The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-09-16
TERRIFIC EXPLOSION ON WALL STREET KILLED
AND INJURED MANY PEOPLE---NEW YORKS FZNAN-
CIAL DISTRICT THROWN INTO GREAT FRENZY

guard the sub treasury and aid the
police.
The reported casualty list at l2:5C
was more than score dead and about
IS injured
Heads of the fire department on
reaching the scene directed their eff
forts toward ascertaining the cause
and location of the explosion. The
latter was difficult because of the shat
tered appearance of buildings near the
Morgan Office, but the authorities were
inclined to abandon their theory that
the explosion had occurred either in
the Morgan Office itself or the stock
exchange. Concensus of opinion at
l2:45 was that the blowup had oc-
Cured in the street.
One fire marshal expressed the opin
ion that the explosion had been one of
dynamite. Coupled with this theory
was the automobile which figured in
other versions of the disaster. This
automobile was reported to have col
lided with a truck loaded with lyna
mite.
Many of the injured were girls work
ing in Office buildings. Hundreds of
persons were thrown to the sidewalk
with the force of the explosion and
dozens of trucks and automobiles were
pressed into service to carry away the
wounded.
Little information was obtainable
from the Morgan office. J. P. Morgan
himself is now abroad.
Police reserves, hastily assembled,
found difficulty in coping with the
crowd of many thousand persons who
tried to press themselves into Wall
street, the narrow canyon in which
automobiles can hardly pass each 9th
err with ease. Telephone service was
shut off from many public booths in
the vicinity and all banking offices
were placed under extraordinarily
heavy guard.
A wrecked automobile bearing the
New Jersey license number Of 24246
was found near the Morgan building
and the police tried TO establish
whether this was the machine which
had figured so prominently in versions
of the disaster.
Underneath the wrecked automobile
was found New Jersey chauffeur's
license made out in the name OF >Je-
rome II. Mcmahon of l407 Nelson ave-
nue.. Bronx.
An hour after the explosion occurred
the police were inclined to the theory
that it had been caused by collision
of 7, \ L truck and an automobile
on Wall street between the Morgan Of
flee and the sub b-treasury building.
They pointed to the fact that de
molished truck was found at this point
near the wrecked automobile. The aU
thorities switched their theory from
dynamite 10 t y r because Of the fact
that there appeared no great hole in
the pavement, such as would have
been blasted by the downward force
Of dynamite.
So far as can be learned no promi
nent financiers or members of the
stock exchange were injured in the ex
plosion. Thomas Y. Lamont and Hen
ry P. Davidson, members Of the firm,
were in the Morgan Office at the time
but were not hurt.
Seventeen victims of the explosion
were taken out the side door of the |
Morgan banking house at l2:35.
Troops Arrive on Scene.
United States regulars from Gov
ernor's island arrived on the scene at
1880 for guard dHy.
At l:05 doubt was cast on the &C. |
cident theory when members of the |
bomb squad hastened To the scene eX
pressed the opinion that a bomb hadl
exploded. They added that fragmentsl
II metal picked up on the street were |
being examined on the theory that
they have been bits Of the internal
Police summoned all ambuIances
from 34th street south and all avail |
able police reserves were modified.
The financial district. after the ex-
plosion. presented scene of greatest |
Buildings Badly Damaged.
In addition to the bodies Of human
beings and horses scattered over the
payment, great blotches of blood ap-
Deared on the white walls of Wall
streets Office buildings Almost every
pane Of glass in the vicinity was shat
tered and beside a mantle Of broken
,rystal the streets were covered
with fragments of brick and stone
blasted from the base walls Of the
Several persons were
hurt in these Office buildings when mis-.
,iles hurled through windows.
The front of the Morgan building
was demolished and the subtreasury
=. 4