The New York herald., 1922-08-14
TRACKS RIPPED UP
BY HEAVY BLASTS
Passengers Near Panic on
West Shore Bridge West
Of Weehawken.
CARS OF SUSPECTS SEEN
Police Investigate Statement
Men Visited Scene Just
Before Blasts.

A score Of persons were injured, five
of them SO severely that they were
taken to the hospital at 10 o'clock last
night, when a charge of dynamite ex-
ploded under a West Shore passenger
the Granton railroad shops in North
Bergen. N. j., about mile west of the
West Shore Terminal at Weehawken.
The train, made up of Ave cars and
known as the Dumont local. was bring
ing several hundred persons to the
terminal. The train slowed down az
1t came to the bridge. and was moving
at less than fifteen miles an hour when
there was a terrific explosion under
the third car. Persons in that car
said it seemed to be lifted from the
rails. Broken glass from every win
dow In the train showered upon the
passengers. A tie was blown up from
the roadbed so that one end OF 1t pro-
jected through the floor of the third
car.
Those taken to North Hudson Hos
pital at Weehawken were:
Anna Schmidt, aged 4, 646 Sixtieth
street Brooklyn.
Mrs. J. Terrific, 23, 2147 Washington
avenue. Brooklyn.
Mrs. Theresa Zyakaage, 80, 5s4 West
Forty-fourth street.
Miss Florence Duncan, rs, GAS Six
tieth street, Brooklyn.
Frederick Rathsen, 2. 224 Halsey
street, Brooklyn.
Passengers Near Panic.
There was almost a panic as the
train came to a sudden stop after the
explosion. Persons frightened by the
flying glass and deafened by the noise
of the explosion insisted somebody had
been throwing bombs at the train. But
all the damage was done by the one
charge OF dynamite, placed under the
rails.
Less than a minute after the cxplo-
sion and Willie the conductor and en-
gineer and a few passengers were try
ing to restore order, there were two
tracks only few yards away. In
stantly there was more confusion. 1t
looked for minute as if the whole
bridge was to be blown up. The dam
age done by the last two explosions was
relatively slight, but the first spread
the rails and tore up the roadbed.
Whoever set the dynamite---and the
police are working in the belief 1t was
done by striking shopmen of the Granton
shops. only few hundred yards away
evidently. planned TO derail all trains
passing on those tracks. Two minutes
after the second and third explosions a
westbound freight train passed over the
tracks which had not been torn up
sufficiently to stop the train.
The bridge at this point Is directly
over the tracks OF the S1squehanna. the
Erie and the Northern Railroad Of New
Jersey The dynamiters set the charges
under the rail some time after Q :45. for
the last train before the explosion
crossed there safely at that hour.
Darkness on all sides of the bridge
Increased the terror when the explosions
came. The bridge is in deserted sec
tion. although within a few hundred
yards are several quarries. shops and
manufacturing plants. There was a wait
OF about fifteen minutes until John
Wcndt, engineer. and Charles Seward.
conductor. took charge of the passengers
and crowded them back into the coaches.
The traip was able to proceed slowly
TO the terminal at Wechawken, where
there was more confusion.
Anxtous Relatives Meet Train.
Thousands of persons. many of them
relatives who were waiting to meet pas
sengers on the train. had received word
that the train had been bombed and
many person killed. As soon as the
train came In there was rush for the
coaches. The Weehawken police formed
lines and fought back the crowds with
their sticks until the injured could be
carried out. The FIVE most seriously In
jurcd were treated for cuts. shocks and
bruises Mt North Hudson Hospital and
some time later were able TO 20 home.
Within twenty minutes after the ex-
piosion officials OF the West Shore Rail-
road had ordered all available railroad
police to aid In the investigation. Chief
OF Police Marcy and Lieuts. Kennel and
Cuny Of the North Bergen police also
began an investigation. Lieut.. Kennel
said early this morning the dynamite had
been placed under the rails and con-
nectod with time fuses.
Because OF the darkness and the ir-
regular terrain IL would have been easy
for persons 70 set the dynamite and
depart without being seen. A narrow
road leads 10 within few yards OF the
tracks, and the police have, been told
two automobiles we're seen TO drive down
this road about twenty minutes before
thc explosion. These same two auto
mobiles. according to the Information Of
the police, drove back over the same
road q minute or two after tho explo-
sion.
The police sent out an alarm immed-
atcly TO stop all persons within radius
of ten miles who could not give an ac-
count Of themselves.
Railroad employees said that tho steel
cars probably prevented loss of life II
the coaches had been Of wood they prob
ably would have been demolished. AZ
IL was none of the cars was greatly
damaged except the third. though win
dows In all were broken.
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