The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-12
A FIEND'S WORK AT CHICAGO.
Warfare Againstthe Lake Shore Railway
Takes New and Dangerous Form.
An Attempt to Blow Up Signal Tower, with
aView to Wrecking Trains Other Attempts
to Destroy Property Of the Company.


CHICAGO Sept. 1.-THE war against the Lake
Shore Railroad Company in the town of Lake
has broken out afresh, this time in a new and
| dangerous manner. The latest method is the
use of explosives and an attempt to destroy the
property of, the company, that might have in
volved the loss of life. A few moments before
IL o'clock last tight James Calvin. the night
| operator was sitting in the signal tower of the
Lake Shore company at the intersection of the
| main and stockyarGs tracks The tower is thirty
| feet high. and in it is machinery by which the
switches. signals and gates for long distance
| along the line of the road are turned.
| Calvin was alone in the top Of the
| tower and had noticed nothing unusual, when
| he was suddenly startled by seeing column of
| smoke arise at one side Of the structure. It was
| bright moonlight, SO that he was aware Of the
nature of the cloud, and in an instant later his
| little room was completely filed with binding
! smoke which almost suffocated him. Calvin
started to rush down the stairs to investigate the
cause of the unusual phomenon. AS he reached
| the landing below a deafening explosion took
| place. and at that moment Calvin saw the figure
OF tall slender man dart away from the build
ing The man ran west toward the stockyards
and was lost in the labyrinth of cars which cover
| the tracks. At this instant the explosion oe-
| Cured Calvin thrown to the ground
| with extreme force and his hat was
| blown off his head through window. Such was
| the force of the explosion that number of tools
| were lifted from the floor and crashed through
| the windows. Calvin did not lose consciousness,
| and, after pulling himself together, rushed out
i on the tracks. Officers Donovan and Costello
| we're on guard at the time at the Root-street
| crossing. They heard the defamation, and ran
| to the tower, where they found Calvin terrible
| frightened. Then search of the tower was
| made, and it was rewarded by the finding
| of q twenty-inch piece of shattered gas
| pipe. Close to 1t was q package of something
which looked like cotton, which had been
| soaked in some kind of dark liquid Smoke
was coming from it, and bright sparks were
thrown off. A bottle containing what is sup
| posed to be an acid was picked up near by.
The door of the signal tower was ajar, and the
dangerous explosive had been thrown on the
| floor. The explosion shattered all the glass
front of the house. In the cellar are the bat
| teries used for the electric signals. There
were one hundred battery cells in the room,
and of these thirty-four we're broken. Not
only this, but the pneumatic tubes, also used in
the signaling were torn and twisted, and the
whole system was utterly ruined. It will take
thousands of dollars to repair the damage.
When daylight came, another search was
made for more explosives. There is little shed
at the rear of the tower. In this small bundle
supposed to contain other explosives, was picked
up. It was wrapped in paper and tied with
black cord. It was soaked in some substance,
and was laid in an old mattress. The police
were afraid to open it, and It was removed to the
Town Hall. Calvin had only been in charge Of
the tower little while, having relieved William
Nevins. What makes the attempt more das-
| tardly is the fact that an outward boupd pas
| senSer train was due at the tower few minutes
| after the explosion occurred. The theory of the
| police is that the wreckers hoped to blow up the
| tower, and when the passenger train came along
| to throw aswitch, and thus the train would have
| plunged into the mass of freight that line
| the side-tracks. The explosion would have done
greater damage had the door been closed after
| the package was ignited.
There were also other attempts at destroying
| property on the Lake Shore road last night, one
| of which was successful the other resulting in
| the arrest of the man concerned in the affair.
About o'clock last ght the Lake Shore road
received from the Illinois Central train of
twenty eight cars. While these were being taken
over the Root-street crossing, a switch was
| thrown after about half the cars had passed,
causing general wreck. Fifteen of the cars
were deraied, and although no loss of life or
serious damage resulted, the contents Of the
cars were badly shaken up. About midnight
| John Fagin, an eX-swi.chman of the Lake Shore
road, was arrested at Forty third street.
| just as he was about, 1t is
| charged, to throw switch, with the purpose Of
| derailing trcin drawn by engine No. 532. The
arrest of Fagin was made by one OK the Pinker
| ton officers who are still guarding the Lake
| Shore tracks at that point, the prisoner being
| taken to the Harrison street station and locked
up. Fagin was seen in his cell this morning.
| His explanation of the affair is as follows: In
| company with man named Murphy, who is also
| an ex-Lake Shore switchnan, he was walking
| along the tracks, and claims that neither of
| them noticed the approaching train until it was
| go close to them that they were separated by it.
He says that when arrested by the Pinkerton
officer he was looking under the train as it passed
| to see if any harm had come to Murphy
| The Lake Shore officials, when they heard of
the attempt to blow up the signal tower, were
| greatly exercised. Superintendent Amsden i'm
mediately went to Fortieth street to make inves-
LEGATIONS. The officers of the road knew nothing
| of the circumstances beyond what they had
| heard from meager reports. w. H. Mcintosh
| chief of the detective force of the company this
| morning said that up to yesterday the attempts
| to destroy the property of the company had been
| confined to points at some distance north and
south OF the Forty third street yards The DO
| lice had confined themselves to d surveillance of
| the points at which these attacks had been
made. and the signal tower had been left entirely
| unprotected. Mr.. Mcintosh further said that
he was sure he knew who committed the out
| rage last night, and that he would have them all
under arrest within forty eight hours. He has
sent out all the available men under his super
vision, and determined effort to apprehend the
| perpetrators is now being made.
The German M. e. Conference.