The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-09-16
WALL STREET
WAS IN PANIC
Great Crowd Of People Rushed
About Trampling Others
in Their
Flight.
EYE WITNESS STORY
Says Explosion Came From Cart or
Auto in Street Which
Blew Wagon to
EYE WITNESS sTC'

tLUHlLeQ TIeSS Leased wire SERVICE
| NEW YORK, Sept. 16.-WiIIiar
Joyce, clerk, was killed ir
the office of J. P. Morgan and Com
pany according to the police. He
was sitting at his desk on the Broac
! street side when the explosion oc.
CURED.
Joyce was a son of T. w. Joyce
who is in charge of Mcrgans goio
shipments. The elder Joyce was
severely injured.
Four members of the Morgan firm
were in conference in an office on
the Wall street side of the Morgan
building at the time. They were T
w. Lamont, George Whitney, Dwight
w. Morrow and Elliott Bacon
Dr. Colgate Moore, a broker, said
Immediately after the explosion a
tremendous crowd gathered. People
were pouring out of the big buildings
on all sides as it was the beginning
Of the lunch hour. Moore said the
people started running in panic, and
many women were knocked down and
trampied by the mob. Broad street
and Wall street were filled with
fighting, yelling men and women.
One man who was knocked sar~s1
and mangled by the blast was still
alive when a policeman reached him.
He gave his name as Irving Jacobs,
a broker, and was just trying to gasp
out, his address when he died.
More than two hours after the ex-
plosion, ambulances were still patroi!-
ing the financial district while attend
ants searched the office buildings for
victims. Many injured were also
beniq taken home in taxicabs-
U. S. Grant. assistant treasurer,
sitting at his desk in the sub-treasury
building, was slightly cut by flying
glass.
One eye witness of the explosion
said it came from a horse-drawn cart
or one of the automobiles standing
near the cart. The blast blew the
wagon to bits, and several automo7
biles along the curb were destroyed.
The troops cleared the streets for
a considerable distance around the
sub-treasury because of the large
sums in public funds in the sub
treasury and the assay office. Over
81 ,ooo, coo, COO In gold and bullion was
In these vaults.
The main banking floor Of the
Morgan and Company building was
badly damaged. The damage tilI
amount to $500 900, it was estimated.
The big glass dome was smashed.
Bomb proof netting inside the window
on the Wall street side was twisted.
Police said hardly one Of the en-
ployes on the first floor escaped un-
Injured.
Alvin w, krech, president of the
Equitable Trust Co., was reported to
have been cut by flying s7s> as he
sat in his office.
Police Commissioner Enright and
Fire Chief kenon surveyed the stu
alton, but would venture no opinion
as to the cause of the explosion.
Morris Whitman, an auto broker,
said he was walking with a young
woman at New and Wal! streets,
when he saw a horse and wagon
moving slowly in front Of the Morgan
A moment later, he said,
he saw 4 sheet of flames shoot one
hundred feet into the air, followed
by terrific explosion.
Whitman and the woman walking
with him were thrown to the street.
A man walking next TO them fell
with them. his leo having been blown
off.
One man told q United Press re-
porter he was felIed by flying win
low weight. Police said more than
Two hundred of these weights had
been found scattered throughout the
area of the disaster, leading to the
belief that the wagon was loaded
With them Or that a monster bomb
lad been made out of them and dyna-
mite.
Federal officials at the time Of the
explosion were engaged in transfer |
.ino $500 COO 900 worth Of gold from !
he sub-treasury to the new assay
This work had been going |
IN for weeks.
Ray Baker, director Of the mint, |
mined lately after the explosion, teIe- :
raphcd his office here from PhIa- /
eiphia that he was starting for New
fork. Assistant Secretary Gilbert !
the government vaults in |
he sub-treasury and assay offices, !
obtaining millions Of dollars worth
# gold and coin, were unchanged )
" tho explosion.
In addition to police investigation
f tn. explosion. District Attorney
wsnn late today appointed Assistant
district Attorney ToIIey and two
equities to conduct another probe
After a preliminary survey of the
amaae done, Toiley expressed the
pinior that a time bomb had been
EXPLODED.
Late today thousands still stroIled
bout the police lines at Broad and
Vail streets. Police bomb experts
bit of metal found in
Iaiden lane on the theory that it