Daily Kennebec journal., 1883-03-17
Terrible DeStructiveneSS Of
the Explosive Agent.
Dynamite as a Remedy for
Political Grievances.
nation Among the People.
LONDON. Mar. l6.

public office, clubs and dwelling houses were
violently shaken Thursday night by tre-
mendous explosion. At 9 precisely a great
detonation was heard, followed by a crash Of
glass falling from thousands of windows. A
deliberate attempt was made to blow up
part of the government offices occupied by
Sir Charles Dix and the local government
board in an immense building bounded by
Parliament. Downing and Charles streets and
St. James Park.
The apartments in question front on
Charles street and are almost level with the
pavements. The walls are of immense thick
ness and solid masonry, and the windows
were protected by a massive stone balustrade.
Opposite, so yards away, is the King street
police station. Fifty feet away are the SEN
trv guards. The Parliament street front and
Charles street are dark and unfrequented at
night which partly explains the extraordinary
fact that no lives were lost. Dynamite was
placed on the window sill inside the balus-
| trade where the fuse when burning would be
| concealed from the view of any one passing
| The force Of the explosion was terrific. The
! Gladstone balustrade is obliiterated, the mas
| sive masonry rent to fragments and the pave
ment shattered and ground to powder. The
wooden structure opposite was blown into
| ,plinters, and a mass of stone driven thro ough
the office then remained, but splinte cred
wood, broken plaster, walls burst assaunder,
show an almost indescribable scene of de-
| structOn.
The street is completely covered with frag-
ments of broken plate glass blown bodily out
and shattered to atoms. The doors of King
| street police station were burst in by blast
of air and the detachment present prostrated.
| Broken timbers and masses Of stone were
sent flying into King street. People cross
| ing at Parliament street were knocked down.
| A horse was flung across the sidewalk against
the front of Whitehall Club House in which
great plate window was driven into the
rooms Everywhere the greatest conster-
nation prevailed. People poured out of their
houses, broken glasses cracking under their
| feet.
In tie Commons the alarm was general
Many members left Immediately. The lobby
was emptied and the people rushed out of
| Westminster Hall Some 200 police and a
| detachment of the fire brigade toOs possession
| of Charles street and drew a Gordon around
the building which no one but members of
| Parliament and public officials were allowed
| to pass. As the alarm spread, thousands of
people focked from all parts toward West
minister, and the most intense excitement
prevailed The report is rapidly gaining
| credence that the House of Commons has
been blown up. No sne pretends to explain
the motive or purpose eff the act. 1t was as
cribed to the Irish invincibles, as matter of
| course and described a part of the Fenian
plot, threats and warnings to the govern
ment. One thing only is certain, it was a
deed of frightful recklessness and atrocity
and only iuexplicable good fortune prevented
| it from being attended with the most serious
| fatality.
| The damage in the surrounding locality is
chiefly confined to broken windows, which
completely litter the streets with fragments of
glass for a distance of 200 yards.
| The police rgidiy guard the entrance to
| Charles street and bar the public from ap-
proaches. The whole scene and the state OF
| public feeling calls to mind the Clerkenwell
| outrage.
| An enormous crowd has gathered at the
| scene of the explosion. The government
| inspector has made an examination of the
portion of the building damaged by the ex-
plosion and places the loss at $4,000. The
vessel which contained the explosive material
| was placed in the cellar of the building.
The government has offered a reward of
| fl000 for the discovery of the authors of the
| explosion.
| Sir Charles Dixie, president of the local
government board, says he thinks the at
| tempt was not upon himself or other officials
of his department. The evil doers intended
to cause a wide spread destruction of pro-
perty He is of the opinion that the plot
originated with the managers of the skirmish-
| ing fund. Sir VIM. Harcourt and other
| home office officials believe the attempt was
directed against the criminal inquiry depart
ment adjacent to the offices of the local gov
| ernment board.
| dispatch received from Berlin says
| The press here is utterly dismayed at the
Westminster explosion and advises that en-
| ergetc measures be taken