Morris tribune., 1886-09-15
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.

A Terrible Disaster Averted by the Acct
dental Failure to Kill the Signalman-
What Would Have Happened if lie
Plan Succeeded - Strikers Derailing
Freight Trains-An Ex-Switch man
Arrested-Labor Notes.
| CHICAGO, Sept. 1S-The war against the
Lake Shore railroad company in the town OF
Lake has broken out afresh, this time in a
new and frightfully 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 life.
A few minutes before the midnight hour
Friday night dastardly attempt was made
to blow up the signal tower of the Lake Shore
& 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 the explosion the
tower was occupied by James Calvin, the
operator In charge. His first intimation that
something was wrong was on seeinga volume
of smoke ascend up along the sides of his
post and I'LL the upper chamber, almost blind
ing him. He started to descend the stairs to
ascertain the cause, and as he reached the
center, going down, the explosion occurred.
At the same instant tall, slender man darted
out from a place of hiding near by and
started west On the stock yards track at a
rapid run.
The explosion was deafening. Calvin was
lifted from his feet and thrown violently to
the bottom of the stairs His hat was blown
through a window, and several wrenches fol-
lowed. As soon as possible Calvin regained
his feet and then ran to the center of the
tracks.
Police Officers Costello and Donovan, who
guard the Root street crossing, heard the ex-
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.
bundle Of loose substance, much
like cotton, from which smoke ema-
mated, and which continually spits sparks,
was picked up close by. The door leading
into the signal house had 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 were shattered
The air pipes running through the drum,
used in supplying the air for the signal, were
wrenohed 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
themselves derailing trains near the Root
street crossing, and every time escaped being
detected and captured The Lake Shore
passenger train, known as No. 12, eastward
bound, was due at the place where the ex-
ploston occurred few short moments before
it took place, and there is every reason to be-
lave that the intention was to blow up the
signal tower and then throw a switch and
allow the passenger train to dash off the
track into the freight cars that line
the main track for blocks, and but for the
utter failure of the f1end, 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, striking Lake Shore switch
AA1AA, was n4ACoVCu 10
o'clock and locked up in a mysterious man.
ner at the Harrison Street station. It is said
be was caught in the act of throwing
witch on the Lake Shore & Michigan South
arn 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 to
the Town of Lake The enpineer 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, a Pinkerton employee caught him and |
took him in charge Clark had been notified |
BY the engineer that Pagan desired him to !
run fast, and was being shadowed The at |
tempt was made after part of the train had |
,rossed the switch
At o'clock Friday night freight train
With empty cars was thrown from the Lake |
Shore track at Root street The switch was
thrown after the engine had passed over.