The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-12-05

NEW Okk, DeC. 4.-auSsCii SaSCs shC
millionaire broker, escaped death by a
miracle today. his Office and the entire
Empire building. in which it was, being
shaken to the very foundation by the ex-
plosion of dynamite boom, hurled by a
crank who made demand upon Sage for
the immediate payment Of $3.50, 900, the
uitimatum being, IN case of refusal, death
of the millionaire, the crank himself, and
those employed in the Office.
Never in the history of the metropolis
has an event occurred that for the time
caused SO much excitement on Wall street
and lower Broadway. Fully $1,000 people
were drawn to the scene of the explosion.
and for hours the police were powerless to
bring order out of chaos 1t was just
2:20 when the explosion came. with force
that was absolutely startling, completely
wrecking the second floor of the building,
throwing pedestrians in the street to the
ground and startling people for blocks
around. Those close at hand saw man
blown through one of the windows OF
Sage's Office into Rector street.
A few minutes later Sage himself, with
blood streaming down his face and hands,
was helped out into the street and taken
to O'Connell's drug store, just below Wall
street, on Broadway. There also was car
ried the man blown from the window.
Within ten minutes after the explosion
DIR. Mum, the physician of Jay Gould.
was at the side of Sage, and personally
attended to his injuries, which proved not
TO be of serious nature. The hair and
eyebrows of the millionaire were burned,
and his face and hands hurt by small
particles of glass and plaster, the result OF
the explosion. Sage, though suffering
from the shock, made the following state
ment while his wounds were being dressed
man giving the name of II. d. Wilson came
to my Office just now. / had never seen him
before. He had a carpet-bag in his hand, and
said: "If you don't give me $1.25o,000 will
blow you TO pieces" ] knew nothing further
except hearing great explosion, falling on the
floor and reganing CONSCIOUSNESS here. The
man lying on the floor of the drug store is, be
lieve, the one who asked for the money.
When Sage's wounds were dressed he
was taken in cab to his home. Outside
of the door everything was confusion.
Men lost their heads, and rumors of the
widest kind filled the air. Twenty were
said to have been killed and injured. and
from the building firemen led or carried
the injured and dead. Ambulances were
summoned from three hospitals, and soon
the streets around were solidly filled with
a struggling mass of persons, all eager to
get to the scene Of the disaster When
the police arrived in force the building
was quickly cleared of all persons and
search made in the wrecked offices.
Just inside the door of the general office
was found the trunk of man in a state
that rendered recognition nearly impossi.
bic, the head having been severed from
the body. The pointed reddish beard gave
the appearance of an educated man, which
was enhanced by brown curls of hair and
a heavy mustache that adorned the upper
lip. When the body was taken up it was
found to have been torn into shreds by
the explosion.
The interior of the offices plainly showed
that the force of the explosion was some
thing terrific. All the partition walls
were blown down and the sashes and win.
dow frames forced outward. The ceiling
had been blown down and the floor forced
downward, rendering it unsafe to walk
upon. Desks and chairs were overturned
and hurled into an indescribable mass,
and every piece of glass in the big air
Suhib tIdi " tiic IOOl was SDlYere0,
Search quickly showed that the BODY OF
the man with the pointed beard was the
only one among the debris. In the mean
time the crowds in the streets grew larger
The elevated trains from uptown brough,
thousands to the scene, all impelled by
curiosity. For an hour confusion reigned
Then the police found their heads, and
something like a correct list of the killed
and injured was had.
But one person was killed outright. the
man with the pointed beard. He is SUP
posed to be II. d. Wilson, the man who
made the demand for money from Sage
and threw the bomb. Benjamin +. Nor
ton. clerk in the office. who was thrown
through the window. was removed to tn,
the Chambers street hospital, where h.
died at 1 80
The following injured were taken to the
hospital:
Frank Robertson, 20 years old, clerk for I'm
brie & Co, brokers. He was in sages Office a,
the time of the explosion. His skull was frac
;ured and he will probably die.
Charles ". Osborn, Russell Sage's cashier, suf
iered fractured skull and will probably die.
Samuel Calhoun, who was in the building a
the time, received a fractured leg.
tolpBct - y. CiOCuiu, UrOlDtE-ln-!aw o.
Sage and his chief clerk. was badly cu1
about the head and face. and when hi,
wounds were dressed returned to tn.
scene, declaring he had left the safe doc,
open and was fearful that the securities il
it had been blown out and lost. Quickly
gathering together what he found, h,
placed them in small safe and had il re
moved 10 the office of the Manhattan
Railway Company, in the same building
Charles James, railroad man and :
resident of Chattanooga, Tenn. had al
appointment with Sage at l. o'clock. anS
had an experience he Will never forget
lie says;
called at sage's Office st L O'Clock and foun,
him ouL seat was offered me in the main Of
fee. near the desk. / took IL and awaited sage
rctlra- sitting on q bench near the wall
noticed a man perhaps feet inches in height
He wore plug bat and had pointed heard an,
came in and, greeting me. asked ne into hi
private Office. sage had just removed his Ia
ard asked me 20 be seated when his clerk en-
tered and said something 70 him whIcA I dl,
not hear. Turning 20 me be said: excuse m
s minute ana passed through the door int
the main Office The door closed behind hin,
And pushed uy chair over % the Wall. sacint
the door which sage lad gone through Il raigh
have been two or three minutes when thi
explosion came. was blown nsAri1
10 the ceiling and the chair on vhicl
I sat WsS snasshsA IN r5eeex I fell down sfs 8,