The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-07-25

"a
Grand Central terminal Another bat
TALON took. the great Pennsylvania
terminal, with its underriver tunnels
to New Jersey and Long Island. De
tachments appeared at the Twenty
third street and Forty-second street
ferries over the Hudson river and by
that one seizure controlled all railroad
connections with the west from up.
town. The occupation of half a dozen
other Hudson river railroad ferries
downtown and of the Hudson termi
nal tube system completed the entire
control of all the city's railroad rafhc
IN every direction.
Equally simple was the control OF Its
communications. Men appeared at the
two great telegraph buildings and at
the telephone building. Within half an
hour they had every trunk line OF
wires in their hands and could strike
the city dumb at will.
. It was still easier TO control the city
from military point of view. The
citizens who had expected to see their
streets commanded by cannon on linn
beers did not at first comprehend why
there were hardly any of these to be
seen, while machine gun detachments
scattered and disappeared as soon rs
they got well into the town. Only
gradually did the citizens discover that
their big. SPRAYING metropolis was be-
ing held subject by very simple utfl-
!zatioH of the city's characteristic fea-
ture.
This feature was the slsyscraper. To
the eye of the soldier these high build
tngs were nothing so much as inviting
and magnificent eminences for controll-
ing the street valleys and their popu-
Iation below.
-Four men with machine gun and
abundance of ammunition in one OF
these stone and steel submits could
control more area than half dozen
heavy field gun batteries posted in the
streets could command. These senti-
mel watchers were as aloof and as sure
as fate. They could neither be rushed
by mob or spiped from concealment.
From the top OF the Wooiworth build
ing two of the little guns pointed down
into Broadway. Turned southwark.
they could sweep the town as far as
the Battery Eastward they could rain
their steel 1acketed bullets into the
river front, streets and over the two
lower suspension bridges that cross the
East river. Northward they had Broad
way MS far US as Canal street under
their FIRE.
They were supplemented by gun
on top or the great Municipal building.
1t Held a good part of the crowded
tenement house district Of the lower
east side under Its zone of fire, notably
the doubtful section OF Cherry street
and other areas known to the police.
On the tall towersFpf the suspension
bridges themselves were other detacb,
mants with q gus each. The churches
were not forgotten by the soldiers The
graceful steepie of Grace church. stand
ang at an acute angle Of Broadway so
that 1T can be seen frpIn far down
town, had been before mems eyes so
long that they had ceased, almost, to
note its soft beauty. Now they looked
at it with a new and acute perception.
for fits steeple held gun that pointed
down Broadway, whose southern zone
OF fire would just about reach to where
the northern zone of fire from the Wool
worth building would end
Trinity, too, had gun in Its tower.
pointing down wan StTeeI. FoLu
Grnce church northward to Thirty
fourth street guns on the Flatiron build
ing could reach any important street or
any place where dangerous crowds
might conceivably form. This emf
hence controlled both Madison and
Union squares. The tower of Madison
Square Garden, near by. also was
armed.
The people knew that wherever they
might move they were within the
range of cannon that were loaded and
ready. Their citizens committee and
their officials worked Under guns. Ey-
cry foot OF their Great White Way
could be changed into ''way OF DEATH
at moments notice.
Small need was there In New York
city OF the many placards and notices
washing the people against disorder.
Every MANS eye was on every other
man, and had one splotted mischief or
rebellion there would have been hun
dred witnesses ready to suppress him.
to betray him-anything to prevent
those steel devils in the city towers
from setting death loose in the streets!
CHAPTER XVI.