New-York tribune., 1922-08-15
Train BonlIDers
known to North
Bergen Police
Chief Marcy Declines to
Say Whether Suspects
Are Strikers Taken ct the
Scene of Railroad Blast
UnionsQ Question Members
Shopmen Diselaim Part i'm
West Shore Explosion
That Hurt 20 Passengers

Chief Leonard Marcy of the North
Bergen, N. j., police said last night
that he knew who had dynamited a
West Shore train Sunday night, injur-
ing score Of passengers and endan-
gering the lives Of hundreds of others.
II will not make an arrest until the
case is complete" said Chief Marcy,
"but am in possession of important
facts. Those responsible will not get
away Two bombs were used, two
sticks Of dynamite in each. These
were placed about thirty feet from the
north end OF the West Shore bridge
over the Erie railroad tracks at Gran
ton Junction. Had the bridge been
destroyed two railroad lines would
have been tied up. 1t was only good
fortune that prevented a great loss of
life"
Union Questions Strikers
Members of the shop crafts strike
committee representing the six locals
of the Granton shops involved in the
strike were frankly disturbed by the
outrage All Of their men were asked
to account for their time Sunday night.
"a thing Of this kind would do our
cause far more harm than good" said
Alexander Lax, vice-chairman of the
Granton shop crafts strike committee.
1--WE do not believe any Of our men
had anything whatever to do with the
explosion. In the first place, it would
be a blow at our friends, the men of
the railroad brotherh oods, who are
supporting US Loyalty.
"Since the explosion we have been
in touch with practically all of our
men on strike, and they have been
able 10 account for their time Sunday
night. If there is anything we can do
to clear this business up we want
to do it."
Others Echo Lax's Words
Lax, when talking, was one Of a
group Of strikers at the Railroad Y. NJ.
c. A. in North Bergen. AS he talked
others nodded approvingly. One of
the men said:
Ninety y-nine out Of hundred of US
are men with families and we are not
mans family. Moreover this explosion
last night might have killed railroad
engineers, conductors and fremen, the
very people whose help we need most.
Officers of our strike committee
went to the scene of the explosion to
investigate, but they were driven away
by the railroad police"
Chief Marcy declined to say whether
his information concerned striking
shopmen, who were halted in the vicin-
ity of the explosion Sunday night. He
merely reiterated that he knew who
was responsible.
Broken Rails Replaced
The broken rails and shattered ties
on the West Shore bridge had been
replaced early yesterday, and last
night it was guarded by New York Cen
tral special police. During the day j..
D. Roosa, chief of the New York Cen
tral police east of Buffalo, worked with
other officers of the North Bergen
force.
(, number Of experts on explosives
were brought to the scene and asked
to express an opinion as to the kind
and amount of explosive used. The sum
of their opinions was that two bombs,
each containing two sticks of dyna-
mite, had bean exploded on both tracks
of the bridge. These men said that had
a more skilled person placed the ex-
plosive the bridge structure would
have been thrown down on the Erie
tracks forty feet beneath it.
All of the experts and the police
were puzzled as to the means used TO
detonate the dynamite. The wheels of
the train were not employed, they be-
lieve, or else the explosion would have
occurred beneath the engine instead of
under the third coach Of the train.
John Early, president of the machin-
lists local, No. 144S, and chairman of
the shop crafts strike committee of the
Granton shops, came to New York yes
terday and reported on the investiga-
tion made by the committee to the
strike leaders at the Hotel Continental