The Evening critic., 1883-05-17
pAsrARpLY pYNAMIrERs.

Attempt 10 Blow up the British
Minister-An international Row
the Result-FuiI and Startling Par
tfcuIars.
Special Cor Youngstown (Ohio) Saturday Night.
WASHINGTON, May 1.-the following para
graph recently appeared in an evening paper
In this city, and has been widely copied:
An experiment with dynamite was recently
made by one of the officers of the navy-yard.
quantity of dynamite was confined OH the
top OF stone i've feet square and Ave feet
mick by wooden box one foot square and
explosive being laid loosely inside the I'm
promptu fence. fuse was applied and tho
assembled officers scampered on in different
directions, fully expecting that the wooden
The explosion took place, and upon examina-
tion 1t was found that the wooden box had not
ploded downward In the direction OF the
greatest resistance, shottering the stone
throughout.
The circumstances which suggested this
experiment have never been made public
and 1t is reserved for your correspondent to
make the hair-raising recital:
few weeks ago an ingenious and daring
attempt was made TO blow up the British
Minister, tho Hon. Sackville West. The facts
were carefully suppressed at the time, but be-
came known to me In manner that need
not explain. 1t ie we'll known by Mr.. Vests
intimate friends that he has peculiar aver
eion to sitting on q cushioned chair, especially
at the table. When he breakfasts and dimes at
home he invariably sits on hard wood
bottomed chair. One night when Mr.. West
slept an enemy, instead OF sowing tares in the
embassadoral breeches, deity fastened q
Vests trowsers. When the unsuspecting vic.
tim dressed himself In the morning he imme.
diately went out to breakfast. He sat down
somewhat suddenly and heavily In his hard
bottom chair, and an awful explosion In.
stantly followed. AS soon as the frightened
attendants recovered their senses sufficiently
TO take in the situation they saw the aston.
ishod and astonishing Minister standing on
the breakfast table with one foot on smoking
beefsteak and the other In dish OF hot hash.
The chair on which he sat down was COM
pletely demolished and the seat of his panta
looms had disappeared, but fortunately the
Minister was not seriously hurt. 1t is not
supposed now that the force OF the explosion
lifted him to the table, but his standing
thereon is attributed to the involuntary mus.
cular action caused by tho shock. The
was at once adopted at the legation
as the only possible explanation Of
the terrible occurrence. AS the Minister'S
servants are all Henglishmen, It was at once
concluded that none of them could have been
guilty OF this dastardly attempt on the life of
Her Ma1esty's ambassador, and that an Irish.
American had burglarously entered the Minis.
ter's bedroom and loaded his pantaloons
as aforesaid. While the facts were carefully
kept from the public, they were Immediately
laid before the State Department, and for
listing between the United States and Great
Britain were seriously threatened. The British
Government demanded the immediate arrest
OF every Irishman in and about Washington,
with the expectation that most of them would
turn tnformers. 1t is probable that the peace-
ful Frelinghuysen, with the able assistance OF
his diplomatic household, might have yielded
to tho demand, and thus gained the everlasting
good will OF England; but in an evil hour
somebody suggested that Mr.. Blaine be called
In to advise with the State Department., his
long and brilliant Of
State peculiarly fitting him to give advice at
such critical Juncture. Mr.. Blaine instantly
rejected the dynamite theory. He argued that
the escape OF the Minister and the demolition
OF the chair showed that the force Of the ex-
plosion was wholly downward. He suggested
a more thorough investigation of all the facts.
and hinted at possibilities in regard to the
Minister'S dinner on the day before the explo-
sion which nobody but Blaine or q beanightea
Bostonian would ever have dreamed of. The row
assumed such serious aspect that q Cabinet
matter, and after a long. discussion
experiment be tried at the navy
yard to test the direction of the force for dy-
Mantle explosion. The result OF the sugges.
tion is given in the paragraph have quoted
from q Washington paper. 1t demonstrates
that the force OF dynamite explosion is
downward and not upward nor westward.s SO
the British Minister'S theory in regard to his
breakfast.table scare is sustained, and Mr..
Blaine as a diplomat once more goes to the
ernment will not insist on further action, on
condition that the President will give this un-
fortunate occurrence the consideration 1t de-
serves In his next annual message to Con.