Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-04-14
NOT FOR GouLD's DAUGHTER.
The Scare Burglar Alarm Caused
Mistaken for an Internal Machine. by
the New York Post Office Anthorities

the New York Post Office Authorities
Four or five clerks at work i'm the base
ment of the General Post Office. New
1ork city, at ten minutes before eight on
Monday evening, were startled by an ex-
plosiOn on the table, about which they
were standing. A number of newspapers
and packages had Just been sent down the
chute from the floor above and a small
paper package in which the explosion APP
parently occurred was hurled foot or
two into the air. There were only a few
articles of mail matter on theNtable when
the explosion took place, and no damage
was done except to the package itself.
Ihls was taken up by one of the clerks,
and was carried to Assistant Supefintend-
ent sullivan, who was in charge of the
distribution.
Upon being examined the package was
found to contain pasteboard box two or
three inches square. About the box was
wrapped a piece of brown paper bearing
the address,
Miss Gould, Care of Miss Comstock, 30
West Fortieth street, n. Y. CO.
Miss Comstock keeps a fashionable
school for girls at the place mentioned.
The address was half written, half print
ed with pen. The paper was bound with
a stout cord and the knot where the cord
was tied was sealed with black wax The
box inside Of the wrapper was one that
had apparently been previously used in
packing some small article. 1t had stamp
| ed IN rett ink on one side, the words Aeel--
Inns Magic Ink Eraser, 1T East Broad
ways Room 40, New York." On the oppo-
site side were printed directions for using
the eraser and an advertisement of its
merit. A half of similar box had been
slipped into the outer one, and the top of
this half box was covered with the part
of still another box bearing the advertise
| Of hox
small empty brown paper box, such as is
used Tor toy cartridges. There was also
metallic instrument, which had evident
ly been in position where it might have
caused the explosion.
The article appeared to have been in
tended for use as a burglar alarm or for
some similar purpose. 1t had screw at
one end by which it might be inserted in
a door or window frame, and was so made
that when arranged slight blow would
cause sort of hammer to fall ON the steel
| frame with considerable force. A strong
spring furnished the power that moved
the hammer. From the appearance of the
contents of the package it was Judged by
the post office officials that a small fulmi-
nate cartridge had been placed so as to re-
celVe the blow Of the hammer, and that
box of cartridges had been put into the
box to give additional force to the dis
charge. Assistant Superintendent Sulli-
van repOrted'the occurrence yesterday to
Superintendent Wareing, who sent re-
port to Postmaster Pearson, giving an ac-
count of the occurrence.
The articles deposited in the slides for
newspapers and packages are received in
large baskets. These are taken every
| fifteen or twenty minutes to a chute, down
which they fall to the floor below, where
they are distributed to be sent by the pro-
per routes. The chute is several feet in
length, and the momentum acquired in
the fall causes the packages to strike the
distributing table with considerable force.
In this case the force was sufficiently
great to cause the premature explosion.
The box was not entirely blown to pieces,
but one end was forced out by the ex-
plosiOn. The inside of the half-boX was
covered with marks made by the eXplo-
sive substance. The small paper cartridge
box was broken open, but not destroyed.
superintendent Wareing, in describing
the explosion, said: s'There were several
clerks standing near at the time of the oc-
currence, and the noise attracted their at
tention at once. The box was thrown a
considerable distance into the air. 1t is
fortunate that there was not much mail
matter on the table at the time, so that no
damage was caused outside of that to the
box itself. The explosion was certainly
violent enough to have injured the eve
ing it near the face. The explosive mate
rial would not, / should think, have been
strong enough to have caused any serious
accident, if care were used in opening
the box"
The name of Gould, coupled with the
recollection of an explosion in mail
bag some time ago of an Internal machine
which had been addressed to w. III.
Vanderbilt, was sufficient to cause a very
exaggerated account of the discovery to
be made current. A distributor of Wall
Street news sent out statement about it.
and later denial that Jay Gould had
daughter at Miss Comstock's school was
sent out on the 'tickers." A great many
people were ready to believe the story that
an Internal machine had been sent to
daughter of JAY Gould, and it was soon
the gossip of the uptown hotels and clubs.
A little investigation exploded the story
completely.
A reporter called at Miss Comstock's
school in the evening. Miss COmstock
had heard the reports about the supposed
Internal machine, and did not relish the
attention which her quiet school was re-
ceiving. She explained that she had had
daughter of Mr.. Gould as pupil in 1871,
but not since then. Questioned further.
she admitted that she had boarding pu-
pill of the name at the present time,
Miss Fanny Gould, of Newark. The
school regulations would not permit that
the reporter should hold conversation or
even see Miss Gould, but Miss COmstock
cOnSenting to serve as a medium of inter-
communication between the two, what
little mystery there was, was explained in
a minute. Miss Gould said that she had
asked a friend to send her a burglar
alarm, which she wished to take to her
home in Newark, and he had promised to
do so.
She declined to give the name of her
friend, but said that he was young man.
The supposed Internal machine was the
burglar alarm, a trifling bit of mechan-
ism, simple and harmless enough in itself,
and the young man by foolishly sending
it through the mall not only violated a
postal law which fOrbids the sending of
explosive substances in this manner, but
had also caused something of a sensation
among post office clerks and police Off
GERS.
Later in the evening the reporter carried
the news of the discovery to Mr.. Gould,
at his home in Forty-Seventh street and
Fifth avenue. Mr.. Gould laughed when
he heard the explanation of the incident
that had caused him considerable annoy
ance throughout the day. He said that
he had done nothing about it except to in
form the Postmaster, who had sent him
word of the discovery in the forenoon, that
he had no daughter studying at Miss Com
stocks school. Abiding to the denial
sent out with the stock reports, he laughed
again. "There was no need of sending
out such report to-day" he said; s'the
market was lively enough, Pm sure.
Now, IL it had been done last week, there
might have been some sense in it,
<,rs