Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1920-09-22
EXPLOSION IN WALL STREET
Results in Loss OF Life and Heavy
Property Damage-A Mystery.

New York, Sept. IA mysteri-
GUS explosion, disastrous in its ef-
feet, occurred at noon to-day in Wall
street, killing more than score Of
persons and injuring hundreds.
Office workers were Just hurrying
into the street for their noon-day
meal when a Jet OF black smoke and
flame arose from the center Of the
worlds great street Of finance. Then
came blast. moment later scores
or men, women and children were
lying, blood-covered, on the pave
ments.
Two minutes later all the ex-
changes had closed. Men had turn
ed from barter to an ere nd Of mercy
and there was need Of 1t.
While the police toiled for hours
seeking the dead and injured, there
were trained investigators trying in
vain to determine definitely whether
the explosion had occurred from q
bomb dropped in front of the Office
OF j. P. Morgan C Co. or whether an
automobile, dashlng into a wagon
loaded with explosives, had taken it's
toll.
Frank Francisco, one of the most
able investigators of the Department
OF Justice, declared, after arriving
on the scene, that in his opinion 1t
was not bomb plot, but that COL
liston had been responsible for the
blast which rocked The skyscrapers,
tore the fronts from office buildings
for blocks around al d scattered hun
dreds Of deadly missiles in all direc-
tions
The damage to the Morgan build
ing alone is estimated at $5OO,O00.
Minor damage to hundreds of other
buildings, 1T is expected, would total
at least 100000 more.
AS far as it could be learned two
hours after the explosion, the disas-
ter did not take the lives Of any
prominent financiers.
Although the front and sides of
the Morgan banking house were de-
molished, no member Of the firm was
seriously hurt.
j. P. Morgan himself Is in Europe.
but at the time Of the blast, Thomas
w. Lamont, Elliott G. Bacon, Dwight
c. Morrow and George Whitney. all
directors OF the company, were in
consultation
Police Commissioner Enright said,
after ccnferring with members OF
the firm, that he had learned that
Mr. Bacon was slightly injured, and
Also JUni"s S. Morgan, another off,
cial of the company Several of the
employees were injured and one was
killed.
Mr.. Enrisht quoted firm members
as stating that the blast assuredly
came from the street and not from
within the building.
The spectacular explosion riprcd
windows from the sub-treasury, situ
ated across the street from the Nor
gan building, and within a short
time soldiers from Governors Island,
and all the police reserves that could
be assembled, were placed around the
government building, in which was
stored more than a billion dollars in
metal and notes. Banking houses
also were placed under heavy guard,
and United States soldiers, with fixed
oayonets, were patrolling the streets.
The explosion came at a time when
the canyons of lower New York were
thronged with bustling office work
ers intent only on crowding their
way into lunch rooms near by.
Blast Seen by Reporter.
A reporter for the Associated
Press, making his way down Wall
street from Broadway, saw suddenly
go up in front Of him a cone of flame
and smoke. 1t came from the very
center OF Wall and Broad streets,
between the Morgan building and
the sub-treasury. 1t mounted so high
that the awnings on the fifth floors
Of many sky-scrapers were burned to
cinders.