Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-02-11
DYNAMITERS, AT WORK
 TRIED TO WRECK BRIDGE
Residents of Ansonia Startled Midnight-Explosio
 Was Heard Several Miles Away-.At to
 Dynamite the Bridge Said to be the Outcome of Labor Trouble--The Affair Has Been BrewI sl ing for Some Time.

Ansonia, Feb 11.--A terrific expfu4 sion, whicA. shook buildings and rattIed
 windows within radius of half q mile. and heard fot. two or three tniIea around here, startled the residents oE this city, near midnight, last nighui The loud report was the result of a1x attempt to dynamite the new steel
 bridge being erected over the Naugal tuck river on the Berkshire division oE 1 the New York, New Haven and Harta ford railroad and is the cuImination probably of labor troubles connected with the erection of the structure It was about 11:45 when the exploa sion occurred, fifteen minutes befor6 the Owl train on the Berkshire div1a{ ion, running between New Haven and
 Waterbury. nightly traverses this see{ ton of the road, and had the damagS Intended been done the structure would probably have been a total wreck tn{ day. Watchman E. E. Bacon of Boston an employe of the Boston Bridge Col which Is in charge of the work. waS on guard as usual at the scene Of ina operations hast night but at the tina or the crash was inside little round- house getting warm. When the eas ploslon occurred he rushed from th& little building just in time to see tWf men making their way down tl1R tracks toward Derby and disappeaa In the darkness. "
 He immediately made an inyestfoa4 ton of the scene. examining first fls& temporary spile bridge which Ia Iog caIed Just west of the site of the nap3 bridge. and over which the midnigfsH tra1n would soon pass, His exarnfna3 ton disclosed no damage here, and tho Owl train appearing on time. was aIl lowed to pass.
 The watchman then turned his afa tention toward the new structure and round that dynamite had been usest at the base of a large travelling crane m an attempt to blow 1t uD For lnss past two weeks the bridge nnen havs3 been employed erecting a huge crane TOT the purpose of handling the fiftyx ron gfrders which are to be used in the structure. This crane consists Of two uprights, fifty feet high, In the shape of an inverted triangle and placed at distance of twenty feet apart, and joined at the top by heavv arms over which travels the carriers.
 In the crotch of these uprights and at the base, sticks of dynamite were placed, and were attached by fuse over twenty feet long. Had tho dyna4 mite acted as exported, there would! have been two explosions, calculated to cripple both, uprights, but the com meeting fuse failed to burn it's entire length.
 Tn the crotch of this second uprf1hfA which stood close to the trestIe. sir sticks of dynamite, each a foot IonM and an inch thick. were found this morning the fuse connecting the sama having burned out when half co1h1 stunned.
 Little damage was done by the ex4 plosion, only two bolts being brokeul by the force Those who did tha deeH evidently had little knowledge Of ffa use of the explosive, as it was sirnpIv placed in the cotch of the upright ura2 covered.
 The Boston company was notffied ~ the trouble as well as the local poIYcekI and an attempt is being made to catcln the culprits. It is believed to be tha work or union men or sympathiEsrs7 as a determined effort has been mad& since the advent of the bridge men tol this city to make them join the unfon.I and the employees have shown just aa much of q determined opposition.
 Trouble over this matter has. bee7T brewing for some time and the atterlDH to dynamite the bridge last nighf f5 believed to be the result of this coI1S fict.