New-York tribune., 1920-09-17
Street StretOn With Dead, Injured
And Wreckage Under Pail of Smoke,

shock. Then | went across the room
to get something and was thrown
against the wall. The building shock
like a leaf and all the tenants ran
panic-stricken into the Railways"
Here MIR: Van Buskirk pointed to
gan Building. Through one Of these,
he said, dense cloud of black ana
yellow smoke poured and filled the Of
fices in the Mills Building.
1T was just like being gassed," he
SAID. 1--WE could not breathe and, un
til we reached the hall we believed
we were sutfocating."
Found Weight and Piece of Cap
Another eyewitness was Morris
whitman, who is employed at 66 Broad
way by Bamberger Brothers, automo-
bile brokers. Whitman had Just been
to the Bank of America and had
REACHED Wall and New streets on his
way back to the office when the shock
came. He and young woman with
nm were thrown to the sidewalk, but
he arose unhurt.
1T was the most ghastly thing I
ever have seen" he said. "For a mo-
ment after the shock there was abso
Lutte silence, then through the smoke
there came the cries of the injured.
| picked up one poor fellow whose leg
had been torn off and he said: 'Some
thing hit me-
I'VE picked up a window sash weight
and the screw end of a percussion cap.
There also were scraps of tin such as
that used to seal the edges of packing
cases.
II saw the wagon that was blown
up as I was coming through Wall
Street and remembered it distinctly.
/ had turned just before l was knocked
down and saw the horse and wagon,
light delivery wagon such as grocers
use, coming toward me. Then it went
up"
Clothes Torn OF Victims
II was sitting in one Of the offices
Of the Equitable Trust Company, at 70
Wall Street. discussing the rates of
foreign exchange" said Frank P. Bolt,
a millionaire silk merchant, of Sydney,
| Australia, when suddenly l heard q
terrific explosion, and was, like my
! companions, thrown from my chair and
landed on my head.
Trust Company. Mr.. Noble, with whom
I had been speaking, was actually
blown from his chair through the open
door into the hallway, but by some
/ miracle wasn't hurt. With my friend,
Edwin w. Bruno, Of Watt, Fraakcn &
Bruno, silk and hosiery merchants, at
129 Fifth Avenue, l dashed down the
stairs to the street with blood pouring
from my head
| when we reached the street Mr..
Bruno and found we were not as seri-
ously hurt as some Of the others, and
we suggested to the men who had fol-
lowed US out that we 60 back and carry
I some of the women out This we did
and, let me tell you, some of them we're
! horribly cut up. ! never saw so much
blood in my life. Why, some of the
victims actually hGd their clothes
blown off and were so cut and disfiC-
ured as to be Mnrecognizable."
Lifted From the Ground
A. W. Pcntland, Of 141 East Twenty
/ sixth Street. employed in an executive
capacity with the firm of Iselin & Co.,
bankers of 81 Wall Street, had Just
turned from Wall Street to Broad
/ Street in front of the Morgan company
building with friend, when nc felt
himself lifted off his feet and pushed
through the air.
"Tirst there was that strange noisc,'
said Mr.. Pentland, "and as I looked
around I felt myself lifted from the
| ground. but managed to keep on my
, feet when I landed. looked around
! for my friend and he had disappeared,
and later found out that he too had
! been knocked down and was so hurt
| that he was taken to the Broad Street
Hospital.
ut was as if big hook or some
! thing like that had suddenly been fas-
tened to my body when l was lifted"