The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-11
TORPEDO WAS EXPLODED
DeeE. Laid at Door of B0er
 3 Sympathizers.
othe 2 iuggest That Some Muleteor WE Seeking to Avenge the
 ongs Suffered on Board the Vessel.

New Orleans. Aug. 10.-What is re- garded as an attempt of a Boer sym pathizer to blow up a British trans port. took place shortly after midnight when a terrific explosion occurred at the stock landing where the Harrison line steamer Mechanician is moorsd.
 The Mechanician is carrying mules to South Africa.
 The explosion shook houses, rattled dishes and windows and awakened peo- pie for some distance around.
 Most of the crew of the ship were asleep but the explosion brought them quickly from their berths to the deeck.
 An examination hurriedly made show ed a large dent on the starboard side of the ship. Two large plates at the wa ter's edge had been sprung and con- siderable water was let into the ship.
 The pumps were immediately put to work and when daylight came 1t was found that the vessel was in no dan ger of sinking and that the damage done was not serious.
 The crew of the vessel denied that there were any explosives on board and there seems little doubt. according to the statements of those who exam ined the ship. that the explosion was from the outside and that some sort or OOTnD OT IOTpSuO hdo bSCA eoO~'
 Alfred Leblanc, agent for the Harri- son line. visited the Mechanician early today and a report of the damage done was submitted to him. He said that three large plates. on the stanboard side had been stove in and that sixteen riyets had been broken oil or knocked completely from their places.
 As the ship was making considerable water, it was decided to shift the bal last of the cargo so as to lift the dam aged section out of the water. It IS thought that the damage can De quick ly repaired here. The agent said that the Mechanican would be ioaded wtn a.eargo of mules on Monday and get away for South Africa as soon as pos sibie .
 British officer who was on the ship last night said the explosion was ter rife and that a column Of water went h.eh up in the air and came down on deck. Captain Ball of the Mechanlclan' was on board at the time.
 Neither the agent of the ship nor any of the officers were willing to express theory with regard 10 who was respon- sible for the explosion. It was sug- gested in some quarters that It mlght have been the act of some disgruntled muleteer. Many of the muleteers who nave llIllc lO iAAAAN A~NS on British transports have returned with complaints of the treatment they received and a number of suits are now nending against the British ships Tn the Federal Courts.
 New evidences of the plot to destroy the British mule ship Mechanician were discovered by an officer of that vessel today. Attached to the anchor chain near the surface of the water was found a cotton wrapped wire about l2o feet long to which was undoubtedly attached the bomb or torpedo that exploded last night and drove in three plates of the ship on the port side at the water-line. Detectives are following up the clew and a search is being made for the place where the wire was purchased or came from. It is the belief of the officers that the persons who perpetrated the deed took the torpedo with wire attached ahead of the ship and set II in the stream where the current carried 1t around to the side, the time fuse ex- ploding after they had gotten safely away.
 The British officers here and agents Of the lines employed by the British Gov ernment for the transportation of mules and horses to South Africa. are much exercised over the attempted destruc- tion of tho MechaniCian and the vessel has been moved out in mid m with a double watch on guard. This is true of the other mule transports In port, the Milwaukee being one of them. But for the torpedo exploding where bulk head sustained the plates, the vessel would undoubtedly have been sunk. Mules will be taken on Monday and the ship will proceed on her trip 70 East London. She will probably go in' to Liverpool, her home port, for dock