The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-09-25

An Attempt TO tIow Up a Hayden Vessel
nj Philadelphia.

PHILADELPHIA, September 24.-lt was
discovered yesterday that the Hsytier
man.of.war Dessalines, which is expected
to leave this port to-day, has narrowly
escaped being blown to atoms by agents oI
the Insurgents. George Holgate, the cele'
brated maker Of dynamite magazines, who
residesin this city, said to-day that had the
vessel attempted to sail from this port un-
der Haytien colors, she would have been
certainly doomed to destruction in mid.
ocean. Holgate had been employed by
Sautar, one OF the leaders q the. Revolu.
tionists in the stormy little West Indian
Isle, to make an internal machine OF more
than ordinary, deadly power, and he tells q
vivid story OF the preparations which were
made to explode the craft. Sautor went TO
Holgate, as the latter admitted, and asked
him II he could make an Internal machine
capable OF being smugyled aboard the boat,
and oi sufficient power to destroy 1t utter
ly. Holgate agreed to construct such q
machine, not asking, Of course, for what
purpose it was to be applied.
A FouR.DAY MACHINE.
The machine was made. It was what is
known as four-day machine. In CON
struction it ives peculiar. It resembled an
ordinary lump OF coal, within which was
the explosive liquid incloseI in galvan-
lied can oispheroidal shape. The devices
for exploding the composition were most
ingenious. A vial Of a subtle chemical
was so adjusted to circular spring, falling
into slat upon the disk OF tiny brass
wheel, revolving by means oil clock work,
that at the end OF ninety.six hours the vial
would be broken, spilling its contents upon
the liquid. This latter was new inVen.
ton oil Holgate's. II was OF an amber color,
OF the consistency OF kerosene. Holgate
refuses TO disclose the nature OF the
composition, but says that il contains fifty
per cent sf nitro glycerine. For one week
Holgate labored upon this machine. When
il was completed he showed it to Sautar,
who was delighted with It. II posseysed an
explosive force equal to 900 pounds Of
dynamite. Ssutar and the inventor con-
suited together several times, aud the for
mer determined that the innocent looking
lump should be placed in the coal intended
for use on board the vetsel. The arrange
mcnts TO this end were skillfully carried
ont. Two men, both colored, were EN-.
ployed by Sautar to place the apparent
lump Of coal in the hold OF the vessel.
UNDER TIE COVER OF NIGHT.
The men found no difficulty, under COW
er Of night, in obtaining access to the yard,
and located the vessel. The next, which
was Thursday night, they were to have
placed The internal machine along with the
coal outside. 1t was identified by means
OF red nick, looking like quartz speck,
upon one portion OF the outside. A mem.
Der oil the crew had been bribed to set the
machine the first night alter leaving port,
and he was to keep general supervision Of
it. On the next day, however, it was an.
nounced that the vessel would sail under
the American flag, and world not pass
into the hands of the Haytien Govern
ment until her arrival at Port au Prince.
This announcement so frightened both
Sautar and those concerned with him in
the plot, that the bogus lump q coal wal
returned to Holgatc, who disposed OF
it for S., 600 to the agent Of the Cuban
revolutionists. II was carried away ou
New Orleans steamer, and is now, Holgate
thinks, in Cuba, Sautar next got HOlgate
to make an eight.day internal machine,
which he carried with him to New York
last week. This machine will be carried
out to Hayti in steamer by one Of Sau.
tar's agents, a Spaniard named Colquinnex.
II possible 1t will be placed aboard the Des-
ealines at Port au Prince. Holgate Gays
that there 10 no doubt but that Sautar's
scneme was discovered, or at least suspect.
ed, maybe through the treachery OF the
sailor who was to have wound up" the
apparent lump Of coal, and that it YVES this
discovery which led to the plan to sail the
boat under the American colors. He talks
unrtsssvedly Of the plot relating to the
Dessalinss, but pays that he had nothing to
do with 1t beyond the making OF the
machine, for which he was actually paid
$1,000.