The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-02-25
New York Authorities Are Un-
able to Explain Strange Haul
Being ReckIessIy Handled
by Draymen - Lodging
House Found to Be Arsenal
PANDEM0NIUM ENSUES IN
CHELSEA PIER DISTRICT
Rifles and Machine Guns Are
Found ScantiIy Covered in
Coal Bin of a Rooming
House-TWo Men Escape as
Officers Approached Scene

NEW YORK, Feb. 24.-The
seizure of rs cases of hand gre
nades and high explosives being
unloaded from truck into base
ment in the Chelsea pier district
tonight, led to the discovery of 100
more cases, which had been Sc
GREETED in river front lodging
house.
A few minutes later city and
federal authorities uncovered in
the same building 200 rifles, 20
machine guns and large quantities
Of steel jacketed machine gun am
mulition in belts.
The explosives, in huge packing
cases, were addressed to rs. G. S.,
New York. and to arthur Lei
binger, 263 West Thirty-fourth
street. III were labelled "Pre-
caution, high explosives; handle
with care.
Edward and Patrick Howey,
brothers, who claimed to own the
moving van when the explosives, in
huge packing cases, were being
sllidded along plank into the
basement, were arrested, as was
Joseph O'Buryne, proprietor of the
lodging house.
Patroimnn Suspic.ons.
Two others engaged in unloading
the munitions when a patrolman be-
came suspicious and ummoned police
and secret service agents escaped. A
hale dozen tenants of the lodging
house also were taken to headquar-
ters to be questioned.
The Howey brothers claimed to
have hauled tie seize cargo from "a
red brick warehouse on River street.
Hoboken, N. j.. at the instance of
the two men who escaped, whose
names they claimed not to know.
Authorities of every division of the
local and federal S...ice system sur
rounded the property where the sez-
ure occurred and Immediately be-
gan ripping open the packing cases
in the lodging house arsenal They
found hand grenades, loaded and set
rifle grenades, smokeless gunpowder,
safety cartridges, machine guns,
rifles ammunition, iron bombs and
quantities of iron rods, the purpose
of which was not known.
Pandemonium ensued at the lodg-
ing house when the poIcc and fed
eral agents swarm-u around and be-
gan breaking open the packing
crates, revealing their contents, and
ransacking the place for more. Wom-
en- dodgers ran screaming to the
street, and tCod, with a few hundred
other spectators, outside the armed
corden thrown about the building.
o O O
Investigators Amazed.
Tho irfveSfipatOrS ware Frank in
expressing surprise at the reckless
ness with which the explosives had
been handled and stored. The gren-
AIDES. some dozens of them all primed,
We're in black leather bags. Hidden
behind crude partitions the rifles and
machine guns were found and. scant-
lily covered by layers of coal, the am
muntion.
Tenants of lodging house said they
had seen the same truck deposit a
load in the basement last night and
at other times. as long as ago as last
September.
Tons CT explosives were housed in
the building, the authorities learned
enough to blow up "a fair-sizcd
city" as they put it. Tenements adj
joining the Sailors Inn were speedily
empted of occupants as the news
spread and it was not until long after
midnight, when it was assured the
police would guard the arsenal care
fully and remove it at daybreak, that
the neighborhood went to bed.