New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-04-13
HAMBURG LINE
AIDS HELD In PLOT
Continued from page !

and the French Embassy in Washing
ton.
Tunney held in his hand last night
a leaden bomb container about an inch
in diameter and four inches long. In
serted was hollow aluminium cup
resembling the war head on navy
torpedo.
This" said Tunney, "is what they
have been making over in Hoboken and
this is the sort Of bomb the conspira-
tors have been putting aboard steam
ships. What Is more. this bomb which
| hold now in my hand and which
is identical with two others that we
took from one of the prisoners to-day,
came from the steamship Kirk Oswald.
They we're found in her hold on June
Is. 1915, by one Of her officers, and
eventually il was sent TO the French
Embassy in Washington and later was
turned over to me.
For almost year we have been
looking for the fellows VINO made
bombs like that, and now we have got
them"
Becker, the machinist on the Fried
rich der Crosse, admitted that he made
them all, and made them aboard the
ship IN Hoboken.
Tunney explained that he had OBJ
tanned information from one Of the
prisoners that the bomb plot was not
as successful as had been anticipated
by the ringleaders and they put the
blame upon the New Jersey Agricul
tural Company in Hoboken.
Ii was planned that these bombs
should not alone start fires aboard
ships, bat that they be powerful
enough TO explode in one particular
place amidships and break the ship in
half
Somehow the chemist could not get
his fluids 70 work slowly and at the
same time be powerful enough TO de-
stroy steamship, and the conspirators
had TO be content with tn, output.
Becker admitted to Captain TunuCy
that he made about 200 containers m
board the Friedrich Ger Crosse. Al
first he experimental with zinc cylin-
ders, but they were not successful in
the tests. Later he tried lead. and this
proved 70 be just what was needed.
Bomb Ended Own Traces.
Chemical fluid put into the leaden
cylinder, according TO Tunney, was not
harmful until II came in contact with
powder contained in the aluminium
cone which was placed inside. Within
about three days after the bomb was
fixed" and placed aboard ship the
fluid ate through the aluminium and
brought itself in contact with the pow
der. This combination created ter
rife fame. which spread noiselessly
with great force and set in flames
anything within a radius OF ten feet.
The bomb actually consumed itself,
thereby leaving nothing 10 trace the
origin Of the fire. Many Of the fires
aboard ship set of by bombs Of Beck
er's handiwork were credited 20 spon-
tancous combustion.
When asked what he was doing at
the agricultural plant in HObokcn Cap
tain Won Klest said that 1t had been
used as n fertilizing plant and that
shipments OF fertilizer heavily laden
with lubricating oil were shipped 10
Germany BY way Of Holland, Norway
and Sweden.
Germans Outwit English.
This is where Germany outwitted
the British, Won Klcist said. There
was not much attention given TO the
IhnNNBf VI AfI Ai4tLtif BfAAhNf Aiif ~ ~
ish never suspected that Germany was
extracting the oil and getting her lu-
bricating fluids In that fashion.
Even the fertiizing manufacture be
came defective az the Iloboken plant.
according 20 Captain Bode, OF the Ham
burg -American Line. and he was sent
there by Captain Franz Won Papen 20
see why they were not putting more
oil in the fertilizer.
According 10 The detectives who were
trailing the four men arrested last
night, IL is believed that at least
dozen fires in this harbor were started
by bombs Of their manufacture.
Fire Marshal Brophy and Captain
Tunney declared last night that excep-
tion Is made in The big fire that swept
over Atlantic Basin about two months
ago. This tire they declared was in no