, 1872-11-16
THE FURRY IN NEW YORK.

from three to fva years.
THE FURRY IN NEW YORK.
Scenes on the Stock Exchange.
From the Nc.o York SUM- Nou- 12.
Long before 10 o'clock, the hour for opening
the South street doors Of the Stock Exchange,
the vestibule was packed with 500 eager, almost
furious men,. The terrible earnestneBa with
which each tried to wedge himself still closer
into the mass, the restless shifting Of the crowd
the nervous tWitching Of faces, the compressed
lips, the strange silence Of friends, though
standing there side by side, and the subduad
voices Of those who spoke, all seemed porten-
tlous Of some coming shock, which men were
nev1ng themselves to meet.
On the steps to the subscribers and uem-
bers door we're score OF the best known
brokers on Change. Some stood there with
their heads jammed up against the panels, as
men who were eaTeadropping at the door Of
fate. The faces Of others were turned up out
Of the crowd with half-scared, half-sad ex-
preston. AL through the disquiet throng
than clung, and scrambled, and tore to get .
footing on the steps; among the palpitating
swarm that thurst, and surged, and swayed
upon the floor below; upon each, nervous,
idgetting occupant of the chairs around the
vestibule-you could see that ayaricious Terror
had set his mark.
As the doors fell back, shrek, a howl, vent
up 1TQul tub u1u1tlLHuG, 6S LQeY UHSQeQ lnIO LQ0
room. In minute the floor was lam1ned with
8 wTiggling mass Of men, from whom roar and
yell went up enough to scare the demons OF dis
cord. Here broker, with his hat showed back,
gesticulated to fifty wild and furious men around
him. Arms were raised, with ono finger extend
ed, with two fingers extended, with three fingers
extended, and the hand was flung toward the
speaker, accompanied BY yell. only to be drawn
buck and flung forward again With more violence
and shrlller cg. Then two or three men
out fingers, and shaking fists, and bowling
at each other until the saliva gathered il
foam on their lips. Suddenly another man
would rush in and join them, and begin the
same gesticulation. Another and another would
follow, until the crowd swelled into half the
room, and sbrieked themselves hoarse.
In the Lake Shore crowd the scene was like
an extract from Bed1am. Men bolabored the
palm Of one hand With the other fist. They
shook their fists IN each other's faces, thrust
them gui7er with earnestness; threw aloft their
arms with extended fingers, and thraahed the
air all around; shrieked into other mems ears.
and danced around, keeping up the yell and the
dgital action. From the Pacific Mail crowd a
horrid din arose, as if wild Indians, savagely
rejoicing over victim, were trying to give fore-
taste OF the torture to come. Men squeezed
and shouted, and made passes through the air
with outspread fingers. Here man, in his in
tense eagerness to make sale, would split the
closed in upon and almost smothered. Theirs 8
little man. in his anxiety to be heard, would
spring two feet from the ground and fall with
extended hand working back and forward like
In the Western Union crowd every man was in
motion all over. Heads we're quiTering mouths
were gaping, hands were houriahing, feet were
stamping, md dreadful howlings mingled into q
horrible roar and echoed through the hall.
Behind the rails the subscribers stood, moro
silent, but scarcely less excited than those on
the floor. Each man held slip in his hand con-
tanning the stock list, and noted thereon the
fluctuations from time to time. One would yell
out brokers' name, and soon the broker would
come up to the rail, lean over, and receive the
whispered order to buy this or that. Another
would stand and look on smiling, watching his
broker sell stock On his behalf at profit.
Amid all the disorder and dscord, the E1-
ish-gra Jackets, with gilt buttons, and called
out the names Of brokers or subscribers who
were wanted outside. Tho telegraph operators
clicked away, and their messengers hurried
hither and thither on the run, taking and receiy-
ing messages.
At about IL o'clock the elegant Vice President
called the Board to order, and announced the
failure Of two firms. a lull followed, soon, how
ever, to be succeeded by as great hubbnb as
ever. Things now, however, we're getting easier.
Stocks that had fallen so Ominous1y at the out
set began to recover, and men began to look
more like men and leBs like demons. But still
the eager struggle went on. Here q man
chuckled to his broker over his foresight and
good luck. There one man fairly hugged anoth-
er in his arms with delight at having escaped
the vortex. Yonder man stood leaning against
the wall, with almost a ghastly glare in his eya
and the pallor Of death in his face. His failure
had just been announced
At p. m. things we're spoken OF as better, End
so they continued until the Board closed
During the early tumult on the floor several
elegantly dressed ladies looked on from the
visitors galleries. Did they recognize in those
contorted faces, in those convulsed and stormy
forms below them, the gallant, smooth-faced,
soft-voiced gentlemen Of the drasTing-roou1, or
the amiable, unruaaed, gently spoken man who
kissed them good-by in the morning and called
gazed down with absorbing interest, and when
the gallery was jammed some Of them tried to
scale the windows Of the passage and steal q
glimpse that way.
Wien the Board closed, men who had eaten
nothing that day went of to get a snack and
take drink. But the majority hastened to
their offices to scrutinize their notes and calcu-
Late the results Of the day.