Fifty years ago — Aug. 2, 1965 — the DNT reports of a bomb explosion at a house trailer used by Ryan Construction of Janesville, Wis., on a dredging project at Rice’s Point. No one was injured.

This was the fifth bombing incident connected with the Ryan firm, which has been involved in a near two-month-old union jurisdictional dispute between two locals of the International Union of Operating Engineers.

Sunday’s explosion occurred about 2:40 a.m. The blast tore a three-foot-wide hole in the trailer’s floor and scattered office equipment throughout the inside of the trailer. No one was in the trailer at the time.

The Duluth Police Department said that explosives apparently were placed under the trailer’s floor boards. Duluth police officers Clinton Bragg and Derry Gilberg, who were patrolling near 21st Avenue West, were called to the scene. They reported there was a “powder oder” in the trailer.

Two of the other four bombings happened in Duluth. The first was aboard a cabin cruiser moored on Park Point that was owned by Frank Galeski, who operated a service station that supplied Ryan Construction. The second was the pickup truck of a bulldozer operator who worked for Ryan. It was parked at 20th Avenue West and Superior Street.

The conclusion of the story notes that the Duluth News Tribune and Herald was offering a $100 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of persons responsible for the Duluth bombings.

It’s a Wild Mouse! Eek!
The Wild Mouse, 45 tons of steel and German ingenuity, will give thrill-seekers a wild and woolly ride on the Royal American Shows midway at the Tri-State Fair in Superior this week. The fair opens Thursday and continues through Sunday.