Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-09-13
SHATTERED BY EXPLOSIVES.
The Switchmen's War Against the Lake
shore Road-A Signal Tower Blown
Up at the Town OF Lake-Derailment
of a Train of Laden Freight Cars.

CHICAGO, Sept. IL
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 10 the use of
explosives and an attempt to destroy the
property of the company which might have
involved the loss of life, few moments
before l2 o'clock last night James Calvin,
the night operator, was sitting in the signal
tower of the Lake Shore Company at the in-
tersection OF the main and stock yard tracks.
The tower is 80 feet high, and in il is ma.
ehinery 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 a column OF smoke arise at one
side OF the structure. Ii was bright moon
light, so that he was aware of the nature of
the cloud in an instant, and moment later
his little room was completely filled with
binding smoke which almost sutfocaied him.
Ca.vin started to rush down the stairs to in
vestigste the cause of the unusual phenome-
ma. As he reached the landing below, a
desfening explosion took place. At that
moment Calvin saw the figure of a tall, sleu-
der man dart away from the building. The
man ran west toward the stock yards, and
was lost in the labyrinth of cars which cover
the tracks. At this instant an explosion oc-
Cured. Calvin was thrown TO the ground
with extreme force and his hat was blown of
his head threw a window. Such was the
force of the explosion that a number of tools
were lifted from the floor and ashed
through the window. Calvin did not lose
consciousness, and, after pulling himself to-
gether. rushed out on the tracks. Officers
Donavan and Costello were on guard at the
time at the Root street crossing. They heard
the detonation and ran to the tower, near
which they found Calvin terribly frightened
Then .arch of the tower Was made, and il
was rewarded by the finding of a 20-inch
piece of shattered gas pipe. Close to it was
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 we're thrown of. A bottle
containing what is supposed to be 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 explo-
sion shattered all the glass front of the house.
In the cellar are the batteries used for the
electric signals. There were 100 battery
cells in the room, and of these "a were brok-
en-. Not only this, but the pneumatic tubes,
also used in the signalling were torn and
twisted, and the whole system was utterly
ruined. 1t will take thousands of dollars to
repair the damage. When daylight came an
other search was made for more explosives
There is a little shed at the rear of the tower
In this small bundle. supposed to contain
another explosive was picked up. 1t was
wrapped in paper and tied with black cord
1t 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
About s o'clock last night the Lake Shore
received from the Illinois Central a train of
lS cars. While these were being taken over
the Root street crossing a switch was throw u
after about half the cars had passed, causing
a general wreck. Fifteen of the cars were
derailed, and although no loss of life or seri-
Gus damage resulted, the contents of the cars
were badly shaken up. About midnight
John Fagin, an ex-switchman of the Lake
Shore road, was arrested at Forty-third
street just as he was about, it is charged. to
throw switch, with the purpose of derailing
train drawn by engine No. 532. The arrest
of Fagin was made by one of the Pinkerton
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-switchman, he
was walking along the tracks, and claims
that neither of them noticed the approaching
freight train until it was so 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.
What makes the explosion of the signal
tower at Lake last night more dastardly is
the fact that an outward bound passenger
train was due at the tower few minutes af-
ter 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 a switch, and thus
the train would have plunged into the mass
OF freight cars that line the side tracks The
explosion would have done greater damage,
had the door been closed after the package
was ignited.