The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-01-31
DYNAMITE IN LONDON.
explosions in .he parliament Houses.

LoxDoN, Jan. 24.-The most outrageous of
the recent attempts to destroy property and
life in this city by the use of dynamite were
made to-day, when two explosions occurred
in the Parliament Houses and one IN the
Tower of London, causing a great deal OF
damage to the buildings and placing in jeop
ardy the lives of hundreds of men, women
and children, some of whom we're seriously
injured. Parliament having adjourned on
December 6 to February 10. the object OF
course could not have been directed immedl-
ately against its members, and as only mot
fensive and unsuspecting persons were in
jured, the cruel absurdity of these exploits is
most glaring.
The explosion in the Tower and the two
explosions in the Parliament houses occurred
within 13 minutes of each other, and as the
localities are separated by over two miles IN
a straight line, and about three miles follow
ing the river, the conclusion IS irresistible
that a deliberate plot was formed to destroy
both the Tower and the new Palace OF West
minister simultaneously. 1t being Saturday,
there was an unusually large crowd of sight
seeing visitors inspecting the Tower and the
houses of Parliament.
The most disastrous of the explosions in
their effect upon property were those in the
magnificent new houses of Parliament, on the
left bank of the Thames, between Westmin-
ster and Vauxhall bridges. A great number
of people were visiting the palace and West
minister Hail. through which the main public
entrance leads, and the House of Commons
was filed with sightseers. As is usually the
case on Saturdays, the great proportion OF
the visitors were ladies, being the only day on
which they are allowed in the House. Among
the visitors was Edwin Green, civil engi-
cd htyh he arA
sister, both of whom are Irish women. They
descended the staircase leading from West
minister Hall to st. Stephens Crypt the
chapel under St. Stephens Hall, and just as
they reached the bottom Mrs. Green discov-
cred small package at the entrance to the
crypt 1t was in the form of roll and looked
very much like cloth, but burning fuse was
attached to one end, and Mrs. Green at once
exclaimed, "Why, what's that? Itlooks like
dynamite p The party started back, rushing
up the stairs, the ladies screaming as they
ran. Policeman Cole was the first officer
they met in Westminster Hall; and as soon as
he heard the story he rushed down the stairs
and seized the suspicious-lo roll. He
ran up the stairs with it, the fuse still burn
ing, intending to carry it out of the building,
but just as he reached the top step he STUN
bled and dropped the roll, which Immediately
exploded with a loud report. Mrs. Green
and her sister were thrown to the floor, half
stripped of their clothing, and were terribly
bruised. Both the women tainted. Mr..
Green was hurled dozen feet, and dashed
violently to the stone floor and badly injured.
Policeman Cole and Policeman Cox, who
had run to his assistance, were both badly
wounded, and a number of persons who were
in Westminster Hall at the time received
bruises more or less serious from the broken
glass of the windows, every one of which was
shattered by the terrific force of the explo-
sion. The great ornamental gates leading to
the crypt were blown from their hinges and
hurled into the crypt The conclusion shook
down from the grand old oaken roof of the
hall the accumulated dust of years, and this,
in its downward course, made so dense a
cloud that the officers and guard became
alarmed and dared not enter the room.
The noise of the explosion in Westminster
Hall was heard in the House of Commons,
and the visitors made rush through the
corridor and the central hall, following the
direction of the sound. 1t is probable that
this movement saved the lives of many, for
within three minutes after the first explosion
there was second loud report, this time in
the House of Commons itself, which had just
been vacated by visitors. In the excitement
which followed nobody thought of noting
the time, but the clock in the House of Com
mons stopped at 2.13, and this, no doubt,
marks the time of the explosion. The report
was terrific, and the elegantly appointed
chamber was in an instant flying fragments.
The explosion occurred under the Peers
gallery, in that part of the House known as
the lobby, near the seat which is occupied by
Mr. Gladstone, and this is badly broken. A
small chip was also torn from the Speakers
chair. The western side of the House was
totally wrecked. Every window was blown
out, all the woodwork was shattered, and a
wide hole was made through the floor near
Mr. Gladstone's seat. The galleries were
wrenched from their positions, and even the
solid stonework of the doorways was either
pulverized or shifted from its position. The
benches in the galleries were overturned and
many of them broken, and a shower of splin-
tiers filled the room, which were projected
with such force against the leather upholstered
seats of the members that they were torn and
destroyed. The glass roof was completely
shattered, and heavy beam which formed
one of the supports to the gallery, under
which Mr.. Charles Bradlaugh is accustomed
to sit when he visits the House, was projected
into the Speakers chair.
The lobby of the House was almost com
pletely demolished. The masonry decora-
tons and sculpture were utterly destroyed.
OUc ldu1, WIN was III lIc at tue JliliCf
is reported as seriously wounded; but, with
this exception, so far as is now known: there
was no serious injury inflicted upon anybody
here. The main force of the explosion was
exerted on the side of the room where the
members of the government and their liberal
followers have seats. Had the Commons been
in session at least 200 lives would have been
sacrificed, and Mr.. Gladstone and several of
his ministers would have been among the
number, while Mr.. Parnell and his followers
would probably have escaped nninjured, as
they have lately been sitting on the opposite
side of the house among the conservatives,
and the tory quarters escaped almost undls-
turbed After the explosion there was
frightened rush from the houses of Parlia-
ment, in which number of women were
severely bruised and crushed, but fortunately
nobody was killed
Remarkable force was shown by the explo-
sion in Westminster Hall in downward
direction. Holes were scooped in the ground
large enough to hold man. Into one of the
holes so formed policeman Cox was violently
thrown, and from it he was extricated in
bruised and battered condition. The two
other policemen who were near the scene of
the explosion were not SO seriously hurt, but
they were thoroughly stunned by the force OF
the shock. The statues of King William ~.
and of King George w., in Westminster
Hall, were also overturned by the force of
the explosion. Inspection of the locality OF
the explosion in the House of Commons
shows that the flooring was driven clear
through to the basement. The floors through
the building are Uttered with the debris of
broken chandeliers, glass and other objects
of fragile nature. The gas fixtures were
wrecked, and it was impossible for Col. Ma
iendie, chief of the department of explosives,
to continue his investigation for lack of proper
illumination.
The locality of the explosion in the House
of Commons is always in deep shadow,
being directly under the gallery. The person
who deposited the dynamite was thus much
less likely to attract notice than in almost
any other part of the house.
Ten minutes before the explosion in West
minister Hall there was an explosion in the
Tower of London, which, while it did not re-
suit in so much damage to property as that in
the palace, placed an even larger number of
lives in jeopardy Visitors to the tower are
admitted free on Saturday, and this afternoon
there was an unusually large crowd, in which
the women and children formed large ma
jority Next to the bloody Tower, in which
the crown jewels are exhibited, the White
Tower, the oldest part of the Notifications,
was the principal gathering place for the Wis
itors. In this old donjon, large part of
1 i g., al