The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-01-05
HAS A PISCAT0RIAL FLAVOR
WONDERFUL TALE ABOUT ExPLO- SIZES WHICH WILL FREE OUBA.

WONDERFUL TALE ABOUT ExPLO- | SIZES WHICH WILL FREE OUBA. Experiments Which Are Said to Have
 Taken Place at a Lonely Spot on the
 Massachusetts Coast-An Electrician
 Who Threw Up His Job Because He Got
 Frightened-Power of the Explosive. ! Lynn, Mass, Jan. 4.-Some occur rences have taken place within the last week upon a lonely part of the New England coast that may have a mark cd effect in deciding the struggle for liberty now going on in Cuba They have been nothing more nor less than a series of experiments with a very pow- erful explosive, conducted with a view to ascertaining its value in actual war; fare. An electric battery and other electrical appliances and huge kite were the important factors in the ex- periments, which resulted to the entire satisfaction of the men engaged in making them.
 An agent of the Cuban junta, New York chemist, and Lynn electrician were the men who conducted the ex- pertinent, and with them was the rep- resentative of a. New York newspaper, who apparently had the inside track, but was sworn to secrecy until, in the opinion of the agent, it was safe to give the facts to the public through the medium of that particular paper. An- other trial of the explosive was to oc- cur Wednesday and the chemist and agent of the junta are waiting in a New England town for the time agreed upon, when the electrician was to meet them again.
 It is very doubtful, however, if the electrician shows up, as he is a very | badly frightened man, and, notwith- standing the fact that he was we'll paid for his services, he is about ready to wash his hands of the whole business. In a manner purely accidental a rep- resentative of the New England Asso- ciated Press was put into possession of facts, among them the name and ad- dress of the Lynn electrician, the placa and date of the experiments, and the name of the New York chemist, which is Robinson. The Lynn man absolute lily refused to talk for publication, al- though he does not deny the state ments here given.
 I The experiments took place last F'ri- day but a few miles from the mouth of the Merrimack river and several miles away from any inhabitation. The country for several miles around was carefully patrolled and the exper- limenters got at once to work. A trench was dug in the sand below high- water mark and quantity of the explosive, with a illuminate cap to which was att ltached the wires of the battery, was Icarefully laid and covered. The men carefully unreeling the wire, retreated to distance of nearly a mile and then exploded the mine. The concussion of the explosion threw them flat to the ground even at that distance away. An immense hole was torn in the sand, and long furrows were turned up for hundreds of feet in every direction.
 The kite was then brought into oper- ation. To it was attached about twen- ty pounds of the explosive, with cap for setting it off and wound around the cord were the two wires of the battery. The kite was so manipulated as to fly in the air about seventy-five feet above the ruin of a big barn in the vicinity of which were four large trees. The men were fully a mile and g. quar- ter away when the explosion was dis charged with report that was deafen- ing.
 The ruins of the barn went up in a cloud of dust and the trees were blown practically into toothpicks.
 The electrician was thrown to tho ground 1nsensible, and did not recover for several minutes. The Cuban agent was highly gratif1ed at the success of the kite flying, regarding 1t as proof that a kite could be sent over an ere- my's lines and the explosive discharged with great effect. Arrangements were made for further experiments on Wed- nednesday of this week, and the party separated.
 Whether this further meeting will take place is problematical. It is safe to say that the Lynn man with have nothing further to do with 1t, for req sons best known to himself He is much excited and not a little scared that the facts have become known. The Lynn man evidently thinks, too, that he will be held responsible for making the story public, although he has absolutely refused to give out any information. and that the Cubans may. in consequence, revenge themselves for what they regard as treachery. Mean time his associates are preparing for another trial and it may take place 1 without him