The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1920-11-02
TELLS HOW Ships
BURNED DURING WAR

France and the United States for
nearly two years as the master mind
of the plot by which ships of the
by mean of fire bombs. is now en-
gagged in aiding the government to
clear up the mystery surrounding the
Wall Street explosion.
That remarkable situation was dis
closed when it was announced that
DR.. Scheele, after careful microscopic
analysis of pieces of iron and other
materials found about the scene of
the Wall Street horror had forwarded
TO Chief William j. Flynn of the de-
partment of justice a seventy page
typewriter report, in which he ex-
pressed the opinion that the havoc
was wrought by an explosion of fifty
pounds of blasting gelatin.
Following this announcement some
heretofore unpublished chapters In
DR.. Scheele's life were revealed, and
il was learned for the first time that
following his capture in Havana in
the spring of 1918 and his return to
this country as a prisoner DR.. Scheele
had placed at the disposal of the
United States government both his
knowledge of the German spy system
and his knowledge of chemistry, and
by so doing had aided the govern
ment agents materially. 1t also was
stated officially that he had turned
over to this government certain in
ventions, one of which related to the
loading of high explosive shells, and
which proved quite valuable in pre-
pairing for the defeat of the Teutonic
empires which Scheele had previously
served.
DR.. Scheele, who has a laboratory
at Hackensack. n. j., first attracted
public attention in 1916, when it was
discovered that large shipments OF
chemical fertilizer which he vas max
ing to Europe were a ruse to get GER
tain oils and fats into tht German en-
pire. Al that same time secret OPP
eratives discovered that DR.. Seheele's
fertilizer factory in Hoboken was the
source of numerous ire-bombs which
had been discovered slowed away in
infammable ships cargoes.
Scheele's partner, Charles Won
rested by members of the police bomb
squad, and the arrests of Karl
Schmidt, chief engineer of the North
German Lloyd liner Friedrich des
Crosse, and four of his assistants for
completely quickly followed. but DR..
Scheele slipped through the police
nets.
These men were all placed on trial
the month before this country entered
the war, and they were all convicted
and sentenced to terms in Atlanta
federal ~penitentiary.
The following winter they were all
placed on trial again on additional
charges, together with Franz Won
Rintelen, blood relative of the Kaiser.
who was alleged to have financed the
enterprise, and with some former en-
ployes of the Hamburg-American Line
and other Germans, and again the de-
PENDANTS were convicted and sem
fenced to the federal prison.
Still there was nc trace of DR..
Scheele, although his name figured
conspicuously in the testimony. He
was alleged to have been the brains
of the whole scheme for manufacture
ing bombs, while Captain Otto VOL
pert of the Hamburg-Amerlcan Line
and a German lawyer with offices in
Chambers street, New York. laid the
plans and hired the men to put the
Internal machines aboard ships in
that port.
Each bomb consisted of a piece OF
lead pipe with a zinc partition in the
center and with certain chemicals in
each end. The chemical action upon
the zinc would ordinarily eat through
it in five or six days, when the in
gradients would come into contact and
cause a confiagration. Most of the
bombs contained permanganate of
potash and sulphuric acid. The object
in slowing the bombs aboard ships
was to cause them to catch fire and
be destroyed upon the high seas, and
approximately $4,000. 900 worth of
shipping was lost through this
scheme.
After Scheele had been captured in
Havana, early in 1918, he gave the
government officials a very long state
ment, covering. it is said. every phase
of his career. He disappeared from
the public notice shortly after his re-
turn to this country, and no informa-
ton vas given out concerning his
fate. Following his deal with the
government the plans for bringing him
to trial on the indictments which
charge hin with connection with the
ship bomb plots were apparently
shelved.
Although months have passed with
out noticeable results from the hunt
for the persons responsible for the
Wall Street disaster, it has been
stated that the agents of the depart
ment of justice and the police have OBJ