The Portland daily press., 1896-09-19
TERRIFIC EXPLOsIo N.

IERRlFFlC EAPLOSlON.
They Immediately started on tho run
to the nearest signal box which Is located
at the corner of Union and Commercial
streets. They quickly called up police
headquarters and reported to- Deputy
Sterling that there had been big ex-
plosion somewhere in that vicinity and
that they could not account for 1t unless
it was an attempt at safe blowing.
Deputy Sterling took in the situation
in a -nomont.
One of the night classes had just como
In to lunch and Sterling at once ordered
six Of the officers to start on the run for
Commercial street in different directions
to try and locate the explosion and arrest
any Suspicious persons they might come
across.
He himself lit his lantern and started
for the Union street box. He hurried
down Exchange strest and Moulton
street and turned
INTO THE ALLEY
that runs in the rear OF the Commercial
street blocks, thinking he might discover
something in the rear worth noting. He
had not got to Union street when he
heard the shouts Of the officers that they
had located the affair. He ran on to the
corner and found the patrolmen In the
store of the Maine Provision and Cold
Storage company, and here was the solu-
| tion of the mystery. One glance at the
safe was enough to tell the story. Ths
safe door wns completely shattered, that
is, the outside door, the inside door had
remained intact and failed the robbers.
Scattered about the floor were numerous
drills aud burglars tools including a
dark lan5ern that had been recently lit.
| The burglars had been bold indeed.
They had forced in the two big front
doors of the building opening onto Com
mercial street and cody gone to work,
drilled the big safe and inserted their
blast. Judging from the appearance of
| the safe door it was a big one too. Bigger
perhaps than they intended tor the ex-
plosion was terrific and was heard way
up at the electric light station. The
thugs could hardly have expected to fire
off such a charge without alarming
somebody. Perhaps, however. they
calculated on the charge forcing both
doors Of the safe, making a quick grab
| at the contents and then out and run.
| At all events their work was for naught
and the way things were scattered about
| showed they had left in hurry.
| Now comes singular feature. As
has been stated rs soon as the officers
heard the report they rushed to the oor-
ner of Union and Commercial street, at
Fletcher & Co. Is where the signal box
was located. Now the burglar or bur-
glars were at this instant inside the
| Provision Company's by the safe and
they undoubtedly
HEARD EVERY WORD
| that was said;by the offices in notifying
the box they started back up Union
| sire ct to look in the side windows of
the buildings. That was the burglar g
opportunity, and he skipped with scant
ceremony and did not stop for his tools
| lantern either.
| 1t was only few minutes after the
telephone was sent in that the police
discovered the big front doors Of the
Company on Commercial street had
been forced in. They quickly jumped
into the new Office, struck a light and
and the shattered safe and scattered
tools were most eloquent informants of
what had taken place.
1t was evidently the work of profes-
sionals and the kit Is right up to date
The men sent out. by Deputy Sterling
| all this time were scanting all around
the water side of the town looking
| for suspicious strangers
One unfortunate was gathered in be-
fore fifteen minutes had Eelapsed.
Whether or not he is implicated in the
affair remains to be seen. He was hus-
tling along the water sside :of CONNER
cial street toward the Grand Trunk rail
way, and was not Inclined to stop whom
| officers hailed him, but they finally
overlook him and arrested him. He
was taken to the station where he told
several con f1iCtinP stOrieS He told