The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-12-26
AN INTERNAL MACHINE.
How Waltham's Brave Men Devitalized
the Fearful Box.

How Waltham's Brave Men Devitalized
the Fearful Box.
Junk-dealer Gibson of Waltham, Mass,
bought lot of second hand furniture from
an Auburndaie family about six months
ago. With it was queer looking zinc box,
which the lady who sold it declared to have
come from Germany. A doctor said it
looked like an Internal machine, and after
Russell Sage had been blown up Gibson
thought Of the box and examined it more
closely. In it was a can as big as a pre-
served tomato receptacle aud four glass bot
ties. They were marked "nitro-g ycerine,
% per cent"
Gibson put the bottle back and remem-
bered that he had important business else
where just then. The police and fire de-
paTtments were notified. but manifested a
coy reluctance to trouble the box. and even
the offer of SO failed to render the spot
any more attractive to the village Hamp-
dens, who. from sale distance waited for
the shop 10 weigh anchor and sail skyward.
However two men OF nerve were found,
c. +. Stone, cashier of the savings bank,
and Dr. II. |. johnson. who took their lives
IN their hands and examined the suspicious
stuff. They couldn't say what 1t was, but
they handled it with extreme care. 1t was
decided to take the bottles to a remote place
in the woods and shoot al them. Two
o'clock was the time appointed.
At that hour the procession moved. Chief
of Police Mckenna led the van, and then
came the head of the Fire Department,
Chief Parks. DR.. johnson and Cashier
Stone together approached the Junk SHOP
At respectful interval stood 100 men and
boys, some of whom carried umbrellas,
doubtless with the expectation that they
might need shelter from finely comminuled
shower OF human flesh, mingled with brass
buttons and fragments of zinc, which was
liable to descend at any time. like mama,
from above.
The boxes were gingerly placed in the
supply wagon belonging to the fire depart
ment. The horse was the coolest individual
in the party, and cared no more for the ex-
plosives than he would have for SO much
oats, not so much, in fact. All the town
watched the cavalcade as it slowly, very
slowly. picked its way down Main street
The officials picked up aud threw away any
stones which might have ioltei the wagon
WheelS. A spare flre engine brought up the
rear. The Inhabitants kept without
charmed circle, and all the women living
along the line of route closed the blinds to
protect the glass Of their windows in case of
an explosion.
1t took an hour to get to Prospect Hill, a
mile out OF town, and some distance from
any building. Here the wooden boxes in
which the mysterious bottles had been
packed were placed softly as fallen snow
flakes on the hillside. and the convoy, with
horse ana wagon, retired gratefully. The
engine was placed In position. 100 yards
away, and a stream directed upon the
mysterious box.
Now was Watson Srearns opportunity.
Standing out from the crowd, the envy and
admiration OF the youth of Waltham, he
raised his unerring shotgun and took a
steady aim. 'Bangw went the gun, once,
twice. three times. There was no answer
Ing roar, and people took their fingers out
of their ears and looked disappointed
Heroic G. II. Lincoln advanced and found
that the shots had broken one bottle. He
brought what remained OF it back with him,
and Chemist w. L. Beekman of Boston pro-
nounced 1t real nitro-glycerine.
Chief Parks went after gunpowder. but
while he was gone more gunshots smashed
the other bottles with no resulting cata-
clysm. They might as well have been tame
rabbits. The chemists were nonplusssd
and took some Of the stuff for analysis
Boston News.