of heaven. Many people think
the unexplained disappearance of the steamer
City Of Boston freightsd with eight hundred hu-
man souls, twelve or thirteen years ago, was
caused by the explosion of dynamite or some
like pound which had uncon.cioualy bsen
taken OF board her. 1t is extremely prob
able that the British man of WAT Doterell, which
my seriously exploded In q South American port
some moDths ago. killing or manning every body
aboard. had had al internal machine smuggled
aboard by certain enemies of the Crown known
70 be in the locality at tho time. About FIVE
years ago large passenger steamship foundered
on the German coast, AID shortly sfterward an.
an excursion party from port contiguous 10
tho disaster down to the wreck, and hundreds
sianjhad their intention OF going. In the mean
tina sn eccentric individual, possessed, howev-
or, of considerable mechanical genius conceived
the horrible d sign Ct placing machine char ged
with Cynhm Le, VIII CHI he had construcLed aboard
the vessel. This devilish contrivance contained
machinery like q clock, which could ba 30 set rs
TO e1 plode the charge days or hours ahead, SIS
might be desired. This fead 80 arranged the
machine that the trigger would be touched about
the Tine as hs supposed, the excursionsts would
be we'll out to sea. Tho steamer. fortunstely,
delayed her departure several hours. during
which time the bCx containing the death dealing
invention was allowed to remain on the wharf,
where i. ex poded with q terrific report killing
and Gripping scores. Had The horrid design
been fully carried out, an unparalleled calamity
would have resulted. The captain OF ship out
at aes some years ngo detected among his cargo
suspi ,ious looking package, which from some
Intuition convinced him contained come sort Of
explosive Fearing the screenings of his vessel
might occasion the jar necessary to explode it..
he caused the package TO be thrown we'll over
the stern of the ship. 1t proved to BIO nitro-gly-
cerne, IS upon striking the water violent ex-
plosion followed. throwing the spray as high as
the vessels mast head.