The Washington times., 1920-09-17

The authorities have discarded
the theory that a robber band hoped
TO wreck the Morgan bank and the
United States sub-treasury and loot
the vaults under the cover Of the
general panic and excitement. 1t Is
admitted, however, that such a plot,
IL successfully carried out, would
have yielded rich harvest. There
was 100000 in gold bullion stored
in the vaults Of the United States
assay office. and 100000 more in
the United States sub-treasury. The
amount Of gold bullion and coin in
the Morgan bank and the nearby
Bankers Trust Company is not defi-
nitely known, but is very large,
With dawn today the army Of in
vestigators on the scene Of the catas-
trophe was reinforced. Renewed ef-
forts were made to gain information
as to the identity Of the terrorists
through the horse and wagon which
had carried the bomb. The carcass
Of the dead horse was minutely ex-
amined. 1t was found that the ami
NAL was newly shod and that it had
recently been clipped.
Detectives have been assigned to
canvass all blacksmith shops in New
York to check up the. owners Of
horses shod within the past few
days. Detectives are making a sim
liar investigation on Long Island
and at various places in New Jersey
where. anarchists were formerly
known to gather
BOMB VEHICLE YELLOW.
The police department gave out
the following description of the
bomb vehicle:
"A one-horse affair of the rack
variety. The bed was enclosed in a
network of, slender poles and rails.
1t was painted yellow"
Regular explosives wagons are
painted red, are entirely covered,
carry a red flag, and are emblazoned
with big warning placards.
All of the injured who are able to
talk are being examined in hospitals
and their homes by Federal and mu-
nicipal detectives. They have been
able to give information of some
value, but most Of them said they
had noticed nothing until they were
knocked down by the earthquake-like
explosion. r+
Those who were in the immediate
vicinity of Broad and Wall streets
said that the. Ginning of the clock in
Trinity tower had barely ceased
when a muffled roar like a blast of
artillery broke forth. Buildings
rocked and the air was Immediately
darkened by smoke and flying wreck
age.
A sheet of flame leaped through
the windows of the Morgan bank and
the Sub-Treasury. This flame had
the appearance Of coming from the
bank, and it was this phenomenon
that led to the original report that
the explosion had occurred in the
Morgan bank.
The echoes Of the blast rang
through the canon-like streets be-
tween the towering buildings. A
pail of thick, oily yellow smoke arose
as the streets ratified with the crash
OF falling glass. A great shout arose
from the panic-stricken people. Men
and women, aroused to frenzy by
fear, began running aimlessly
through the streets, and above their
shouts rose the screams of the in
jured. In the excitement no one
thought to look for the perpetrators
Of the outrage. In fact, it was not
known at that time that an Internal
machine had caused it.
SAW WAGON PASS.
At 11:45 a. m. yesterday a wagon
resembling that described as figur-
ing in the disaster passed the build
ing being erected three blocks from
the scene Of the explosion at William
and Cedar streets, according to John
j. Meehan, superintendent of con-
struction at that building.
Meehan said the driver Of the |
wagon exchanged some spirited |
words with one Of Meehan's truck |
men because of slight traffic jam,
the driver evidently being in a hur-
ry to get to his destination.
There was second man on the |
wagon, Meehan said, and both this
man and the driver appeared to be
foreigners. There was something on
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