The Washington herald., 1907-03-31

able crop report would insure prosperity
ana insure a rise Thus in the central
vantage point Of world progression stood
the New York Stock Exchange. A stone
house covering world action and regis
tering the commercial pulse beats of al
nations. A thermometer of American
business temperature.
Meade fought Gettysburg from a hay
racl5. Wellington fought Waterloo from
a Flowed field. Dewey directed an ad-
verse check to Spanish aggression from
coming tower, Tom Truscott swung a
masterful gamble from a leather chair.
Calm, unFuffied. bold he was seated IN
the uptown office of Sand & Co. at 1873
o'clock. one hand on the ticker. In the
other-a cigar. The blue rings curled up
ward and Truscott smiled IS Amalga-
mated hovered around 133. Just wait,
he said TO the towsle-headed boy of the
uptown Office just wait until 1876"
At 1913. precisely, a stubborn, erratic,
yet honest President put his name to a
long. intricate, much changed document
ia his official residence in Washington.
At l0:43sl a reporter for big New York
paper WAS whispering over the phone,
at le:4i q telegraph operator in the Office
of the Times Building was putting a ner-
v0us hand to a clicking instrument. At
l0;47 bulletin appeared in the New York
Stock Exchange. II was. The Bliss bill
has passed"
Bang, bangl bang! The market shiyer-
ed like a great ship striking upon a
sunken rock Bang, bang, hang, The
market groaRed ike a giant in mortal
agony. Bang! A single broker had
traded 200 shares Of Amalgamated for a
drop OF 3-S of q point. Bangi Another
broker frenzied. pale. stupefied, had Of
fered another block at a point lower.
Bolstered, inflated, overwatered stocks
were finding their own level The fioog
of the exchange had begun 10 surge
with wave OF frenZed, stupefied. out
witted humanity. The crowd rocked to
and fro. A paHdemonium OF hoarse noise
arose above the shufiing of feet The roar
OF the gTOaning, retching market sounded
like the sob Of d great wave; the cry OF
dying monster from whom the life
blood was slowly ebbing. The human
atoms in the eddying swirl OF the back
current were trying 10 stem the over
wheiming tide.
What did / tell YOU said Tom Trus-
colt. wheeling slowly in his leather chair
In the uptown Office Of Sand & Co. II
was Ii o'clock. and the action seemed TO
have stopped. Amalgamated was down
ten points Nov, he said IN fatherly
manner 70 the towsle-h headed boy phone
Sand & Co. to self for me ten thousand
more shares of Amalgamated to close al
10"
But something happened which Tom
Truscott had never looked for. Yelling
ton hoped for Blucher on the second day
at Waterloo. Dewey hoped to ind no
mines in Manila Harbor. TruscoJI had
mo- Hnraa for ffffvf "a FaF 4
II ;05 O'Clock d. IA. the following bulletin
was posted In the exchange:
j. TierpOnt Sorgan killed instantly by
the overturninG Of his automobile at
Scarborough, New York"
Hello said TruscOtt. cheerfGlly. look
ing at the ticker again. Whats hap
pened now"
The ticker was fairly beichiHg forth
its news. Click, click. click. click. il
sputtered and spat into his face as down.
down, down went the market. every
thing thrown pell nell upon the floor,
hurrying. stampeded humanity running
To cover Getting away from the belch-
ing, roaring upheavai Of public conf
dence. scudding to harbor in the breath
OF temporary insanity. Wild, insane.
ungoverned.
And when Truscott heard the extras
called upon Ene street. ne understood.
The greatest fHancier Of the age waa
dead. The head of the greatest banking
house Of the world vas no more. The
I friend Of those who controlled the great
est trust IN the country no longer steered
the ship. The director in the greatest
/ industrial combination in the universe
had passed away.
why said TruscOtt, shyly this is
like finding money. Tell sand & Co.
/ TO sell me f5,000 more at 120. 10 be de-
livered at lie. / think I'll stop then.
And as he sat back firmly and com
fortably in his chair the ticker spat at
him like an angry cat When Amalga-
mated had touched if6 he rose very slow
~ and collectedly and lighted a fresh
cigar. NOW. nay friends in Virginia" he
said to himself Il win return and clear
myself with the people Of Gods country %
He walked quietly out of the office, while
the little towsle-headed boy looked at him
IN askance. say. bat dats a wise guy.
he calculated Say. dat fellow cleared
up exactly two hundred and ten thousand
dollars. / ttnk dat I'll strike him fer a
job
That night a black cat came out on
the floor of the exchange and walked
/ across the pile of paper slips lying about
upon the stone floor. Meow she said
Meow" She was lonely. and the floor
looked very unusual 1t was piled three
feet high with torn and erumpled paper.
The Aftermath Of the Deluge.