New-York tribune., 1911-02-02
FINANCIAL DISTRICT, IN
PANIC, FEARS THE WORST
Excitement and Terror on Every
Hand as Crowds Fill the
Glass ShOWered Streets.
SURGE TO MORGAN OFFICES
Appearance of Fire Apparatus
Lends Color to Wild Rumors
Many Cut by Glass in
Downtown Streets.

The worst panic the financial district has
ever known swept through il when the
blast Of the explosion hurled its force
against the skvscrapers ard towers Of
lower Manhattan. In comparison the cN-
citement and terror of trc dark days Of
lso7, seemed IKE a holiday rush.
So great was the power Of the concus-
sion thst It had the peculiar quality Of
seeming 20 svsrv one 10 20 right AT hand
For tho first few moments the general
panic was without centre or direction.
Every building was shaken as if the ground
beneath il had crumblcd. and in most Of
them great rancS Of GLASS split into a
thousand pieces and shoVered down on TO
the sidewalks Every one thought that his
own particular building Vge tho centre Of
4 dynamite explosion Th'ro wa rush
for stairvays and elevators. end soon tho
narrow streets Of tho district UcT" con-
sostNd with frightened crowds
Where is it, What h7s happened"
How many arc kiuedo" wore ;he qucs-
tions every ono asked his 7tis'bcr when
he found that his own alarm was ground
less. Something frightfu mad haopcncd.
but no one could say what or vre~e.
Rush to Morcsr's OfSce.
"No~san's Office has been blown up"
came tho report from some unknown
source. II gained voedy acceptance. for il
seemed natural that suy dire catastrophe
afecrinC Wall street should have its centre
;hcr" Tho rumor served Co -iv. direction
2" th" panic. and crowds s.rsed from all
directions and Uasscd about the old DreXcl
Building ~ Wan and Broad streets.
rc" of windows con one of tho uprer
0co's lsd been blown ont and Tho fears Of
'le crowd. -ccmo7 TO Doe confirmed They
stood silently waiting for Gevelorments-
waiting to eco an anarchist dragged out
or % ~ told thai some leader in TIM fnan-
ca' world al met tragic end
'NN first mrv'sc" as ors broker az 80
CO Brosd street said aftervard. was 70
sell the market short. ! thought probably
some nih'u-t had cot 10 some high nnan-
c'er. 7 recovered myself i7 time not to
give The sollne order. however"
About tho only real effect tho explosion
had IN the moncr market Was the falling
over of pile, of money IN tho hanks The
neatly stacked coins ripried down with
jingle 60 severely ucrc tho buildings
shaken.
Py he time tho crowds around ,1c Drexel
Building began TO realize that the trouble
was not concentrated there. they wero
thrown into second state OF apprehensio
hv tho changing bells and ehrieIing wins
''oe of fire. apparatus rushing through the
r."eets Nervous persons throughout fhe
C'-'-iCt wherever they spied a volume Of
e"'cRe or Jet Of steam that they had not
'.'I bef'ro. Immediately decided that
- marked tho place Of the explosion anG
Aew 20 the nearest fire alarm box.
-iremen Increased Excitement.
The entire fre department in the lower
c0d of the city was kent going from poir.t
to point for an hour IN answering falsa
alarms. And wherever an engine was seen
o. Immediately attracted a crowd Of per-
sons
u vas half an hour before It became a
matter OF general knowledge tha, the ex-
rlosio0 had taken place on the Jersey side
81 and not II New York at all Meanwhile
wild rumors How from mouth to mouth.
Some rad % that there had been an explo-
sion in the Park avenue tunnel Others
that the upper end of the subway had
osved ~. \ more sensible report SAIL that
the standard oil tanks At Bayonne had
been blown up. Every ereat building tor
time was credited with being tho scene
Of boiler explosion.
Not since the real explosion during the
construction Of the subway or the blowing
M of Tarrant's wears ago. had the report
OF death and catastrophe been carried
49, . he H.,-
Ever, great Office building in the lower
part ~ tho city was a scene Of panic. With
the crashing Of windows and trembling Of
floors the idea that came 70 the minds OF
thousands IN the home Of the Standard oil
COMPANY. at No. IS Broadway. was that
a bomb had been hurled at John D. Rocke-
feller John n. Archbold with hundreds
Of clerks and stenoGraphers. rushed out 10
the corridors and the street.
Mayor Gaynor and Controller Prendor-
gast were discussing city finances when
the shock came They both sprang to their
feet and asked each other what had hap
pened. The City Hall had trembled TO SITS
foundations and alarmed officials and
clerks swarmed from every door.
Many Cut by Flying Glass.
The alarm Of New Yorks thousands was
not without foundation. for there was a
real peril 10 psssersby from the crashing
out Of windows. In every instance the
glass fell outward. The great plate glass
windows were the most frequent TO go TO
pieces Many persons were cut by flying
fragments and few seriously injured.
Most Of them received treatment at the
nearest drug store and went back TO work
or went home.
After the fire apparatus had left the
streets the changing Eongs of the ambu-
lances rushing 10 the a,d of those whose
hurts demanded that they ne taken 10 the |
hospitals revived the apprehension The !
following were taken TO the hospitals suf- |
ferng from cuts and bruises: William /
Nealson. Of Jersey CITY; T. Frederickson |
o. No. 4521 Fifth avenue. Brooklyn: Samuel |
1Douorcst, Of no. 107 Sumner avenue. New |
ark John W. Densert. OF so. 1914 Broad |
WY, Eayonne; Charles swallow. of No. 60
Glonmorc avenue. Jersey city; Joseph /
Lamb. Of No. ll6 Ely street. Elizabeth; AL !
bert Gamizky. u No. 336 Park avenue and .
Robert Adlard. Of 40 6so Myrtle avenue,
brooklyn.
Two hours after the explosion Richard /
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