The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1904-12-15

New York. Dec. 13.-The days stock
market opened weak and excited, with
prices generally lower, The opening
transactions showed some confusion.
there being wide variations in quota
lions on sales made apparently at the
say that Wall street began. the day
with more anxiety than II has shown
since the May panic of 1901. Reasons
for this feeling were plentiful, chief
among them being the absolute col
lapse of the market at yesterdays
close, revealing weak spots in unlocked
for places. A great majority of the
brokerage houses had their clerical
forces at work till late last evening
and some of them worked long after
midnight examining accounts and is
suing imperative calls to customers for
more margins. Many stock exchange
members arrived at their Offices much
earlier than usual to prepare for the
day and to get line on the London
market. That center offered but slight
encouragement. No Americans showed
general recovery from the opening de-
generalization there. Almost every
conceivable sort of rumor was In the
air this morning and the names of
individuals and firms who are COM
monty supposed TO have suffered by
the break were freely, II privately men,
toned. II was reported among other
things that a meeting Of the big
banking interests had been held last
night and that II had been decided
to support the market If the situation
became more critical. For this as
well as similar rumors there appeared
to be no foundation. Few doubted,
however, that the moneyed Interests
were prepared for any serious emer-
gency. Attracted by the previous
days events the gallery of the stock
exchange held large crowd Of on
lockers. The floor was crowded with
members, many of them old-timers
who SELDOM appear there save on mo-
mentous occasions. The subGued
noise which prevailed at the opening
broke into roar at the first sound
of the chairman's gong. The greatest
crowds were again around the Anal
gamated Copper and United States :
Steel trading posts, where brokers
fairly mauled one another in their
efforts to execute orders. Many Of
these as indicated by the opening quo
tations. were to sell lat the mar,et."
The Offices of the brokerage houses
were crowded with customers. many
of them from out Of town. Thay
seemed tosthink it necessary to their
interest 70 be in close touch With the
situation. In the Offices OF commis-
sion houses which have private wires
running to the leading cities the scene
was especially animated and exciting.
Telegraph operators were receiving
and sending countless messages and it
seemed as If the country at large was
waiting on Wall street.
Before the end Of the first half hour
the tape was at least ten minutes be-
hind the market. Amalgamated Cop
pei was uuoteu 1T 10 ~ dl u time WHeu
Ga was being bid on the floor. Support
was shhown in this and other stocks
and brokers supported buying by in
siders. Bargain hunters also took a
hand. Offerings Of copper seemed to
be freely absorbed and such gossip as
leaked out Of the board room in the
early trading indicated that the buy
ing was Of general character.
Another chill pervaded the stock
market in the last hour when Anal
gamated Copper after selling up more
than five points over last night sud-
denly relapsed 3-8. The gains which
had been established elsewhere melted
away in short order but at about last
nights level support was again forth
coming Of the same character as that
which protected the earlier market.
Some sharp rallies resulted in a few
cases running up prices higher than be-
| fore