The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-03-22
An Attempt to BLOW mp Government
Buildings.

night bV a tremendous explosion at q O'Clock
precisely A ureat defamation was heard
followed by the crash of glass falling from
thousands of windows. A deliberate at.
tempt has been made to blow up parts Of
the government offices. the part occupied bv
| Sir Charles Dixie and the local government
| board in an iinmen.e building bounded bv
Parliament street. Downing street, Charles
street and st. James park. The apartments
in question front on Charles street, and are
almost level with the pavement. The walls
are of great thickness, and OF solid masonry,
and the windows are protected by massive
stone balustrades. Opposite, 30 wards away,
is the King street police station. A sentry
guards the parliament street front, but
| Charles street is dark and unfreouented at
nipht. which partly explains the extraordi.
nary fact that 10 lives were lost DYNAMITE
was ulaced on the window sill inside the
balustrade where the fuse when burning
would be concealed from the view of anyone
passing The force of the explosion was ter.
ritiic. The great stone balustrade was obit-
Grated. the massive masonry torn to frac.
ments and the pavement shattered and
proupd To powder A wooden structure Cd.
nosite was blown into spluters. Manv
pieces of stone were driven through the wall
of a house beyond it. Inside of the walls
there remained nothing but splintered wood.
broken plaster. and walls burst asuuder and
presented an indescribahle scene of destruc-
ton. The street was completely covered
with the fragments of broken plate glass
blown bodily ont and shattered to atoms.
The doors of the King street police station
were bnrsted in by the force OF the air. and
its OCCUPANTS were Frustrated. Broken tim
beers and masses of stone were sent Hyinr
into King street. PEOPLE crossing at Paalia-
ment street were knocked down a hanson
and horse were flung across the sidewalk
against the front of the Whitehall club in
which the great plate glass windows were
driven in shower into the rooms, and every
where the greatest CONSERVATION prevailed.
People poured out of their houses. Broken
glass and cruckery was nnder their feet. ln
the house of commons the alarm was gen
eral. Many members left Immediately, and
the lobby was soon emptied. and the people
rushed out of Westminster hall. Some 700
police and detachment of the fire brigade
took possession OF Charles street and drew
cord around the building which no one but
members OF parliament and public officials
were allowed to pass. AS the alarm spread,
excited bands Hooked from all parts towards
Westminster and the most intense excite
ment prevailed, the report rapidly gaining
currency that the house OF commons had
been blown up. No one to- night preteuds
to explain the motive or purpose OF the act.
| 1t is ascribed to the Irish invInchles as
matter of conrse and is described part
of ienian plot-a threat and warning to the
government. One thing only is certain--it
was deed of frightiul reeklessness and
atrocity, and only all inexplicahle good fer
tune prevented it from being attended with
the most serious fatality
New YORK, March i7.-Special from Lon
don: Crowd upon crowd of excited London
ers went streaming to-day along st. James
| park, Downing and Parliament streets. or
across Westminster bridge. to view the ruins
OF the government buildings. The excite
ment has increased rather than subsidized.
| Popular feeling is profoundly stirred, the
anger heing aggravated ey sense OF alarm
anu oy Vue Reports cane" from We" iofH,
minimizing that the outrage was planned ana
uFec'tu' III Is airea"y e"'uenC that rest"
iu'e attempt VIII ne maze 10 itentiiV sec
tion oil lfish natonaIiStS ~ the Oh''ed states
win the occufrenGe' ava s"u'e very pam
! representation VIII he made 10 the state de
partmeht az ashlngton on the SUBJECT OF
shiei"lAg the pi"tters VINO continue deadly
schemes against tns l'es ana property OF
l1endIy powers Inc Sc"t.an" ara de-
/ tec'l'es ana large NUMBERS OF speclal oilcsts
are onsiiy at "ork ehdedVorins 10 hhu some
cue ny "hl'h 10 trace t"e perpetrators Oh
ohe crime anu TulhoTs are current to,h'sht
that ssVerai arrests VIII he made Ponce
patrols are at every point ana guards are
I barracks. anfnnTlfltS nave