The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-01
HISTORY IN FIGURES
Thrilling Story Of 'tBlue Thursday
From Quotation Board.
SHOWN ON A BROKERS' CALENDAR
The Day ssNorther,l Pacific" Went to
$1,OOO-F1uctuatiOn of
Other Stocks.

A local firm of stock and grain brokers
tells the thrilling story Of blue Thurs
day on Wall Street. in a highly ingenious
manner. In space no larger than
childs slate, at the top of a calendar for
1902, they reproduce the quotation board
of May g. 1901, that fatal day of the
Titanic struggle for control OF the North
ern Pacific.
! The board is a Photographic reproduc-
| ton and perhaps the most remarkable
| study in black and white ever executed.
The quotation blackboard, with its irregu-
| lar columns of chalk figures hanging like
! icycles from a roof, shows with perfect
distinctness the remarkable figures OF
that most remarkable day. The tape case
and the clock stand as sentries to the LETT
of the uneven columns as they appeared
at the close of the days trading. The
| length of the tape used is given in a note
as $50 feet, representing sales in lots OF
from 100 to 1000 shares-maklng total
Of $3.50 separate quotations, an average
Of twenty quotations per minute = Inc
most phenomenal record ever made IN tine
New York stock exchange. a@
A glance at TIE figures recalls Wipn
! startling vividness the extraordinary oc-
currences of "Blue Thursday" The
layman, unfamiliar with stock quotations.
or the tremendous significance of that
memorable struggle for mastery OF
will lot be stirred by the figures, for to
him they are meaningless But to the
}, und outstanding mind they suggest a
whole history" 1t is story detailing
) the triumph of Ruin in the path of Specu-
lation, told in the colors of mourning
Although seven months have elapsed
, since the financial tragedy of May 9, and
. countless millions of words have been
: written and spoken in explanation Of the
! figures have still singular fascination
} for the reflective mind. They show, for
: example, that the rate of call money
? ranged from so per cent to per cent dur
: ing the day. Northern Pacific, winch
opened at ITO in the morning, went to
| 600 at 12 O'Clock. The Il ,0O0'' mark, too
5 in large, heavy figures, betrays the ner-
I vousness of the markers hand. The
Y closing figures for Northern Pacific are
$50 Cbid)
Fluctuations in Other Stocks.
Other violent fluctuations were shown
I in Atchison which opened at SO ano
. dropped to 10, fall Of % points. This
stock closed at 81. The Burlington
which no longer has place on any quo
. | tation board since its merger affiliations
with the Northern Pacific and Great
, Northern, ranged from 191 to 179. Mis-.
l souri, Pacific, which opened at lob, dropped
steadily without fluctuations to 72-S-
s lpoints.
| Rock Island, which opened at l5o III
mediately went to 1913 and then droppea
. to 1875. In this connection it may be in
teresting to know that this stock is to-
Z day quoted at 161. So.
Tremendous Shrinlkage.
Some idea Of the enormous shrinkagt
q in values may be CLEANED from the ex
. perience of Union Pacific. 1t opened a
!, 113 and dropped to 70, a fall of 4S points
The Union Pacific is capitalized at $780,
q 100000, there being $100,000oo0 Of pre-
$ ferred stock and 100000, 900 of common
stock The shrinkage in the common
! alone was $43, OOO 900 and almost as mucl
on the preferred. And all this reckless
9 wiping out Of millions occurred in fey
: hours.
> St. Paul stock, familiar to northwest
. ern people, opened at 165 and dropped t
! 1876. 1t is now selling at 1852, having go
:. back to a normal condition.
;. The board shows that the total sale Q
'. stocks on "Blue Thursday" were 1885,
r shares.