The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-09-16
MANHATTAN
ROCKED BY
EXPLOSION
Scores Hurt in Terrific
Shock at Morgan Of
: fees Big Damage.

New York, Sept. 16.-(By the
Associated Press)-A mystic.
ra0us explosion, disastrous in
It's effects, occurred at noon in
Wall street, killing more than q
score Of persons and injuring
hundreds.
Ofice workers were just hur-
rying into the strees for their
ne0n-day meal when q jet Of
black smoke and flame rose
from fhe center 0f the worlds
great street of finance.
Then came q blast. A mo.
nent later scores of men, won.
en- and children were lying,
blood covered, on the pave
ments.
Two minutes later nearly all
the exchanges had closed. Men
had tzrned from barter to an
efrand Of mercy-snd there
was need Of II.
While the police toiled for hours
seeking the dead and injured, train
I'd jpvestigstors were tryingin vain
to determine Cefinitely whether the
explosion had occurred from q
bomb dropped in front of the Office
Of J. P. Morgan & Co. or whether
an automobile, dashing into q wag-
on. loaded with explosives, had tax
en- its toll.
Frank Francisco, one of the most
able investigators of the depart
ment Of justice. declared after ar
rfving on the scene that it was his
opinion that not a bomb plot, but q
collision for the blast which rocked
sky-scrapers, tore the fronts from
Office buildings for blocks around
and scattered deadly missiles in all
directions.
New York, Sept. ia terrific
explosion which rocked all Of
lower Manhattan occurred at noon
today outside the Offices Of ]. P.
Morgan & Co., On Wall street. Sew
eral persons were killed and many
others injured.
Report 80 Dead.
Unofficial reports had 30 dead.
The United States subtreasury. i'm
mediately opposite the scene Of the
explosion, was placed under heavy
police guard to protect the millions
Of dollars in gold, silver and paper
money lodged in the great structure.
The first efforts OF the police were
directed toward aiding the injured
and removing the dead. At 12:40
p. m. IA bodies were seen lying on
the sidewalk and 10 others we're
reported to have been taken away
by volunteer workers.
Soldiers Called.
An emergency call was sent to
Governors island, from which a
heavy detachment OF soldiers was
sent to New York to guard the sub
treasury and aid the police.
Many of the injured were girls
working in Office buildings. Hun
dreds of persons were thrown to
the sidewalk with the force Of the
explosion and dozens of trucks and
automobiles were pressed into ser
vice to carry away the wounded.
Little information was obtainable
from the Morgan Office. J. P. Nor
gan himself is now abroad.
Great Excitement Prevails.
Never in its history has Lower
Manhattan witnessed such excite
ment as prevailed today. Trading
ON both the stock and curb ex-
changes was ordered suspended for
the day q few minutes after the ex-
plosion occurred and from then on
Lower New York forgot all its
business matters In attending to the
needs Of the injured.
Fire apparatus and ambulances
dashed through the narrow, crook
ed streets Of the financial district
ON which lay a covering Of shat
tered glass and the broken re-
mains of men and horses.
Bodies Mutjlated. >
Among the bodies were those oi
three girls, terribly mutilated. A
police Gordon was hastily thrown
around the entire financial district
when thousands. hearing the explo-
sion, flocked there Police reports
at 1895 p. N. had Is dead.
buildings Shattered.
Heads Of the fire department
however. on reaching the scene di.
rected their efforts toward ascer.
tanning the cause and location oa
the. explosion. Tho LATTER was
dimcult because OF the shattered
appearance Of buildings near the
Morgan ONCE. but the authorities
were inclined to abandon theiI
theory that the explosion had oc-
fC2nntiuuAd On paRa Nina