The Portland daily press., 1884-12-15
LONDON STARTLED.
An Attempt by Dynamitsrs to
Destroy London Bridge.
FORTUNATELY NO GREAT DAM
AGE DONE-TuE EXPLOSION
REARD TEN MILES.


The report was similar TO that caused By an
explosion Of dynamite. An Investigation
showed that it was the result of an attempt to
blow up London bridge. Fortunately, how
ever, the effort resulted in an absurd fasco.
The only damage done, as far as can ba ascsr-
tained, is the destruction of perhaps $50 worth
OF window-glass in the custom house and the
warehouses ON both banks of the river, num-
Der OF lamp-postS twisted into fantastic shapes
and few travellers knocked over. Had the
outrage been carefully planned, and had the
perpetrators intended serious mischief, which
is doubted by the police officials, the result
must have been appalling. London bridge ia
known to be the most tbFoBged thoroushfare
in the world. lt is estimated that $4,000
psople from the London, Chatham & Dover
railway station alone pass to aud fro on the
bridge daily, four lines OF vehicle traffic are
with difficulty kept moving by pocemen sta
toned within few yards of each ether, and
the sidewalks are proportionately crowded for
IL hours out OF the "a. On Saturday business
houses in the city close at an earlier hour than
other week days, and toward evening there ia a
perceptibe diminishing in the usual crowd
To this circumstance alone many persons owe
their escape from injury to-day. A year ago
the nomlnally strong police patrol stationed
between the city and the Southwark side was
doubled in consequence OF tho threats of dyna-
mitsrs, but as the end OF three months the
scare died away and the extra force was with
drawn
At midnight the police had secured ths
river for five miles above and as far below the
bridge without finding any clue to the perpe-
traitor OF the attempt, and all hope has prac-
tically been abandoned of any immediate dis
covery of the dynamiters.
No mention is made in any evening raper of
the attempt, as all go to press on SATURDAY.
afternoon for their last editions at 4 O'CLOCK
But the detonation caused by the explosion
was SO distinct and startling that for time
the excitement in the vicinity of Throgmsr-
tom ns,t.D
intense, and for time almost amounted to a
panic. People rushed from the public houses
and other places of resort to the vicinity OF
King Williams statue, which faces the en-
trance to the bridge, in droyes, and were pre-.
vented only from crowding on to the structure
itself by Gordon of policemen, which had
been formed as soon IS the threatened locality
was properly located. On the railway bridge
a short distance above. all became confusion:
trains ceased running for the time, and gen.
eral Generalization lastins for 10 or 15 minutes
reigned supreme. The newspaper offices in
Fleet street and vicinity next became the
centre of attraction.
Experts from Scotland Yard estimate that
while the damage done was slight, at least 30
pounds of dynamite must have been usad to
cause an explosion so great as to smash win
dows on both sides Of the river aud put oLt
gasights for space of at least quarter of 8
mile. They are astou1ded at the small dam.
age done, and assert that perhaps no other
abEleb OL ClrCumsbauC6S IMAM b1Os6 which
providentially existed at the moment could
have led up to 80 trifiing a catastrophe cou pied
with so potent a cause.
1t is not at all likely that the police will sue
eeed in making any arrests, as they have long
since relaxed all precautions against overt
acts of this kind except in the vicinity of the
government buildings proper.
The explosion was heard 10 miles outside of
London. AT Woolwich the arsenal gates were
shaken.
LATER.
LONDON, Dec. IA careful inspection OF
London bridge was made to-day, and it was
found that no structural injury whatever was
done. Nothing oonld be found about the
bridge to indicate that an explosion had taken
place. The police have discovered nothing
likely to assist them in their inquiries as to the
origin Of the explosion. Heads of the detec-
tive department were comforting with the
Home Office during the entire day, and the
absence of any cloe is paralyzing the action of
the police, who are even unable TO tell the
nature OF the explosive used. 1t appears that
the explosion occurred nearer the end of the
bridge than was at first supposed, ard vet most
of the houses that we're damaged were on the
Middesex side, where windows were smashed
as far as Billingsgate Market, aud several
panes of glass were broken in fishmonper,s
hall, but otherwise the building received no
damage. Several squares of the lofty glass
screen in the Cannon street depot fell to the
pisJform with crash, greatly terrifying the
passengers in the building, although nobodv
was injured. The river traffic had luckily
been suspended at the time of the explosion.
owing to the darkness.
The explosion forms the staple topic Of con.
versstion, and thousands of persons have
visited the scene to-day.
A policeman, who at the tune of the explo
sion was standing on top of the steps leading to
the steamboat pier on the Surrey side of the
river, with his back to the stream, says he saw
binding glare like sheet OF lightning.
which was followed by terrific report He
was almost stunned and his helmet blown
some yards away by the concussion.
Experts are unanimously of the opinion that
the explosive agent vas thrown over the
bridge and exploded ia the air or on striking
the water. Towards noon, however,
wbarfnger informed the police that a few
minutes before the explosion he saw a boat
containing three men under the arch on the
Surrey side. He took no particular notice Of
them, thinking that they were river police,
and did not see the boat afterwards. He SUP
poses that they proceeded down the river.
The police this afternoon learned that a piece
of charred eaoking about foot and half
square had been found on one of the but
tresses, and are now OF the opinion that the
explosive was placed there. They attribute
the smallness of the damage to the extraordi-
nary air currents beneath the span. No ar
rests have been made.
Several persons who we're passing over the
bridge at the time of the explosion saw that a
column of water was thrown to a great height
By the shock and a number of persons we're
drenehed.
The newspapers throw no light on the ex-
plosion. The Telegraph says:
'The newest Fenian Ioutrage falls far below it
predecessors in actual mischief. Some persons in
cline to The belief that gunpowder and not dyna-
mite was used. 1t is noteworthy fact that Satur-
day was the 18th anniversary of the Clerkeuwell
explosion. Windows of the buildings of Rollins Il
Co., American merchants suffered severely A
ouEtoms officer stated that after the explosion he
observed a small steam launch carving one mast
forward pass at high rate of speed dowo the riy-
er. Strangely enough at the time Of the explosion
an inspector and two constables were watching the
bridge from boat, precaution which has been
adopted nightly for the past two
years but they saw nothing before
the explosion to arouse their suspioions and
made = minute search afterwards, but could dis
cover nothing of suspicious character. Some wit
nesses saw three distinct hashes Several herses
drawing heavy loads were thrown to the ground
and engine drivers sitting in a shed in
Cannon street we're blown from their seats. mum.
Der of detectives recently withdrawn from special
duty have been ordered to return 10 London and
resume their work, and precautions at railway
depot in regard to receipt of parcels have been re-
sumed.
THE DOMINION,