TRANSPORT'S NARROW ESCAPE

Evening Post, Volume XCV, Issue 23, 26 January 1918, Page 10

TRANSPORT'S NARROW ESCAPE

ATTEMPT TO BLOW IT UP

TIMELY ARREST IN NEW YORK,

RUSSIAN WITH A POWERFUL BOMB. A carefully-laid plan to blow up a [United States transport was frustrated by the arrest in New York? in November of a nian> carrying a powerful bomb on board a ship which was about to be turned over to the American Navy for the transport of troops. Tho prisoner (says the New York Tinies) is Matthews Vailiekounos, a Lithuanian, who was employed as a. carpenter in a shipyard, where a number of the German- ships taken over by the Government are being repaired. As a native Rus6ian, he had a pass to go to and from work. The Federal officials refused to give out the name of the shipyard or the name jf the ship, except to say that she was one, of the largest of the German liners seized here. The repair work on this ship has been completed, and ■ she will ire a few days be- taken ovei by the Navy for the transport of American soldiers to France.

This carpenter's, duties were in the shipyard proper, and he had no business on tho ship About 4 o'clock in. the afternoon he wae stopped as he was walking* out on ■tho pier and asked where he was going. He replied that he had business on tlio shipl. He was told, in accordance with a recent order by United States Marshal Powers, * that ho must bo searched.

This discomfited the man, and he said confusedly that he had suddenly changed his mind about going on the ship. Tho naval officers became suspicious, and informed him that he w^as to be searched anyhow. Ho protested volubly, saying he Would quit his job and never come back if they wouldn't search him. HAD BOMB IN HIS POCKET By this time he had a sailoi on. cither side of him, while others made the search. In, the loft-hand outside pocket of his overcoat was found a. steel cylinder, slightly more than a foot long and.th.Tee and one-third inches in diameter. When this was found Marshal Powers was sent for.

The Marshal ordered the cylinder to bo taken to the Brooklyn Navy Yard for examination, and' took Vaih'ckounos to the office of United States District Attorney France.

INGENIOUS AND POWERFUL.

Experts at the Navy Yard foundl the steel cylinder was >a. most ingenious and powerful bomb. What was more interesting was "tho manner in which it was made and the materials employed. A part of the timing mechanism was of platinum,, and .the infernal machine ftad a-n eleotrical detonating apparatus that wa* not macTe outside of a machine ihop, wifcn moat expensive materials available. One end of tho cylinder was closed with sealing wax. The interior was filled with steel filings, guncotton, chlorate and sulphate of potash. There was a. time-lock arrangement for setting it off by electricity, aad it was in this arrangement that tne platinum was used. Tho upper end was closed with charcoal. The Navy Ya-rd officials did not say just how much damage the. explosion of tho machine would have done, but they did sa.y that the combination in it formed a most powerful charge. In the meanwhile the prieoner was being questioned at the office of the United States District Attorney. Bom in ; Lithuania, he said he had come to this-country in 1913. The records of the shipyard showed that ho had been working there for. three months, the authorities not having hesitated to givo him the necessary pass. He . had done considerablo work for the repair of the' interned shipe, without having worked on board.

Mr. France pressed tho carpenter to tell where the bomb came ."from. At' first ho would make no answer. Tho prisoner is a. small man, about 35 years old. of slight staturo. Marshal Powers and Mr. France warned him that he had committed what was a capital offence in time of war. and advised him to toll who ho was working for in carrying the bomb on the ship. , Then the man told the officials .thai; ho had found the bomb in the shipyard. They told him he was not telling- the truth, and then he said that somej one had Riven him the bomb. Then tho officials tried to get more out of tho man, when- lie evidently became frightened- at tho prospect of revealing his secret, and would say Mo more. FACES THE DEATH PENALTY.. He was taken to the Raymond-street Gaol and put in a cell under a heavy guard.

While Mr. Powers did not say so it waß intimated that Vailiekounos might be told that ono and about the only way- to save himself from death would bo to reveal who was behind him in what he tried to do. ■ The prisoner is facing the severest penalty, and the officials not only want to know for whom ho was acting, but want to know is he had any accomplices on board the ship. The arrest of tho carpenter was the flrst instance of the authorities catching a man- in an actual attempt to cripple or destroy a United States transport.