New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-04-24
AN EXPLOSION IN LONDON'
DAMAGE TO THE ADMIRALTY OFFICE

r. M ~ ~. Osco in Whitehall-st. Edwin N.
S,a;nson assistant secretary aud principal CLERK
.o.a,,,od severe scalp wound. His face was badly
o,t aud one eve injured. Though knocked sehseiess
nv tbe concnssion he is not thought to be fatally
bnrr. The room occupied by Mr.. Swanson is on ,ne
cround floor. Immediately back OF the Ad1nir"S
Office II overoOks the yard IN 'front.' OF lne hou'o
of Lord Northbrook. the First Lord OF the Ao"'ii-
atty. After the explosion the plaster OF tne 'oU"'
hunp in ribbons from both walls and cenlng' ino
fittings of the room were smashed INTO ii"s"."' g"
and set on fire The flames were soon extihguishou'
The marvel now is that a more serious damage was
not done to the occupants of the room.
Mr. Swanson, after being restored to conscious
Moss oave If as his opinion that the explosive wa"
thrown INTO the room through a awihdow' Ai'0i ""-N
the impression became general that 'i'S " "' "n
error and that the explosion really occuIreu n'",
Int not in Mr.. Swansons room. Two iou' "nu
ou,ck reports were heard. 1t was thougnt tha' 'ne
ex,losive was thrown over the wall III INC r1'i VI
the Admiralty Building, OVERLOOKING 'no iio,,0
Guards' parade The staircase Ieadihg ,o INC
BOARD ROOM which is in the southwest corner oi .ne
building. was demolished. The iron railing OF the
staircase was wrenched from its fastenlngs' ana
windows within fifty yards of the spot where 'no
explosion took place were broken
The face of a small American clock backened by
tached to 1t, was found among the debris, ID the
examination which followed soon after the explo-
sion. The Admiralty officials suppose that these
fragments are parts of the internal machine
which caused the explosion.
Mr.. Abel who is identified with the office OF the
Inspector of Explosives, stated that the explosive
used was large charge of gun cotton
The officials of the Admiralty Office were at first
completely panic-struck by the explosion. The re-
lief troop of Horse-Guards which was parading at
the time of the explosion was instantly oroered 10
watch the building. while additional sentrles Oh
Foot-Gu were posted about. The hremen and
police were summoned and all the gates
or the Admiralty Building were closed. special
guard was posted, and no person was al
lowed to enter or depart from the premises until
thorough examination could be made. A large
force of detectives under Inspector OHagen was
posted around the Admiralty Building.
MIR. Gladstone, Lord Granville and Lord Edmund
Fitznaurice, Under Secretary, were together at
breakfast in the Foreign Office at the time OF the
explosion. They hastened to the Admiralty Office
to make inquiries into the cause of the explosion.
The Cabinet Ministers were informed by
telegraph of the explosion and were furnished
with all the facts in connection Herewith that
were ascertainable at the time A special messen-
ger was sent to the Home Office to warn Sir Will
lam Vernon Harcourt Home Secretary. He went
to the Admiralty Office and with Colonel Majendie,
Chief Inspector of Explosives, began careful and
personal examination of the wreck. 1t was found
that the walls and other principal parts OF the
building are uninjured.
The employes of the Admiralty Office have been
working day and night for some time in order to
hurry forward the war preparations for the Soudan
and for other purposes, aud any disaster TO the
building at present would cause serious delay
Rumors and conjectures as 10 the cause of the
crime and the identity Of the criminals were
numerous prominent Scotland Yard detective
asserted to-day that the Nihilists in London had
suddenly become patriotic in their conversation
owing 10 the controversy between England and
Russia regarding the Afghan boundary question
One rumor was that the explosion was caused by
the premature discharge of projectle which had
been sent TO the Admiralty for examination. But
Admiralty officials stated that they yesterday OBJ
served the two men who are suspected TO have
caused the explosion. These men were said also to
have been seen by other persons. and this morn
ing the same men were seen TO enter
the garden in front of Mr.. SwainsOns office from
the direction of the Horse Guards parade ground.
One of them carried a tin can which was placed III
a recess Of the passageway leading 10 the oinceS.
The movements of the two men attracted litlle al
tention at the time owing to the fact that several
surveyors and a number of wOrkmen have recently
been engaged IN measuring distances, ETC., on the
grounds and those who saw the two men believed
that they were employees of the Government en-
gagged in the same sort of work. Two officials OF
the Government took such particular notice of the
two men as to assert that they can identify them,
even if placed IN crowd of other men. They gave
good description of the suspected men to the de-
tectives.
Another supposition was that some stranger. I'M
der pretext of visiting an official, obtained access
10 the visitors waltIng-room, and watching ms OPP
portunity, placed the explosive at Mr. Swalns0ns
room, which is only few steps distant from the
visitors room and then had time to leave the
building unchailenged before the lighted fuse
raac hp1 pV material.
strong suspicion was expressed IN police and
official circles that the explosion was the
result of private malice, as MIR. Swanson
was greatly disiked by number of persons
including several employees of the office In
support of this opinion it was asserted by the de-
tectIves that the Internal machine was placed in
bookcase just over the spot where Mr. Swalnson's
head would be when he sat at his desk The de-
tectives were positive that the outrage was the
work of an empoye, as no stranger could pass the
janitor without some document showing that he
had business with some Of the heads of the depart
ment, and the janit9r says no stranger TO his
knowledge, has passed him IN the last twenty -four
hours
An examination of the Admiralty Office shows
that the glass dome of the building was shattered
into fragments by the explosion. but the main
staircase was uninjured. The effort to obtain
photographs Of the explosion this afternoon was
failure. Another attempt Will be made to-mOr-
row. No arrests have yet been made.
h Late tonight il was stated that Mr.. Swanson
was making favorable progress. although at pres
renee and thinks that he has been in railway
accident. The latest conjecture was
that the explosive must have been placed in
Mr. Swainson's desk. 1t possibly came
through the parcel post, and is thought to have
consisted of two pounds of gun-cottOn, OF some
similar agent The only other explanation offered
was that the miscreants gained admission to the
building in q short interval occurring between the
relays Of police and deposited the explosive in the
Olnce
The Daily Ne,rs and The LGw Journal assume that
the explosion was another dynamite outrage, and
they call upon the Government TO capture aud hang
the dsnamters. They also comment on the fact
that the Office selected for destruction is the most
inert of all the administrative departments Of the
Government.
FORMER EXPLOSIONS IN ENGLAND.
The series of dynamite outrages" that of late
years has kept England in almost constant disouiet