The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-04
Explosion Rips Great Holes in Floors of Officials Rooms
Men and One Woman i'm Building Jared
Believed Work of Slaver>.

The most powerful bomb which the
police OF New York have yet gained a
knowledge of exploded Just before
o'clock last night in a court of the
Bronx Municipal Building. at fremont
and Third avenues. and blew the De-
partment of Highways room into
dusty mess.
Fortunately there was no one in the
rooms which were mos, seriously af-
fected, hu; the few persons In the
building were Jared from their feet
and almost stifled by the acr.d smoke
which poured up through a great hole
in the highways room floor.
Although the police ard county OH
c.als have no definite theory as t. the
reason for placing the bomb there WAS
a general undercurrcut Of opiriou that
it might be tho result %; the vigorous
prosecution OF white slaves whicl has
marked District Attorney Martins adj
ministration. lie has received many
threats. bu. his Office II not in th"
borough building
The force of the explosion broke
windows on a passing elevated train
more than 200 feet away, the ticket
chopper in the fremont station was
thrown from his chair and "A man 60
ing up the elevated steps was thrown
down. Many persons within block
OF the building were partly stunned
by the crash of the explosion. There
was a rush Of thousands to the build
ing and 1t took the reserves of three
police stations TO handle the crowd
One woman In Building.
The only persons IN the building when
the crash CAME were William II. Thomp-
son and y Harris Piser. watchmen ;
Thomas Dolan an attendant in Borough
President MathewsJn's once 'hief f.n-
gineer John W. r. Bennett and Mrs,
Mary Cahill of 80 West i62d ,treet,
who was waiting to see Mr.. Mathewson.
Bennett ana polan were Ia the Bor-
ough Presidents office on the second
floor while the others waited IN a room
on the first floor at the opposite side
OF the building from the highways room.
The building Is really two buildings,
three stories high, and separated by a
wide court. which runs parallel 20 the
front. The highway. room Is on the
court on the nrst nor al the southern
end of the from, building. with Nj.
Math.Wson's room directly above.
Piser places the time Of the explosion
AT 55 O'Clock |; seemed 10 him that
the building was lifted and then set
tied down with grinding OF broken
thinkers and cracking e shattered glass,
/ Glass vaiucd IN the halls and rooms on
all floors OF the building like hail.
Mrs. Cahili was badly frightened and
! ran about crying for help until she
found he: way to the front door ana
ran out and down he long ilIght Of
steps 10 Third avenue Piser. his legs
shaking under him. made for the De-
partmcnr Of highways room, from the
broken door OF which poured Volumes
of thick yellow smoke and dust, He
was blinded for the time aud turned
back.
" nen the smoke hau subsidized a bit
PiScr and policemen who had rushed
TO the building began to explore the
ruins % the highways room. 1t had
/ the appearance Of an abandoned at
/ tic. Broken furniture was piled and
/ thrown about IN heaps, and partition
! walls leaned crazily, with glass blown
| out cleanly.
! In the centre OF the room the floor
} had been lifted four fest from the
supporting floor beams. which had been
! cracked through. and a hole ten by
J five feet showed the interior OF the
! record room beneath, the records torn
! and scattered about. Looking down
/ through the hole one could look out
/ through the space where tho area door
had been, against which the bomb had
/ been placed,
The terrific force of the bomb which
Inspector owen Egan thinks must have
been composed OF five or six sticks oil
dynamite tightly wrapped was fully
shown by the shattered and powdered