The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-05-12
THESTEAMER THE UMBRIA'
The Police Notified by a Letter Pmp,rting to
Come From the Maf,, Find the In
ferna Machine and Purge
It Into the
Water.
(By the Associated Press.)


New York, May Am internal ma
chine connected with hundred pounds
OF dynamite was found in box on the
Cunard pier today. According to the eA-
pert opinion OF the superintendent of the
Bureau of Combustibles the box was
found and put into the river just in the
nick of time to prevent it from exploding
and demolishing the pier and the Umbria,
which was alongside and about to sail
The box was left at the pier yesterday
In an apparent attempt to have it placed
aboard with the baggage of the passen-
gers. The Umbria sailed a few minutes
after the box was discovered and all on
board were in ignorance of the attempt
to place an Internal machine aboard the
vessel The discovery of the box was
due to the following letter received at
police headquarters today addressed to
Commissioner Greene:
Dear Sir: The Malta greets you and
wishes you we'll At the dock is a box
containing one hundred pounds of dyna-
mite. Inside also is a machine, properly
set and explodes itself any time within
thirty-six hours
''The society has declared war against
England and has ordered the destruction
OF every steamer flying the British flag
that sails out of New York harbor.
The undersigned received orders to be
gin operations by sinking the Oceanic, but
so many women and children took pas
sage on that beat that the society's plans
were changed at the last minute.
The machine in the box, the first
made, a crude affair. is enclosed simply
xr.t.<
and to convince those interested that the
society is not making idle threats.
The society has undertaken to clear
New York barber of British ships and it
will succeed
THE reason for this movement the So
ciety does not wish to disclose, suffice
it to say that the society in order to
protect itself must carry the war into
the enemy's country, and it goes without
saying that it proposes to wage it as
ficrcely as il knows how.
This is the society's first and last
warning. and those who propose to pat
ronize British steamships must take their
chances in the future.
'The society asks and gives no quarter,
so lay on. lay on, McDuff, and damned he
be that first cries hold. enough.
(Signed) "PIETRO DEMARTINI."
P. S.-''The battery is not attached,
fuses without caps and lighters not set.
Consequently there is no danger in hand
ling the box"
The letter was mailed at the General
Postoffice this morning. Detectives were
at once sent to the pier and the search
was begun for the box, arrangements
having been made to hold the steamer
until the box was found or until it was
proven that it was not on the pier or
in the vessel. After a search of the pas
sengers baggage the box was found ir
the middle of large pile of baggage -ar
the gangway of the first cabin passen-
gers. Two detective carefully picked up
the box and carried it to the end of the
pier The passengers had no intimatioa
of what was going on, and therefore, no
one was frightened. The box was opened
and found to contain clockwork that was
in motion. A rope was fastened about the
box, and it was gingerly lowered into the
water.
After the Umbria had sailed the pier
was cleared of every one, except the men
from the Bureau of Combustibles and the
officials of the line and the box was
raised and placed carefully on the pier.
The box was found to be forty inches
long, twenty inches wide and twenty
inches deep made of new pine implanted,
of good Workmanship and strongly built,
the top being fastened with O. heavy
staple and paddock. A slight examination
of the box at the pier showed that it
contained 100 pounds of dynamite and
that the fuse in the box had been ig
nited at some time. When the box was
examined later at the bureau of COM
bustibles 1t was found to contain 200
sticks OF dynamite each weighing half a
pound. There were also two dry bat
teries and three fuses, two connecting