The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-09-13
STRIKERS USE DYNAMITE.
ATTEMPT TO BLOW UP A TOWER ON
THE LAKE SHORE RAILWAY.
The Signal Operator Frustrated and the
Tower Badly Wrecked by
the Explosion

Terrible Disaster Ayerted by the Acct
dental Failure to XIII the Sisnaiman-
What Would Have Happened if he
Plan Succeeded - Strikers DeraiIina
Freight Trains-An Ex-Switeh man
Arrested-Labor Notes.
CHICAGO Sept l3-The war against the
Lake Shore railroad company in the town of
| Lake has broken out afresh, this time in a
new and fIightfuiiy dangerous manner The
| latest method is the use of explosives and an
attempt to destroy the property of the com
pany might have involved the loss of a life.
A few minutes before the midnight hour
Friday night dastardly attempt was made
to blow up the signal tower of the Lake Shore
u Michigan Southern company, at the inter
section of the stock yards and Lake Shore
main tracks. The attempt was made by un-
known parties, and was almost successful
The tower is about thirty feet high, and its
use is to turn the electric switches and signal
gates. At the time of she explosion the
tower was occupied by James Calvin, the
operator in charge. His first intimation that
something was wrong was on seeing volume
Of smoke ascend up along the sides of his
post and ill the upper chamber, almost blind
ing him. He started to descend the stairs 10
ascertain the cause, and as he reached the
center, going down, the explosion occurred.
At the SAME instant tail, slender man darted
out from place of hiding near by and
started west on the stock yards track at IA
rapid run.
The explosion was deafeniug. Calvin was
lifted from his feet and thrown violently 10
the bottom of the stairs. His hat was blown
through window, and several wrcnches fol-
lowed As soon as possible Calvin regaiiled
his feet and then ran TO the center of the
tracks
Police Officers Costello and Donovan, who
guard the Root street crossing, heard the cx-
plosion and hastened TO the scene The first
object that attracted the attention of the
police was piece of gas-pipe about twenty
inches long The pipe had been shattered.
A bundle of loose substance, much
like cotton, from which smoke eIna-
mated, and which continually spits sparks,
was picked up close by The door leading
into the signal house hal been opened and
the explosive, with the fuse attached, had
been placed on the floor,
The explosion blew out the entire glass
front, leaving large aperture The closets
covering the battery cells. 100 in number
were torn open and fully thirty -four of the
cells We're shattered.
The air pipes running through the drum,
used in supplying the air for the signal, were
wrenched apart, and the service was entirely
ruined. The damage in all will amount to
some Thousands of dollars
The mischief was undoubtedly done by
some of the Lake Shore strikers or their sym-
pathizers. Early in the evening they amused
thenselves derailing trains near the Root
street crossing, and every time escaped being
detected and captured. The Lake Shore
passenger train, known as No. II, eastward
bound, was due at the place where the ex-
plosion occurred few short moments before
1t took place, and there is every reason to be
hove that the intention was TO blow up the
signal tower and then throw switch and
allow the passenger train to dash off the
truck into the freight cars that line
the main track for blocks, and but for the
utter failure OF the fiend, who placed the ex-
plosive too close to the door leading to the sig
nal tower after he lighted the fuse, the act
would have been successful
John Pagan, u striking Lake Shore switch
man, was arrested Friday night about II
O'Clock and locked up in g mysterious man
ner at the Harrison Street station 1t is said
he was caught in the act of throwing
switch on the Lake Shore & Michigan South
ern railroad, between Forty third and Forty
fourth streets 1t Is alleged that Pagan
Friday night met the engineer of 10
comotive 562, and asked him to pull
out rapidly as he wished TO ride out 10
the Town of Lake. The engineer was draw
ing mainline freight train out and it is as
serted that Pagan approached the switch
after the engine had passed and had the
switch thrown about two inches, when Frank
Clark, Finkerton employe, caught him and
took him IN charge. Clark had been notified
by the engineer that Pagan desired him TO
run fast, and was being Swallowed. The at
Tempt was made after part of the train had
crossed the switch
At O'Clock Friday night frsisht train
with empty cars was thrown from the Lake |
Shore track at Root street. The switch was
thrown after the engine had passeJ over