New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-05
Binoculars Used by Won
an Lead to Arrest in
Robbery of Vessel
CRAFT BLOWN UP
AT ARCHANGEL
Bombs Placed Aboard
Here to Hide Thefts, Rus
sian Agent Believes

Feminine vanity-the desire to flash
new opera glasses at a Broadway matt
aee-has led TO a police investigator
that may become international IN ITS
scope and reveal that the blowing up
Of Russian ships at Archangel two
weeks ago was caused by internal ma
chimes hidden on the vessels when they
were at Brooklyn piers.
In the arrest of Samuel Cater, a
Brooklyn junkman, yesterday, the New
York police believe they have blazed
the way to clearing the mystery Of the
explosion on the ships. The junkman's
wife exhibited the opera glasses that
put Captain Tunney and his bomb
squad on the trail. After the arrest Of
Cater, Captain Tunney gave the de-
tails.
On Saturday, November %, according
to Captain Tunney, stool pigeon
gave the detective Office a seemingly
insignificant tip-a woman had started
matinee attendants at the winter Gar
den by levelling military binoculars
upon stage and boxes. The incident
would have seemed trivial had not Gap
tain Tunney recalled that the CONNER
cial agent of the Imperial Russian En-
bassy, c. |. Medsikhovsky, OF "a Whlte-
hall Street. had asked the department
10 locate a shipment of binoculars that
had failed to reach his coutry.
Binoculars Worth $4,000 Missing
The binoculars had been ordered
from the Bausch & Lomb Optical Com
pany. Of Rochester They had oeeh
sent to New York City and loaded on
vessel of the Russian Volunteer Fleet
at the docks of the Bush Terminal Com
many. South Brooklyn. When the ves-
sci reached the port of Archangel, Rus
STA. part of her cargo was missing, IN
Guiding 200 pairs of binoculars.
The binoculars, the commercial agent
said. were valued at $4,000, and were
much needed by Russian officers. The
vessel from which they had disap
pearcd was one of seven that were
blown up at the Archangel docks on
November 10. The cause of the eXplo-
sion was as much mystery as the dis
apUearance Of the binoculars.
CAPTAIN Tunney detailed Lieutenant
Busby and two of his bomb squad 10
the case. They traced the woman OF
the Winter Garden % 50l5 Fourth Ave
nue.. Brooklyn, where they learned she
was the wife Of Samuel Cater, Rus
sian, who owned a junk shop at 275
Forty-eighth Street. Brooklyn. In
quiries brought stories of binoculars
being peddled along the water front
at $40 a pair. The officers yesterday
arrested Cater and searched his shop.
They found ten pairs of the binoculars
in the shop. These have been posi-
lively identified as part of the lost
shipment.
In all they recovered twenty-seven
pairs, valued at nearly Sl,S00. Then
the case took on new significance.
Bombs Planted Here, Is Belief
81 believe those ships were blown up
by internal machines placed in their
holds in this country" the commercial
agent of the Russian Embassy is quot
ed as telling Captain Tunney.
Cater was reticent. 81 am Rus
sian. was forced to enlist in the
Russo-Japanese WSr, but ! deserted
and went to Austria, and from there
made my way to America. | have been
a junk man in Brooklyn four months.
| am married, with four little children.
When asked about the binoculars
Cater shook his head. He hired an
attorney, Jacob Flowerman, of 1867
Broadway, and when he was arraigned
before United States Commissioner
Richard Calhoun in Brooklyn yester-
day afternoon the lawyer entered a
plea Of not guilty.
A formal complaint that Cater had
in his possession and disposed Of binoc-
ulars which he knew were stolen was
entered by George Cox, chief guard of
Pier G. Bush Docks. Cater was
locked up in default of $4,000 bail. His
examination is set for Friday morning.
Captain Tunney remarked on the fact
that the steamer Minnehaha, blown up
at sea in June, 1915. carried a ship
ment of magnetos from a Rochester
firm. That explosion was never salts
factorily explained. nor have several
thefts reported from merchantmen
loading at New York and Brooklyn
docks, several Of which later were dam
.roI btr avploeipne