New-York tribune., 1901-07-19
INTERNAL MACHINE MAINS
1T EYPLODES AS BROOKLYN DRAUGHTS,
NAN OPENS BOX-A FELLOW
WORKER ARRESTED.

Edgar Schroeder a draughtsman and civil en-
Sineer. employed in the Typographical Bureau
OF Public Improvements. in the Thomas JeHef-
son Building. Court Square. Brooklyn mao ali
except a small part of his left hand blown OF
yesterday morning by the explosion OF IN IN
sernal machine which had come through the
mails addressed to John J. Kletchka. supor-
dinste dreughtsman The explosion occurred
Just before o o'clock, in Room No o9'
in which also worked Benjamin hoseh-
blum. a draughtsman and James Jacobs. The
deadly machine was evidently intended TO in)ure
Kletchka and the best members of the Adams
st police station squad spent yesterday ana
last night in endeavoring TO unravel the mys-
terious origin of the bomb. Schroeder was in
jured instead of Kletchka because he volun-
teered 10 open the package
Because Roseblum had had slight quarrel
with KIetchka and left the room when the nys-
.e-ious hoy was about to be opened the police
grew suspicious and placed him under arrest
He spent last night in the station house under
the technical charge of assault in the second
degree There is practically no legal evidence
10 connect him with the sending of the package.
The internal machine consisted OF a round
wooden box. about inches long and inch In
diameter. bearing the stamp of the Dixon Cruel
bic Company such a box as is used to pack
rencils or crayons In the bottom had been
nlaced some explosive. the nature of which is
not known. Into the cover, or cup when ntteo
over one end, had been inserted a short steer
nod at the end of which soldered double
cog wheel In the openings between the cogs
were fitted matches, cut that they were about
half an inch in length. These were held IN
place by a wire. Sandpaper had been so ar
ranged inside that when the cover was uh-
screwed the matches would be ignited and the
explosive set of.
This package, innocent looking enough, was
delivered on the first morning trip The post
man not being able TO get it through the letter
slot in the door left It with Gus Vogel. the
elevator man
Mr.. Schroeder and Mr.. Rosenblum were al
ready at work in room No 60, when, at o:4o
o'clock Kletchka came in, carrying the little
wooden box.
IT wonder what this IS" said Kletchkao walk
ing over TO Schroeder. Maybe JACOBS mas
heen getting square for joke 1 played on him
The other day Let me have your pocket knife
while I cut through this paper and take the
cover off" cop.oosa.
extending his hand and taking out MS hhile
The knife was around the seam. anu
Schroeder started to take off the cap. Ihere
were three or four sharp cracks, as the matches
ignited. and then LOUD EXPLOSION, 81 tIoos
fel back over the drawing table the olooo
squirting from the stump Of his left hano' the
fragments Of which were scattered about the
room -.
The police discovered that BENJAMIN Rosen-
blum whose room is at No. IS Winoughpy-st-'
had not spoken TO Kletchka in two weeks on
account of a quarrel. Rosenblum was graduated
as a scientific student from Rutgers Collese'
New Brunswick, v. J. The police are told that
ba haIongs 70 a Russian secret society in Pater-
son, n. J.
Tn his room all that was considered suspicious
was q small bottle labelled Physicians sample
norolyptoI' This is said 10 be antiseptc
and not an explosive, but the police are having
the fluid in the bottle analyZed. Detectives nave
been sent 10 Paterson TO look UP Rosenblum s
record and to New Brunswick, to see how he
spent his time while there last week
The police are not neglecting other enos OF
the case Yesterday they saw several women
with whom Kletchka had been intimate he nao
had trouble with his wife
An attempt is being made 10 discover some
easona HE motive which some Of these women
might have had In injuring Kletchka