The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-02-28
Uncertainty AFFECTS
WALL ST. SITUATION
Anmfral Pcary's Suggestion That
AxneSican Cities May Be Bombarded
Erusn skies Is DiSconccrttng
MORE RAIDERS MAY ESCAPE
Naval Authority Believes Germans
Would Willingly Lose Several ships
70 Let Several High-Powcrcd
Cruisers Out.
Nv RRO1DAN WALL.

New York Feb s1--ACtJon of the
stock market today reflected the m
decision of everyb body in touch with H.
From high fnancier TO messenger boy
it was impossible TO get dehnite
4 statement OF opinion No sooner
would opinion be formulated than
some new point of view would arise
and change it The market surprised
nearly everybody by opening down
an average OF a point. 1t immediate
iy surprised them again Ivy adVanc-
\ ing sharply. Then when the profess
SIGNALS had decided that the bears
were frightened and that the market
was in for a good upswtng, the buy
Ing movement collapsed and prices
4 fell TO the lowest Of the day. There
they hung at the close without def
mite trend.
General opinion in the Street is that
there will be war with Germany in
the. very near future. II is also the
general opinion that this will advance
tho stock market This belief Is
based on the facts that stocks seem to
advance easier than they decline and
that brokers loans are comparative
~ small
The spectre at the feast is the be-
lief that the administration AT Wash
ington will permit nobody to make
more than extremely reasonable prof
its on any material used for war or
for preparedness and that supplies
needed by the allies viii he purchased
on the same basis
Bombardments from the Sky.
Another cause of worry proves how
easily Wall street takes alarm. An
q eminent authority on marine insur-
ance voiced this new fear by limiting
at the possibility of the German feet
making sally into the NORTH sea
and willingly losing several ships in
order 10 let frEh~powered-eF H!se= b
escape into the North Atlantic on a
raiding cruise Admiral Pear also
made a suggestion that worried Wall
street when he said that within thirty
DAYS American cities might be bonn
harded from the sky. Both OF these
suggestions, which in ordinary times
would be treated az proper subjects
fog dime novels, are taken very seri-
o,rsh because things equally startling
are actually happening The fact
that men In important positions
are making such statements Is dis
concerning
Two new records were made TODAY.
Hogs in Chicago went to $3.50,
which is the highest price since the
beginning OF the Civil war, when they
sold at $3.50. and italian exchange
went TO the new low point OF 1874
Anaconda to Fay On Notes.
For "A short time Anaconda attract
cd much attention by its strength.
a Announcement was made that the
company intended to pay off $4,000
coo of short term notes on March /.
q That killed the interest. for it reans
that the company will not squander
much additional money in dividends.
This action of Anaconda Is typical OF
4 the great mining and industrial con
Il rerns which are wisely paying their
debts and providing against the re-
action that is sure to come. Kenne-
cort Copper company directors de-
alared only the regular dividend. hut
they let it be known that the COM
pany has on hand in cash and in
metal actually sold no less than s2S.-
600. 900 Sears Roebuck announced
that on Monday sales amounted to
-l.a0O,os0 the greatest volume ever
-sne In one day by a trading COM
isny
New Haven was consistently feavy
throughout the session.
An additional reason for heaviness
OF marine stocks was found in the
announcement that the company had
subscribed $4,000, 600 to the new
i .'victory loan in England