Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-09-12
DIABOLICAL.
Explosives Used In the War Against
the Lake shore Railway Company
at the Town OF Lake.
A Signal Tower Badly Damaged Freight
Train wrscked-An Attempt 20 Deraii
Passenger Train.
CARRYING THE THING TOO FAR.

CHICAGO, ILL.,, Sept 1.-The wa
against the Lake Shore Railroad COMPANY
In the Town of Lake has broken on
afresh, this time In new and dangerous
manner. The latest method is the use O.
explosives In an attempt to destroy prop
erty of the company, which might have
involved the loss OF life. A few moments
before IL last night, James Calvin, nigh
operator, was sitting In the signal tower
OF the Lake Shore company at the inter
section OF the main and the stock-yards
tracks. The tower is thirty feet high,
and In it is machinery by which the
switches and signal gates for long dis
lance along the line Of road are turned
Calvin was alone In the top Of the tower,
when he was suddenly startled by seeing
a column OF smoke arise at one side OF
the structure. An instant later his little
room was completely
FILLED WITH BLINDING SMOKE,
which almost suffocated him. Calvin
started to rush down stairs to investigate
the cause OF the unusual phenomenon.
AS he reached the landing below deaf
ening explosion took place, and at that
moment Calvin saw the figure of a tall,
slender man dart away from the building.
1t was lost in the labyrinth of cars which
cover the tracks. At this instant the ex-
plosion occurred. Calvin was thrown
to the ground with extreme force.
A number Of tools lifted from
the floor by the force of the explosion
crashed through the windows. Calvin
did not lose consciousness. After pull
ing himself together he rushed out on
the tracks, Officers Donovan and Co.'S
tillo were on guard at the time at the
Root street crossing. They made q
search of the tower and were rewarded
by finding twenty inch piece OF
SHATTERED GAS PIPE
and 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 The door Of the signal tow
er was ajar and the dangerous explosive
had been thrown on the floor. The ex-
ploslon shattered all the glass front of
the house. In the cellar are batteries
used for electric signals. There were
HOO battery cells in the room and of
these thlrty-four were broken. Not only
this but the pneumatic tubes also used In
signaling were torn and twisted. The
whole system was utterly ruined.
1t will take thousands of dollars to
repair the damage. When daylight came
another search was made for more explo-
sives. In little shed at the rear of the
tower small bundle, supposed to con-
tain another explosive, was picked up. 1t
was soaked In the same substance and
was laid in an old mattress. The police
are afraid to open it. 1t was removed to
the town hall.
What makes the attempt more bastard
ly Is the fact that the outward bound pas
senger, No. IL, was due at the tower
few minutes after the explosion occurred.
The theory OF the police is that the wreck
ers hoped to blow up the tower, when the
passenger train came along to throw the
switch and thus
WRECK THE TRAIN.
Other attempts at destroying the property
OF the Lake Shore road were made last
night About O'Clock the Lake Shore
road received from the Illinois Central
train OF twenty-eight cars. While these
were being taken over the Root street
crossing the switch was thrown after
about half the cars had passed. This
caused general wreck. About midnight
John Fagin, ex-switchman 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 q train,