New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-06
PowerfuIChargeFails
to Kill, but Rooms
are Wrecked.
POLICEMEN HAVE
NARROW ESCAPES
Austrian Caught Near the
Scene Held on Suspicion
After Grilling.
STREETCAR IN DANGER
Cannon Crackers In the Street
Prelude to Explosion of
Dynamite.

Dynamite.
For the fourth time within a
fortnight dynamite was used last
night in a manner to attract ma
tional attention, when Police Head.
quarters was rocked TO its founda-
tions by the explosion Of a bomb al
most directly under the windows Of
Inspector Faurot. Of the Detective
Bureau.
Following on the heels Of the at
tempt to dynamite the home Of An
drew Carnegie, the dynamiting Of
the Senate chamber in Washington
and the attempt of Frank Holt to
use revolver and dynamite on J.
Pierpont Morgan, the explosion
brought Police Commissioner Arthur
Woods at express speed from Long
Island, where he had been working
on the Morgan case, TO take charge
of the investigation.
Early this morning, after several
suspects had been grllled, Mr..
Woods ordered that John Koss, an
Austrian, no home, be locked up as
a vagrant. Koss was found In the
darkness of a doorway opposite
Headquarters Immediately after the
explosion. Asked what he was doing
there, he said he could help the
police find the men who had placed
the bomb. He pointed out five men.
who were gathered in, but these
easily passed examination. Koss
was not so clear in his explanations,
and the vagrancy charge was pre-
ferred so that he may be on hand If
wanted.
He speaks little English, but talks
Italian fuently.
Holt Not Involved.
Leaving Headquarters, Commits
sioner Woods told the reporters
that the department had several
good leads, but he would not 90
into details. Asked If it was thought
the case was connected with that OF
Holt, he said he did not. He was
silent, however, when anarchists in
general were mentioned.
Coming on the first anniversary
Of the explosion in Harlem, in which
Arthur Caron and three other an
archists lost their lives, the police
are inclined TO think the bomb was
set off by Reds for the double pur-
pose Of ayenging their dead asso-
ciates and again showing defiance
Of the police.
The force of the explosion
knocked men from their seats in the
Detective Bureau, showered others
with glass and wood, wrecked a
large part of the basement Of the
Centre Street side of the building,
broke hundreds Of panes Of glass IS
far away as Broome Street and
filled the building with a heavy,
acrid smoke that hung about the
place for more than an hour.
SO great was the force of the ex-
plosion that a granite ledge on
which. the bomb was apparently
placed was broken as though made
of unbaked clay, partitions were
blown out of place, steel closets
forty feet away from the place Of
the explosion and separated from it
by heavy oaken door were dented
as though by rife bullets, and mar
bic baseboards more than. 100 feet
from the bursting bomb were
Clipped and broken.
The explosion OF the bomb was pre-
ceded by the firing Of four large can
non crackers in Centre Street at IN
tervals Of about minute each. Il IS
against the law 70 sell or use giant
crackers in New York, and Murphy, a
hall man, was sent 70 the street by
Lieutenant Edward F. McNally. on desk
duty in the detective bureau.
Murphy had just reached the door
when he was thrown against the build
ing by a terrific explosion.
The police believe that whoever set
OF the bomb thought that by eXplod-
ing the crackers at least one. II not a
group, Of the hated policemen might be
lured directly over the SPOT where the
dynamite was about 70 explode. One