Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-09-23
SCENES HORRIBLE
AS THOSE Of WAR
Explosion and Effect Such as
Aerial Bomb Dropped in FL
nancial District Might Have
Produced

New York, Sept. 16. (By the Associated
Press.)-"it was n crash out of a blue
sky--an unexpected, death-dealing bolt
which In twinklng turned into sham
bles the busiest corner of Americas f.
nancial center and sent scurrying to
places OF shelter hundreds of wounded,
dumb-stricken. white-faced men and
women--fieeing from an unknown dam
ger"
A reporter for The Associated Press.
who was an eye witness of to-day's ex-
plosion in New York's financial district,
thus described the scene.
II was Just turning into Wall street
from Broadway" he said. when I first
felt, rather than heard the explosion. a
conclusion of air similar to that expert
enced by passenger on the subway when
a train dashes into one Of the under
river tubes was felt. It's force was suftl-
eient to all but throw me OF my balance.
Instantly following the conclusion came
sharp resounding crash which shook
to their foundations the monster build
ings facing either side Of Wall street.
with the roar of the blast, came the
rattle OF falling glass, and from the juno
ton of Wall, Nassau and Broad streets
a block distant-scrcams of injured men
and women.
Il lodged into a convenient door,
way to escape falling glass and to
reach telephone and call the office.
Looking down Wall Street later I
could see arising from the vicinity of
the sub-treasury building and the j..
J.. Morgan e. Co. Bank a mushroom
shaped cloud Of yellowish. green
smoke which mounted to the heigh.
of more than 100 feet. the smoke be-
;pty iny al Inv 10 n q n
flame.
II reached the scene a few moments
after the explosion took place. The
SNAKE had partially cleared from the
street. but from the Morgan building
there was belching forth through the
broken windows clouds of dust and
white vapor. In the street an over
turned automobile was blazing fiercely
and nearby, close to the body Of a
dead horse, was another fire. evil
IDENTIFY among a pile of wreckage.
Almost In front of the steps lead
ing up to the Morgan Bank was the
mutilated body of man. Other
bodies, most OF them silent in death.
lay nearby. AS gazed horror
stricken at the sight. one of these
forms. half naked. and scared with
burns, started to rise. 1t struggled,
then toppled and fell lifeless into the
gutter.
"On the opposite side of the street
We're other forms. One of them was
that of a young woman-her clothing
torn and burned away. 1t was moving
not in an effort to rise. but in the
agony of death. I started toward her
but as l did. it became still. CHANGING
down I saw the pavement was dis.
nn1 Tn 1ni n Sitrtt
| within a radius Of thirty to fifty feet
were nine lifeless forms.
1.-The body of the dead horse in the
middle of the street shown plain evi-
dence of having been in very. close
proximity to the center of the blast. II
was literally torn to pieces
The windows Of the Morgan build.
Ing were blown out and through the
opening could be seen the smoke black
ened interior of what but few mo.
ments previous had been one of the
handsomest banking rooms in the city
! Opposite, the entrance to the newly
completed white exterior of the sub
treasury annex was battered and tori
as If having been subjected to a BON
bardment of machine guns fire. TIL,
doorway. with It's massive steel grill
work. was shattered and the stone sur
! rounding the door cracked and bat
! tered away.
by this time the crowd was pressing
In, held in check by the hastily gather
ing police. At the doorway of the Nor
gan bank was uniformed guard
apparently half dazed. but sticking tc
his post and holding back those wht
sought to enter the structure.
THE crowd was strangely quiet-ant
over 1t seemed to hang a feeling OF aw,
and horror. At the commands Of tn,
police 1t moved and fell back silently
On the steps OF the old sub-treasur,
building-the spot where years ago stir
ring scenes connected with the American
Revolution were enacted-stands statu,
of George Washington. Looking dow
from its pedestal between the massiv.
granite columns, SCARED by missile!
from the explosion, the outstretched hant
of the Father of His Country seemed L
carry silent command to be calm.
Then came the ambulances. Nearb,
trucks and automobiles were first pressed
/ into service. Volunteers needing no
| hlood-smeared hands and clothing, ten
derby lifted into the vehicles the bodies
OF thu dying and the dead The deat
that remained for additional conveyance
were char!tably hidden from sight b,
coverings torn from awnings or by robe!
from arriving motor cars.
| at was such a scene as | had pictured
AS possibility during the war Should
the enemy succeed In dropping on thu
financial district one of hiA deadly aer!a
bombs"