New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-22
BLAZE UNCOVERS
A SUBWAY BOMB
Negro Porter Finds In
fernal Machine Under
Burning Paper

Francis Jones, a negro porter at the
Manhattan Street station OF the SUD-
way at 12sth Street and Broadway
saw a flicker Of flame and curling
wisp of smoke beneath stairway on
the downtown side of the station at
$3.50 o'clock yesterday morning. Jones
ran for bucket Of water and dashed
it on the fire. Then he discovered he
had not merely extinguished blaze
but had prevented the explosion OF an
internal machine, filled with eXplo-
sives, slugs and pieces Of iron and
wire.
The discovery that he was IN the
immediate vicinity of genuine oomo
made Jones leap back so quickly that
he fell and injured his shoulder. When
Patrolman Adolph Won Bertheld
reached the stairway Jones greeted
him with yell Of terror.
go de lands sakes, keep away"
he screamed. 81 thunk it was jes'
fab, but she's a hones'-to-goodness
| BUM"
Won Bertheld gingerly picked up the
| internal machine by wire handle at
| tached TO il and carried it at arms
length to the West 125th Street police
station. A hurry call was sent for
/ Inspector owen Egan, Of the Bureau
Of Combussibies. and Captain Tunney
and Detective Coy, of the Bomb Squad.
Recollection of the recent dynamite
explosion, which partly wrecked the
subway station at 10th Street and
Lenox Avenue, hastened their re-
! sponse.
Bomb Crudely Made
The bomb was a large, crudely made
affair. A gallon can, Of the sort used
in packing tomato paste, had been
filed with a combination Of black gun
powder. smokeless powder and excel
sior. SprinKied through the mixture
were two wire springs apparently
from chair; a heavy piece of iron
from fence railing, half dozen
nuts and as many iron bolts.
| The lid of the can had been sealed
with a smeary mass of tar. Over this
had been placed another cover OF
pasteboard. Through q hole punched
IN the two covers an improvised fuse
Of cotton had been led to the powder
inside. The Internal machine had
been covered with newspapers, and
these had been ignited beneath the
stairs. The fuse itself had not been
lighted. but it would have eventually
led the fame from the papers to the
powder.
After examination Of the bomb In
spector Egan said last night that he
, believed the only result OF its eX
plosion would have been to hre th'
station. The amount of powder was
, not sufficient, he said, TO cause dam
, e0ing explosion and the slugs in th'
, bomb would have been thrown only
= short distance. He characterized i
ss "scare bomb" which would have
made much noise, but would have
caused no great amount Of damage.
No Clew to the Maker
J The bornb was wrapped in an after
r roon newspaper of Saturdays date
TLors was nothing about the inferns
, a.S;ne 10 afford n clew TO the maker
= Tbs wetting of the bomb by Jone;
, ~ Dolice said. destroyed the possibil
% ;tv Of finding any finger prints
| The finding Of the bomo cause
o. little excitement about the sta'ioh, ua d
: IS a. was light at the time, Jone
Dl va token 10 Kniekerbocker Hospita
6 f.s,. his fall, and later went to nj
no 49, 597 Ienox Avenue. Detective
nOI. Jo, CAPTAIN Tunney vislted MI
under under ,0st night and put him throug
= y a ySrsstsT6ay's SrcseI[6S' bomb was the thiT .S
,oS IN a subway station since IN
= ninning OF the streetcar strike