News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-01-29
Houses of Parliament and the
Te>Aap o1dap Shattered

Tower of london Shattered.
Attempts were made on Saturday
to blow up with dynamite the Tower
of London and the Parliament build
ing. At the latter there were two eX-
plosions, one near the house of Com
mons and one under the Peers gall
cry. Saturday being visiting day at
the House of Parliament, the building
contained q great number of sight
seers at the time of the explosions.
The first explosion occurred in the
crypt of Westminster Hall, Imme-
diateIy before it a lady visitor who
was alone and was about to enter the
buildings, beckoned TO policeman,
and when he went to her she called his
attention to package lying upon the
steps outside the crypt. The police
man picked up the package carelessly,
not suspecting anything, and went
with it out into Westminster Hall.
He had no sooner reached the hall
than the package exploded. This ex-
plosion knocked the policeman down
and injured him so seriously that his
case is at present considered critical.
Its force also knocked down two other
policemen who were standing in the
vicinity and badly stunned them. A
lady and gentleman standing near the
officer who had the package were also
Frustrated. The great window over
the main entrance to the hall was
smashed to atoms, and all the side
windows blown out. In the interior
of the House of Commons and upon
the floor the only seat damaged by
the explosion was that which Mr.,
Gladstone occupies. 1t was badly
broken. A small chip was also torn
=, r. the top Of the Speaker $ GUAR.
The explosion caused quite 4 panic
among the visitors who were in the
buildings at the time. Those who
who were in the House of commons
fed precipitately and many of the la
dies were bruised in the crush. The
force of the explosion was such that
one man was blown to the earth who
was as many as 800 yards from the
point where it occurred.
The second explosion in the Parlia-
ment buildings occurred three minutes
later than the first, and was far more
destructive. The dynamite which
caused the second explosion must have
been placed under the peers gallery
on the left side. All the woodwork
in that part of the building was shat
tered and a wide hole was made
through the floor. The gallery was
displaced, and even the solid stone
work of the doorways was either pull
Gerized or shifted from its position.
Every pane of glass in the house was
smashed to atoms. The gallery bench
IS were overturned and broken and (
he gallery generally dismantled. One
ady who was visiting the House of
Commons at the time of the outrage i
vas seriously injured. Immense 4
lamage was done to the lobby. The {
Masonry, decoration and sculpture
we're utterly destroyed. The place is
described as literally blown to pieces.
The shock was felt in Pail Mall ami
in the vicinity say that the
Tery earth shook. :
The explosion at London Tower
vas the most successful attack which
las yet been made upon any of the
public buildings since the Inaugural
ion of the present era of dynamite
warfare. The famous old building
was crowded with visitors at the time
of the explosion. The attack was
made on that portion of the building
known as the White Tower. 1t was
almost completely wrecked by the
force of the explosion, and the roof
was blown clear off the structure. All
the persons known to have been in
jured were visitors. The police, the
moment they realized the nature of
the explosion, efeetually barred all
egress from the tower and grounds.
They then subjected every person
whom they had succeeded in OBTAINING
by this man9uvre to a most rigid
search, upon the theory that the at
tack was perpetrated by some person
IL persons inside of the premises. Up
o 4 o'clock but sixteen persons had
been officially returned as having been
INJURED by the explosion. None of
hese are reported as mortally hurt.