New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-04-11
AN EXPLOSION IN THE MAIL
THE SCARE A BURGLAR-ALARM CAUSED

THE SCARE A BURGLAR-ALARM CAUSED.
MISTAKEN BY THE POST. OFFICE AUTHORITIES FOR AN
INTERNAL MACHINE FOR JAY GOULD's DAUGN
TER--ExPLANAIIoN OF THE MYSTERY.
Four or five clerks at work in the basement OF tho
General Post Office at ten minutes before eight oul
Monday evening, were startled by an explosion on
the table, about which they were standing A num-
Der of newspapers and packages had just been sent
down the chute from the floor above
and small paper package in which the explosion
apparently occurred was hurled foot or two INTO
the air. There were only few articles of mail
matter on the table when the explosion took place,
and no damage was done except to the package
ITSELF This was taken up by one of the clerks. and
was carried to Assistant Superintendent Sullivan,
who was IN charge of the distribution.
Upon being examined, the package was
found to contain a pasteboard box two
or three inches square. About the box was wrapped
piece of brown paper bearing the address,:
MISS GOULD.
CARE OF Miss CoMsTocK,
32 West 40th-st.,
N.YC
Miss Constock keeps fashionable school,
for girls at the place mentioned. mo
address was half written. half printed with q
pen. The paper was bound with stout cord, ana
the knot where the cord was tied was sealed with
Diack wax Inc DOX INSIDE OF Tue Wrappcr WAS oho
that had apparently been previously used in pack
ing some small article 1t had, stamped in red ink
on one side the words collins Magic
Ink Eraser, III East Broadway, Room 40.
New-Yorkp On the opposite side were printed
directions for using the eraser and an ADVERTISE
ment of Its merits. A balf of a similar box had
been slipped the outer one, and the top OF TINS
halfbox was covered with the part of still another
box bearing the advertisement. Inside OF these
boxes was found small empty brown-paper box
such as is used for toy cartridges There was also
q metallic instrument, which had evidently been
in a position where it might have caused the ex@
pOson.
The article appeared to have been intended for use
as burglar alarm or for some similar purpose IL
had a screw at one end by which it might be insert
ed in door 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. 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 small illuminate cartridge had
been placed so as to receive the blow of tho
hammer and that box of cartridges had been put
INTO the box to give additional force TO the dis-
charge. Assistant Superintendent sullivan re-
ported the occurrence yesterday TO Superintendent
Wareing, who sent a report TO Postmaster Pearson,
giving an account of the occurrence.
The articles deposited in the slides for news,
papers and packages are received in large baskets
These are taken every fifteen or twenty minutes
to chute down winch they fall to the floor below
where they are distributed to be sent by the proper
routes The chute several feet in length and tho
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 explosion. Inc M
side of the halt box was covered WIN nlaFns mauo
by the explosive substance. The small paper
cartridge box was broken open but not destroyed.
superintendent Warenig, III describing the eA-
plOslOn said: There were several clerHs stahiihs
near at the time of the occurrence and Ino
noise attracted their attention at once. !ho
box thrown considerable distance lIto ,n9
arr IL is fortunate that there was not much man
matter on the table the time, % tnat no danago
was caused outside of that to the box ltseII. in"
explosion was certainly violent enough TO nave IN
jured the eyeSight of any one opening tue oon
holding IL the face. The explosive malerlA
would not, should think, have been strong
enough to have caused any serious ac>
cldent, if care were used in opening the box"
HOW THE STORY SPREAD DOWN TOWN.
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.
n. Vanderbilt, was sufficient to cause a very
exaggerated account Of the ~ discovery
10 he made current. A distributor Oh wan Sticoe
| news sent out statement about IT, and Iater
denial that Jay Gould had q daughter at MISS Com.
stocks school was sent out on the uckers
great many people were ready to believe tue story
That an internal machlne had been sent 10 daughter
of JAY Gould, and 1t was soon the gossip OF Tue up
town hotels and clubs. A little investigation ex-
ploded the story completely.
A TRIBUNE reporter called at Miss ComstocEs
| school III the evening. Miss Comstoek 1 na1
heard the reports about the supposed inierhal
machine and did not relish the attention wnlcn her
0niet school was receiving. She explained that she
had had q daughter of Mr.. Gould as a pupu ln
1877 but not since them Questioned 1urtner, sac
admitted that she had boarding pupil OF the nahio
at tho present time, MISS fahny
| Gould, of Newark. / he school regulatlonss
| would not permit that the report T snona
hold conversation or even see MIS- uoa pus '
CONS ock consentiug to serve as medun oI inter-
communication between the two, what nttle mys-
| tery there was was explained III minute. Sits
Gould said that sue had asked fTiend 10 senu nor
| burglar ALARM which she wished TO take 70 hes
| home IN Newark and he had promiseo 10 90 ~.
She declined TO give the name oi her irlebu, ous
| sad that he was q young man. Inc supposed iu-
| fernal machine was tho burglar alarm, "A trlning
| bit OF mechanism simple and harmless euo9sn III
itself, aud the young man, by ioollshiy senu'hs ~
| through the mail, not only violated postal law
winch lorplds the sending OF explosive SUBSTANCES
| m this manner, but had also caused something Ola
| sensation among post-olice clerks anu police oni'
| Later in the evening THE TRIBUNE reporter car
ried the news OF the discovery TO Mr. Goul at hls
home i'll Forty yseyenth-St ana run ave, nic ~
the incident that had caused him colsiterSpie an.
noyance throughout the day. lie sa,d tnat ne nao
| done nothing about except 40 IN.
him word of tie discovery IN tho
forenoon that he had daughter studying at MSS
ComsOcks school, Ailudng to the dehiai senr ous
with the stock reports, he laughed again. IherSS
was no need OF sending out sucn a report To-Day
he said: the market was lively enough. I'm sure.
Now, If il had been done last week theie ghe nA'o
| been some sense III It."