The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11
BOMBS FOUND ABOARD
SHIPS SHOW Big PLOT
Police Asked to Cooperate
With Department Of Justice
in Investigation.

Mine small bombs In bags Of sugar
were loaded on the British tramp
steamer Kirkoswald before she left this
port for Marseilles IN May >. The
Kirkoswaid arrived in New York again
Yesterday and Capt. Williamson told
the story at Quarantine. When the
sugar was being unloaded, he said. one
Of the bags burst and a bomb rolled out.
Six bombs were found in this bag and
three in another bag. None Of them
exploded.
A. the office Of J. ". Eiwe,l & Co,
IL state street. agents for the Fabrc
Line. II was said that the officials
Of the line had known that the bombs
had been found since the latter part
of May. when the Kirkoswaid reached
MarselIles. These officials did not
make the discovery public. but en-
ployed private detectives and notified
the Government officials. So far. IL
was admitted yesterday. the investiGa-
ton has come to naught.
! Bombs were also discovered In the
cargo Of the Lord Erne. which sailed
from New York for Havre on April 90.
anu b1l III Iphllhhilts wv StllN
New York for Havre on May 7.
The finding OF bombs also has been
reported on other vessels the fire or La
Touraina has never been clea red up and
the Ninnehaha fire was caused by an
explosion of some sort In a part OF the
cargo which was not OF an explosive
character.
II. H.. 4. Jones, managcr OF the J. W.
Elwell Company. agents OF the Fshre
4 H. .L.t- ~ -t ~
has asked the Police Department to co..
operate with the agents Of the Depart
ment of Justice in running down the
bomb makers. Mr.. Jones said the com
pany had received various warnings that
attempts would he made To blow mp it's
ships and expressed the firm conviction
that there is a strong association Of
"anti-Allies" In New York who are pre-
pared to do any desperate deed in aid
Of the cause they support. All shipping
men know this, Mr.. Jones said. and he
did not doubt hat the attempt to de-
stroy the Kirkoswald was only one step
In a widespread plot.
The bombs found on the Kirkoswald
were described by one of her officers
as having an outer cylinder of metal
about three Inches long. filled with
liquid acids and fitted with wax tapers.
The impression gained by the officers
'iihl lIlt I'M GIG " VII TlildIl
mable type.
Capt. Tunney OF the Police Depart
ment bomb squad said that although
he was not prepared to say that there
was an organization of bomb conspira-
tors here responsible for the various
Internal machines struggled aboard YES
sells there was reason for a thorough
investigation on this theory.
The investigators believe that the in
iammable bombs were not intended to
cause any violent explosion. but to
burst into flame when in the heat of the
steamship holds. II also was said yes
terday that the metal container was one
that would melt and no trace of the
cause OF the fire would be found.
One of the steamship men interested
said last night that thu identity of the
men in the bomb placing ring and OF
those who did the actual smuggling of
the bombs into the hold OF the kirkos-
wald Is known to the Government and
that arrests are expected, Tn group
behind the campaign. he said, Is thor
oughly organized and plentifully sup
piled with money. The membership Of
the group will furnish a sensation, he
said, IL made public.
No cranks or insane men OF the
stamp Of Erich Muenter, the man who
tried to murder j. +. Morgan, have any,
thlng to do either with the directing OF
there operations or with the operations
themselves.
According to shipping men. the pur-
pose of the plotters was not only the
actual destruction of the cargoes of
munitions vessels but also the intimida-
ton OF seamen sailing out OF the port
of New York, in order to make 1t i'm
possible for steamship owners to get
crews for vessels bound for England
and France.