The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-16
IN
0FF|CESOF
TREASURY
BY ORDERS
Many Faint in Crush as Bolt
Puts Lights Out OF
Commission.

I. Locked in their rooms like ami
mails in a cage by the orders Of
their division superintendent and
his chief clerk, more than $50
frenzied women employed in the
National. Bank Redemption Di-
vision of the Treasury Department
fought with each other in the dark
to get out of the rooms when
yesterday afternoons storm was
at its heighth.
Report Building Struck. ~
/, Immediately following binding
flash Of lightning all of the lights
went out about o'clock. 3ust as
inoet o4sthe employees had finished
ffclR days work and were hurrying
to get @out of the room into the cor
ridors where the lockers containing
their street clothes are kept.
"The building has been struck by
lightning" screamed a woman, who
made a vain attempt to open one
Of the doors, and when IL was found
that all of them had been locked
most of the women became hysterical
and tainted. But for the prompt ac-
tion of some Of the cooler heads In
the room, q serious panic. which
might have resulted in loss OF life,
would have taken place.
According TO some of the employees.
when they attempted to leave they
were stopped by r. b. Brown, chief
teller of the division, who, they claim.
yelled lock the doors, lock the DOORS"
as soon as the lights went out.
A number of the employees state
that they appealed to G.. o. Barnes,
division superintendent, to be allowed
to go home as they had finished their
work. but Barnes, they say, refused
to order the doors opened again until
the storm had subsidized. The employees
today expressed their Indignation at
what they term the high handed
treatment OF Superintendent. Barnes
and his chief teller, e. B. Brown.
Locked In without Reason.
They stated that with the exception
Of two or three, all OF them had COM
pleted their work about $50 or
o'clock, when the storm was at it's
height, and that there was no reason
for their being locked up In room
like rats In a trap when the lights
went out.
''If fire or anything like that had
started, we would not have been able
" HONc, bOOUCu Ouc VI kuS tbIlpiOyc
today who had not yet gotten over
her fright Of yesterday afternoon. ct
think it's terrible the way they order
ed the doors locked, frightening most
OF the women almost to death"
Although Superintendent Barnes
refused to discuss the matter, Frank
Whimte, Treasurer of the United
States, declared today that he heard
that the doors in this division had
been ordered locked, but said that Il
was done as protective measure for
the employees, who had large sums of
money on their desks which they
were counting at the time the lights
went out.
Although they are all carefully Sc
lected and trustworthy employees, 1t
was for their own good that the doors
were ordered locked" said Mr.. White.
They are personally responsible for
the money on their desks and II they
had left the room while It was in total
darkness and some of 1t disappeared
they would have been responsible for
the loss"
Employees Indignant
The employees. however, do not take
this view, and are indignant at the
treatment they received, for which
they say, Superintendent Barnes and
Chief Teher Brown. are entirely re-
sponsible.
The majority OF us had finished
our days work and were entitled to
leave, but instead were forced to re-
main until $40 o'clock when we were
allowed to check out" declared one
Of the employees today Although
two or three perhaps had not quite
finished their work, all Of the EN-.
ployes were kept until $40 until they
had finished
Efforts to have an official in
vestigation made by high Treasury
officials Of the entire occurrence OF
yesterday will be made by the en-
ployes, It was stated today. They
feel that serious panic might have
resulted. and are determined that
some disciplinary action should bc
administered to the division heads
who were responsible for the lock-
ms Of the doors yesterday.