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Published 3:23 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

Reprinted from the Snoqualmie Valley Record,

January 8, 1976

An early morning blast which destroyed between $250,000 and $350,000 worth of logging equipment

at Cedar Falls, but miraculously killed nobody, is

under intensive investigation by the King County Police.

The 3 a.m. blast, which shattered windows in

both Wilderness Rim and the Edgewick areas and

rocked homes at the end of the Mount Si Road and the

Edgewick areas, blew apart several pieces of equipment

belonging to Henry King, an independent North Bend logger.

The equipment was stored near the offices of the

Mountain Tree Farm.

On Dec. 11, police had removed about 700 pounds of dynamite from the same equipment, parked at the

time in a different location inside the Cedar River

watershed. The police suspect that Monday’s explosion was the

work of the same culprits, although they have no definite

suspects at this time.

Treasury agents from the Alcohol, Tobacco and

Firearms Division were on the scene Monday morning

after sunrise, trying to piece together what happened.

According to one agent, at least two cases of dynamite

were used to blow up the equipment. The force of the

blast sent huge chunks of debris flying, crashing through

the roof of a garage and falling all around the target area.

(Police later revised upward the suspected

amount of explosives used. They were quoted in a Seattle

newspaper as saying that possibly seven cases of

dynamite placed in and around the equipment, was used.

Where that much dynamite could have come from is a

mystery at this point. King could not accurately estimate

the amount of damage on Monday. He surveyed the

scene, an expression of shock and disbelief on his face.

At least two trucks, a yarder and a caterpillar

were destroyed or damaged. The heat of the blast was so

intense that it melted cables on one piece of

machinery. The caterpillar was literally torn apart and was

lifted and thrown about ten feet the police said. They

based this judgment on the fact that the caterpillar was

about ten feet from what appeared to be a crater caused by

the explosion.

The explosives had been set off with fuse caps,

the same method used in the earlier, but unsuccessful

attempt. They would not speculate on possible

motives behind the bombing.

King’s equipment had also been the target of

less harmful vandalism. Prior to last month’s

unsuccessful bombing attempt, King had reported other

instances where his equipment had been pushed over banks

by vandals and that some of his tires had been set on fire.

Police had sealed off the area following the

blast until ATF agents could search the remaining

equipment, some of which was undamaged, for more

explosives. They apparently found none.

Several other pieces of heavy equipment were

parked close to King’s machines, but only his property was

the target, leading the police to believe that the

bombing was the work of the same individuals who have

been plaguing him in the past.