The Portland daily press., 1891-12-05
PANIC REIGNED.
Russell Sage Injured by a
Madman's Bomb.
Big Office Building Torn
Almost to Pieces.
The Insane Bomb Throw
er Among the Killed.


NEW YORK. December 4. "A terrific ex.
plosion-GeeuTred-s at i2.25s clock this alter
noon, ln the esold- Bnlon, Trust Company
building. at 90, II and "a, Broadway. The
noise anG,shock were frightiul, and caused
panic In the entire lower part OF the city.
People rushed from their Offices all along
Broadway and Wall street, ard ran bare
headed Into the stree t. TO learn what dlsaE-
Ter had happened. Those passing In front
OF the building. both on Broadway and on
Rector street. were thrown violently to the
ground by the shock.
TIE explosion was followed by the
sound OF crashing grass and falling bricks.
Nearly every window ON the Rector street
side Of the big building was blown out
Here and there the entire sasn and part
OF the masonry had been forced out BY the
pressure from within, and came Crashing
to the sidewalks. On the Broadway sId',
the windows had also been blown out, and
me whole building was enveloped In a
thick cloud Of white dust, which poured
from all the windows and doors.
For few moments everybody was
stunned. Then there was a rush for the
building. 1t was evident that friShtfuI
damage bad been done. and that people
had been killed or seriously wounded. In
less than five minutes after the explosion
had occurred. Broadway and other streets
IN the vicinity were packed full OF people.
In the panic which had ensued everybody
seemed to have forgotten the FIRE depart
ment, and 1t was some moments before an
alarm was sent out.
Then there was cry that Russell SaRe's
oftice had been blown up by dynamite
had perished In the explosion. WashInQ-
ton II. Connors's Office Is next door 20
Sage,s Office, on the second floor OF the
building, while the executive offices OF the
Manhattan are on the same floor, but In
the rear.
The first information the yelling crowd
outside received OF the extent OF the dis
aster was when several oftieeholdeTs came
rushing out with pallid faces, some OF them
bruised and bleeding. and covered with
art, so that they were scarcely recogniz.
Mr.. Sage was found terribly bruised and
blinded, Dut alive. He and his brother-in-
law, Col. Slocum, who was also badly hurt,
were carried over to O'Connell's drug
store on the opposite side OF Broadway.
Several other persons were carried out OF
.he building to the same place, more or
In response to he fire calls several en-
gine companies came rattling up. The
men entered the building and began TO
clear away the wreckage.
The bomb which caused the
wreck was hurled by a crank whose Idep-
tity was not definitely determined. he
gave the name OF Nelson and demanded
81 200, 900 from Mr.. Sage. Being refused
and ordered out Of the office, he took a
bomb from small grey sack ne carried and
hung u upon the floor: A deafening crash
instantly followed. The walls and ceilings
came tumbling down upon those In the or
fees and the building trembltd to its foun-
datlon. Panic reigned throughout the
building. Every Cffice In the structure
was emptied tof Its occupants and In a
twlnkling people ran over and tramDled
upon each other In their mad haste TO get
down the stairway. People close at hand
saw man blown through one OF the win.
doMs OF Mr., Sage's office into Rector
Examination showed that Mr.. Sage had
an ugly wound on his f0rhead from which
the blood was flowing freely. There we're
several lesser lacerated wounds on his
head and he was suffering greatly from the
shock. He was placed upon a lounge In
the drug store and his injuries Immediately
attended to. BY his direction, dispatch
was sent DR.. j. r. MUM, who shortly was
IN attendance on Mr. Sage. Mr.. Sage
rallied quickly and was soon able TO tell
the story. He said the man called at his
once about noon and sent him a card
bearing the iname III. ID. Wilson," His
clerk told Mr.. Sage that the visitor desired
to see him Immediately and he left the
gentleman with whom he was converslng
to 90 to the outer office to see the stranger,
The man told him he must have SI,2OO,OOO
Tor Immediate use. Mr.. Sage seeing the
m an was a crank. began to temporlze with
him.
~ want 1t right away" said the visitor,
Il have lot Of dynamite In this bag, and
u ! don't GO; the money forthwith III
Mr.. Sage thought this was mere buster,
and telling the man to get out, turned to 20
back to his private Office.
Then / can't have it2" said the man.
well, here's this" After that Mr.. Sage
said he knew nothing until be found him
self ON lounge in the drug store. After
his wounds were dressed and he had re-
covered somewhat from the shock, Mr.,
Sage was taken home In a cab.
The police cleared the building OF all
persons ana made search In the WRECKED
offices. The Interior offices showed the
t0rce OF the explosion TO have been some
thing terrific. All the partitioa walls were
blown down, and the sashes and window
frames forced outward. The ceiling had
been torn down and the floor fore, down
wards rendering II unsafe to walk upon.
Desks and chairs were overturned, and
every piece Of glass In the big air shaft
that ran to the roof had been shiVerCd into
thousands OF particles.
just inside Of the door Of the general
office was found the body Of a mar. The
q.
man bad pointed reddish beard. brown
curly hair and heavy moustacne. The
whole lower part Of the body was shattered
to pieces The right arm was missing, as
was the left leg. The remains are sup
posed TO be "H. d. Wils0D," who threw
the bomb. He seems to have been the only
person kill outright.
Benjamin ID. Norton was the man blown
through tbe window. He was a clerk ih
the Ctiee OF Mr.. Sage and was removed to
the Chambers street hospital, where ho
died at 80 o'clock while under an Opere-
tion Tor fracture Of the skull. His injuries
consisted of fracture Of the skull, burns Of
the faea aud II Jllles. He was a resident
OF Far Rockaway, l.. 1. He was 25 years
old. Reports which could not be verified
Increased the number Of those killed.
The probabilities are that not more than
two persons met death. The injured ars
all doing well. though some are seriously
hurt ana several have already made ante
m0ltem statements. The list comprises
Col. John J. Slocum Of this city, brother
ln.lsw q Mr; Sage, and cashier In bis
Office; w. x. Laidlow, clerk in Mr.. Sags's
office; @. w. Osborne. Of Brooklyn, clerk
whose condition Is dangerous; Frank Rob
erts0n, a brokers' clerk, condition critical;
Frank Menzle, stenogrhpher In Mr.. Sagu's
ofhce; ). q. Calhoun, telegraph operator,
living In Brooklyn, and 4. ). Morrison,
who has an office in the building. Thre@
street hospital and had their wounds
dressed
RUSSELL Sage, Jr., states his father 70
ceived three or four threatening letters OF
late signed James Waslsh. Ia
them the writer demanded
81. .2O0. 900, as he was about to marry two
women, widows Of Spin0la and Mannheim,
and ne wanted money to put him on their
financial level. Mr. Sage paid no atten-
tiOn to the letters. although the writer
threatened his life. They were assumed
to be the productions OF o harmless luna
tic"
Inspector Byrnes tonight took to Mr..
Sage's house, the head OF the man found
dead In Mr.. oage's office. MIR. Sage identi-
fed the head as belonging to the man who
threw the bomb. An Albany despatch
says 1t Is believed the dynamite crank was
Hiram II. Wilson, formerly press corres-
pondent at Glen Falls, who became insane.
Wilson ran hotel for some time at Lake
George. He was sent 10 several Insane
asylums, and escaped from each.
GENERAL NEWS.