Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-06-21

DYNAMITE IN ALEXANDaIA.-About half
past one O'Clock yesterday morning the po-
lice, as we'll as several other persons who
happened to be awake, were startled by
peculiar though loud noise, resembling the
sound which the bursting of a huge bag, az
ter beiAg inflated with air, might be imag.
iaei to make No recoi or echo followed,
and the noise having proceeded from the
northeastern section of the city, the police
repaired 10 that quarter. but after care
full search found everything apparently in
statue quo About five o'clock, however, in
passing the corner of Union and Queen
streets. they noticed that the frame Office of
J. Il. Zimmerman, wood and coal dealer,
situated at the intersection of those streets,
was wrecked. The glass in the windows
and transom had been blown out and scat.
tered in every direction (the largest pieces
hing no bigger than school medals), the
door open ana pieces Of understanding on
both siGes of the structure broken. Upon
entering, the safe door was found partly
open, the receptacle itself bulged out On all
four sides and the legs forced through the
floor, while the contents of the Office were
scattered pel NELL in every direction. Mr..
Zimmerman was soon notified of tho
discovery, and WAS not Ioug in APP
pearing upon the scene. Alter fur
Their examination it was fuuud that
the Office had been entered By burglars
through the rear window and the safe blown
open by dynamite, which had caused the
noi-e heard an hour or two previous The
composition used to force open the safe, as
stated, had bulged it out on all sides, driv
ing the legs into the floor and made an
opening nearly wide enough for mau's arm
to enter. The thieves had then prised the
door open with a crowbar and distracted
everything supposed to be valuable. For
tunately there were only two or three dol
lars in the safe. but the thieves carried of
lot of papers valuable to Mr.. Zimmerman.
Upon the matter being noised around, num-
bers proceeded to the scene of the explosion
and the lo:aity was visited by many
throughout the day. The burglars in their
work showed they were acquainted with
tho properties of dynamite, but they
had evidently moderated its power, hav-
ing used rather too much Of the explosive.
1t seems that they first drilled holes near the
lock of the safe, but atterward abandoned
the attempt TO open il there, and finally
placed the dynamite on the top of the re-
ceptacle with heavy stone upon it, and at
fixing I'll 70 retired to await the result. Dy-
Mantle takes downward course when eN
ploded, q fact the burglars seemed to have
understood from the position in which they
placed the explosive, but the quantity they
used was excessive, as it not only wrecked
the safe but tore everything out of the build
ing also. The police were on the lookout
for the burglars all day yesterday and to-day,
but so far tho perpetrators Of the robbery
are totally unknown, nor is there any
clue by which they could be ferre' ell
out. Officers Franks and Davis say they
were accosted by two strangers on the cor
ner of King and Fairfax streets shortly be.
fUrs the explosion who asked the officers the
name of the street they were on. The two
policemen followed the men as far IS Union
street, where they lost sight of them. This
daring burglary has created n sensation
in this city aud neighborhood.