The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-02-05

James Creelman, in New York World
HEY shrieked and struggled like
Wy maniacs in the pit of the cotton
exchange yesterday when the
closing gong struck at O'Clock and July
cotton sold at 17.55 cents. the highest
price since 1873. The prolonged, passion
ate cries of the bewildered brokers could
be heard in the street.
The coolest man in that scene of semi
madness was Daniel ]. Sully, the sturdy,
blue-eyed protagonist of the cotton boom.
who, from a poor clerk, has risen to be
the owner of MILLIONS. He stood at the
edge of the ring of roaring, glaring men
some red-faced and some as pale as
death-with a disdainful smile on his
rosy face, while his brokers tossed their
hands, yelled and sent the price of cot
ton up, up, up.
The master gambler was betting that
cotton would be scarcer in May and July.
His antagonists were betting that it
would be more plentiful 1t was mat
ter of nerve. When the day was done
July cotton had touched 17.55 cents In
New York and IS cents in New Orleans,
while May cotton had touched II. 46 cents.
Mr.. Sully went to his luncheon and,
while he was away, things quilted down.
The brokers sat camp stools in the
pit, handled their feet, cracked jokes and,
for a few minutes one could hear the
telegraph instruments clicking under the
pink and yellow arches of the big hall. A
messenger boy went to sleep on a bench.
The sunlight streamed in on a scene of
dullness. The youth who marks prices
up on the blackboard at the edge of the
pit put his hands in his pockets, pursed
his lips and softly whstled himself
Men all about the paper-littered floor
lazily discussed the situation-Mr. Sully
being absent. Not since 1873 had cotton
sold for more than II cents. In that year
the American crop was only 8, $50, sos bales.
This year the American crop was esti-
mated by the government experts at g.
962. 039 And, besides, the Indian and
Egyptian crops had increased since 1873.
Could it be possible that the worlds con-
sumption of cotton had increased three
fold in thirty-one years? Or was Mr. Sully
"bluffing?"
Presently Mr.. Suly came back from
luncheon. How comfortable and disin-
terested he looked in his well-cut gray
coat and black-dotted white waistcoat!
A fine emerald flashed on his purple
cravat. His hands were thrust deep in
his trousers pockets. His bowler hat was
tilted slightly over his plump face. He
put his feet wide apart and sighed in a
satisfied sort of way, as one who is di-
costing a good meal The lapels of his
waistcoat pockets were awry and he set
them straight. Then he caught his thumbs
in the armhoies of his waistcoat and
rocked gently back on his heels as he
stood near the pit and watched the brok-
ers bidding.
Early in the day cotton goods mer-
chant had killed himself to escape the dis
grace of failure and was found dead n,
his chair with a rapidly widening blood
stain discoloring his clothing over the re-
gion of the heart" On Saturday an i'm
portant brokerage firm had closed its LIS
offices as a consequence of the rise OF
cotton.
While Mr.. Sully stood there the price
of May and July cotton began to rise
again. At each leap of quotations men
would leave the ring, slide up to him,
whisper in his ear and move back into
the conflict. The voice Of the pit grew