BOMB SCARE AT WOLLONGONG.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9802, 23 July 1903, Page 2

BOMB SCARE AT WOLLONGONG.

AT A 12th OF JULY CELEBRATION. WOLLONGONG, July 12. A very largely attended tea v and public meeting were held m the Town Hall m commemoration of the battle of the Boyne, representatives from all parts of the district being present. The Rev. Dill Macky delivered a lengthy address, which was followed by other speeches. Early m tlie evening twb letters were picked up m the hall, one addressed to : Senior-Sergeant Banks and the other to the chairman of the meeting. Both documents were to the effect that a bomb had been placed under the platform with the object of blowing up the place, and that it was timed to explode at halfpast 8 o'clock. As the writer did not wish to see innocent people suffer with him, the letters of warning had been written. It was suggested by the writer that v as soon as the bomb was removed it should be pla«ed m a bucket of water. The letter to Senior-Sergeant Banks was signed "Jane" and that to the chairman "A Little Sister." A search made under -the platform resulted m the finding of a cigar box, containing a canister bound round with a quantity of copper wire, and fixed up m a very suspicious-looking way, with a length of what appeared to be fuse attached. Acting upon the advice given by the writer of the letter, no time was lost m placing the box and its contents m a bucket of water. A subsequent examination by the police disclosed ' the fact that the canister was filled with nothing more dangerous than slack coal, the supposed fuse being a '. piece of discolored cocoanut fibre. The i perpetrator of the hoax had evidently ' gone to a deal of trouble, and spent some time m preparing his bogus bomb, i The audience was not made aware of the finding of the letters or the box during the meeting, which passed off with- : out the slightest disturbance. : Dr. Dill Macky left for Sydney before .< the proceedings terminated. , , i