The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1920-09-21
TERRIFFICE EXPLOSION SHOCKS
GOTHAM. FINANCIAL
CENTER,

near Broad, believed by trained De-
partment of Justice and police inves-
| tigators to have been caused by an
Internal machine, rocked the heart
of New York's financial district at
noon Thursday, leaving death and
destruction in its wake.
At least twenty-nine persons were
killed, more than 200 were injured,
the banking house of j. P. Morgan
& Co., the sub-Treasury and the
| Assay office were partially wrecked
and property damage estimated in
excess of 81 100000 was caused by
the blast
The noon hour had struck and an
endless stream of office workers had
just started pouring into the streets
from buildings in the neighborhood.
Suddenly cloud Of yellowish, black
smoke and a piercing jet of flame
| leaped from the street outside the
Morgan office.
Then came a deafening blast. A
moment later scores of men, women
and children were lying PROSTATE on
the ground and the streets were COW
cred with debris from thousands of
broken windows and the torn facad-
es of apjacent buildings.
Two minutes later, the stock and
curb exchanges, the financial pulse
of the world, had closed. Panic and
confusion reigned in the heart of
New York's financial district.
Thousands of clerks and stenogra-
pliers fled in terror from adjoining
structures. Scores tainted, fell and
were trampled on in the rush. Mean
while, the noise Of the explosion
which was heard throughout lower
Manhattan, and across the river in
Brooklyn, brought thousands of the
curious to the scene.
The few police on duty in the dis
| trict were unable to cope with the
crowds and a hurry call for police
reserves was sent to all downtown
police stations.
Sub-Treasury officials, fearing
that an attempt might be made to
rob the building, all the windows of
which were broken, requested assist
ance of the military authorities at
Governors Island and company of
soldiers was sent to guard the insti-
| tuition.
Hurry calls were also sent to all
| hospitals in the downtown section
of New York, and scores of ambu-
lances were soon speeding through
the narrow Streets Dressing sta
tions were established in the lobbies
of buildings nearby, where the less
seriously injured were given imme-
date treatment.
| Evidence tending to confirm the
| theory that the explosion was caused
by a bomb or other internal ma
chine came from several sources.
| Chief Police Inspector Lohey re-
ported late today that he had found
evidence to justify the conclusion
that the explosion was caused by a
huge bomb loaded with T. N. T.
trinitrotoluel- reinforced with iron
slugs fashioned from window-weight
bars. Pieces of these slugs were
found in several adjacent structures
This type of weight bars, close
inspection by police and Department
of Justice agents disclosed, is not
used in any building within radius
of several hundred feet from the
scene of the explosion.
Warning that radicals planned a
renewal of bombing outrages were
sent less than a month ago to all
Eastern clients of the William ].
Burns Detective Agency. according
to a statement by Mr.. Burns, who
said he was convinced that today's
explosion was a premediated attack
and was not accidental.
Mr.. Burns, who said he had been
Engaged by the Morgan firm to make
an investigation of the accident,
stated that his personal investigation
convinced him that wagon contain
ing a bomb or bombs was left in
front of the Sub-Treasury building
with a timing device So fixed as to
cause it to explode precisely at noon.
No trace of the driver of the wagon
has been found. he said, and added
that in his opinion the man escaped
few moments before the explosion
occurred.
Five members of the Morgan firm
were in the building at the time of
the accident Thomas w. Lamont,
Dwight W. Morrow, Elliot c. Bacon
and George Whitney were in a con-
ference on the second floor of the
Broad Street side OF the Morgan
Building They were shaken up by
the force of the explosion, but all
escaped without injury:
Junius Spencer Morgan, son of j.
P. Morgan, head of the firm, who is
now abroad, was at his desk on the
lower floor when the explosion oc-
curreG 1t shattered the glass parti-
tons of his office. showering him
with fragments. He received slight
cuts on the hands and arms.
NEW YORK, Sept. 17.-District
Attorney Edward Swami, Chief Po-
lice Inspector William ]. Lahey,
George Lamb, Division Superintend-
ent of the Department of Justice
William J. Burns and other investi-
gators united in the conclusion to-
night, after many hours of investiga-
ton, that it was bomb plot.
These men declared their belief
the outrage was perpetrated by q
band of anarchists who fashioned a
bomb weighing at least 100 pounds,
attached a time fuse 'and took it by
truck to the financial district.