The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-10

gether as to methods by which utter
ruin could be averted.
i. And now it was morning.
Inside the Exchange.
What was the situation at the foot
of New street?
The huge red brick building in which
the stock exchange has its temporary
habitation was crowded as it has not
been since May 8, last, when the North
ern Pacific corner reached it's culmin-
alton.
Anxiety was written on every coun-
tenance. Every pulse beat at fever
pace. Every broker. clutching a pack
age of orders to sell, held his breath
until the gavel fell. Fully six hundred
traders were on the floor, many of
them hatless and coatless-prepared for
one of the greatest battles of their
lives.
Veterans of the battle field insist that
suspense is more terrifying than abso-
lutte danger.
1t is stated that men who can re-
main quiet in the face of an enemy, in
the presence of death can be trusted to
charge a breastwork or take park
of guns
This array of brokers on the Ex-
change floor were as the outposts of
the reserve, masked behind office doors
men with their eyes on the tape, their
mouths at the telephone and their
hands upon the telegraphic arteries of
the country.
There were many such great operat-
ors whose faces were not seen on that
floor, whose agents were unknown, but
whose majestic power would be felt
before the two hours battle now inn
pending had ended. Is
There are heroes in commercial life
as well as on the field of battle.
Imagine, If you can. James r. Keene,
with his vast responsibilities, awaiting
the stroke of 10 o'clock.
Picture the Rockefellers, with their
hundreds of millions of money power,
hardening for the challenge to battle!
Above and over all, conjure up the fig
ure of Field Marshal Morgan, in his
marble tent at the corner of Broad
and Wall streets, impatient for the con-
fiict!
Battle Is ON.
The chairman of the Stock Exchange
ascended the high tribune. and, care
fully comparing his watch with the
clock upon the wall. gave four blows
of the gavel in lieu of bugle blast
/ stood in the gallery and saw it,
There was moment of lull, a half-sec-
ond's thrilling silence. Just as ] stood,
stood other men-thousands of them
hanging over tickers in hundreds of
brokers' offices, watching the opening
of the struggle.
They could not hear the musketry as
could l, but they could feel the thrill
and suffer the shock!
The opening gun was a sale of 100
shares of Canada Southern, one of the
Vanderbilt staples, at 6S, a decline of
~ points from the previous days
close. A scout then fired into the field
400 shares of Southern Railway at 81,
similar decline. Then the battle of
the musketry became general.
No stock ticker yet built could emit
the tape fast enough. Five minutes
later the field pieces opened.
Heavy cannonading began. United
States Steel. common. 10000 shares
preferred, 1900 shares; Erie, common,
10000 shares; Union Pacific 10,0 900
shares; Southern Pacific, 10000 shares:
Amalgamated Copper, 5000 shares.
The reverberation of these bombs was
tremendous.
The shock to the market was ap-
palling-it shivered, and prices went
off.
IT pulled itself together, as strong
supporting orders from the cool headed
men in ambush came to the rescue.
For moment courage and hope,
twin associates, would grapple the
market and prices would advance: then
chill Of despair would enter the room
through telephones, and Morse instru-
ments, saying: Sell Sell SELL"
Balzac declares that the whole es-