Bomb attack
On Sunday 3rd May, a bomb was found at a reservoir in Penistone that provided water for many of the towns and villages in North Kirklees. As the newspapers reported, 'feminist literature' was found at the site and so the suffragettes were quickly blamed for the offense.
Here we have reports from The Sheffield Daily Independent and The Suffragette newspapers with their reactions to the events:
PLOT THAT FAILED.
Bomb found in Dewsbury Reservoir.
SUFFRAGETTES?
A sensational plot, attributed to Suffragettes, to wreck a reservoir at Dunford Bridge, near Penistone, has happily been proved futile.
When Harry Maude and Henry Hirst, employees of the Dewsbury and Heckmondwike Waterworks Board, made their usual round on Sunday morning, they noticed a lot of paper floating in the shallow water of the culvert to the reservoir. On making a further examination they discovered a broken bottle, five revolver cartridges and a knitted cap of the sort worn by women.
Gaspipe Bomb. Pushing on up the coduit Maude found a bomb, made of two feet of gas-piping 2 1/4 inches in diameter, and charged with powder. It weighed about 14 pounds. The fuse had been lighted, but, probably owing to the damp, had smouldered out before igniting the bomb. The need for a lengthy fuse, such as was used, is explained by the fact that there was no way of escape except by wading out of the conduit.
Had the Explosion Occurred. Had the plotters, suffragette or otherwise, succeeded in their criminal attempt, the results might have been disastrous to a degree, involving even human life. If the water of the reservoir had been released by the explosion it would have swept with terrific force on to the village of Dunford Bridge at the foot of the valley and poured into the Great Central main line, possibly flooding Woodhead Tunnel.
Suspects. Two porters at Dunford Bridge Station state that on Saturday morning two young ladies arrived by the Sheffield slow train at 10.40. They returned to the station about 6.30, and at 7:15 were joined by a lady and a gentleman carrying a handbag. The young gentleman proceeded to Manchester, and the three young ladies proceeded by slow train to Sheffield.
As soon as they were informed of the attempted outrage the members of the Dewsbury and Heckmondwike Water Board motored to Dunford Bridge, and spent the whole of Sunday night in the vicinity.
Superintendent Macdonald, of Barnsley, who headed the police investigations, stated that there was no doubt that the attempted outrage was the work of Suffragettes. Feminist literature of recent date had been left near the culvert. The police are confident that the culprits do not belong to the immediate locality.
Reward Offered. Reporting the attempted outrage at a meeting of the Waterworks Board last night, the board's engineer stated that whoever was responsible knew exactly where most damage could be done with least force. If the fuse had done its work, the damage would have been tremendous as it would have been impossible to stop the flow of water. It was decided to offer £100 in rewards.
- The Sheffield Daily Independent, May 5th 1914.
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| Anti-suffragette postcard. Image courtesy of LSE Library via Wikimedia Commons. |
STARTLING DISCOVERY AT DEWSBURY
Bomb in Waterworks.
HUGE RESERVOIR IMPERILLED.
BOMB FOUND UNDER A VALVE
DEWSBURY WATER SUPPLY IN DANGER
Information was received in Dewsbury last Sunday that an attempt had been made to wreck the valvehouse at one of the principal reservoirs from which Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Batley, Ossett, and other towns in the heavy woollen district of Yorkshire are wholly or partly supplied with water. The waterworks are the joint property of Dewsbury and Heckmondwike, and they provide for the domestic needs of over 100,000 people.The attempt which, if it had succeeded, would have deprived Dewsbury of its water supply, was discovered on Sunday morning. The story was at first thought to be a hoax, but it was later found to be perfectly true. On Sunday morning a workman going his rounds at the reservoir found, about a hundred yards up a conduit leading to the valve-house, a bomb the fuse of which had been lighted but had gone out. It was about 2 feet long and 2 1/2 inches in diameter, and was filled with powder.
A Daring Deed. The bomb had been laid at the foot of the valve tower and whoever placed it there had to walk in darkness through running water for about a hundred yards, The fuse attached to the bomb, an ordinary piece of tape, was a long one, and this is possibly the reason why it went out before reaching the powder, but had it been shorter there would, of course, have been a risk of the explosion taking place before the person the person who laid the bomb got out of the culvert. Near the mouth of the culvert were found some Suffragette literature, a Manchester evening newspaper of Saturday's date, some brown paper, five revolver cartridges, and a woman's woollen knitted cap.
One Hundred and Thirty-eight Million Gallons. Had the bomb exploded and seriously damaged the valve tower, the rush of water would probably have displaced the surrounding masonry and the whole 138 million gallons of water in the reservoir would have swept down the valley into the smaller Lower Windleford Reservoir. The banks at the lower end of this might have given way under the pressure, and had this occurred the whole of the contents of the two reservoirs would have been released into the valley below. A large number of mills, which depend upon this water would have had to be stopped.
£100 Reward. The matter was reported at the special meeting of the Dewsbury and Heckmondwike Waterworks Board on Monday night. The waterworks engineer stated that a workman had found a bomb loaded with powder under the valve-house and a fuse which had failed to act after being fired; also some Suffragette literature. Whoever was responsible knew exactly where most damage could be done with the least force. If the fuse had done its work the damage would have been enormous, as it would have been impossible to stop the flow of water.
It was resolved to offer £100 reward for the discovery of the person responsible.
-The Suffragette, May 8th 1914
Nearly two months after the discovery of the bomb, the Huddersfield Daily Examiner reported that the case was nearly closed. Although this was no longer classed as a militant act by members of the Women's Social and Political Union, it is still unclear who planted the bomb and other materials and why.
THE ALLEGED OUTRAGE AT DEWSBURY WATERWORKS.
The West Riding police, who have been assisted by a detective from Scotland Yard, have received certain information in connection with the alleged bomb outrage at the valve-house of Upper Windledon Reservoir, at Dunford Bridge, which may lead them to discontinue any further investigation. Since the bomb and other explosives were discovered the Dewsbury and Heckmondwike Waterworks Board offered £100 reward for information which would lead to the conviction of the offenders. It was suspected at the time that it was the work of suffragettes, but it has been established beyond doubt that, though women may have been concerned in the "plot," there was no intention to do harm to the works or deprive the towns and districts served by the reservoir of their ordinary supplies of water.
- Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 29th June 1914
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