Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-08

into complete responsibility.
1t Is preparing to take over an
- elegant new home, and when it does
the last vestiges of the humble beginning that
gave the Curb its name will have vanished.
For the Curb Exchange was originally just that
"a market in which the brokers of odd lots
of the cheaper stocks stood on the curb and
signaled their orders to buy and sell to others
in windows high above them in Offices where
the orders were executed. The stocks dealt m
we're usually lower in price and less established
in the financial world than those listed for
trading on the New York Stock Exchange. AS
the years passed however, the Curb frightened
its requirements for listing, and now, as 1t is
about to take its new building, there is
practically no difference between the prestige
of its list and the list of the older New York
Stock Exchange.
This new home of the curb market is the
typical modernistic and efhcient-looking build
ing of the Wall street belt There is nothing
about it to suggest the turbulent trading Of the
sidewalk and curbstone days; nothing to sug-
gest the rebellion of traders who preferred the
open street to the conservatively organized
Stock Exchange; little to remind one Of the
shoutings and hand wavings, the night trad
ings in picturesque old taverns, the amusing
signals and the musical comedy attire affected
to diStins uish certain manipulators.
NOV there is all the disciplined procedure Of
the thoroughly oiled business machine Of
today-some IS 600 feet of trading floor space,
some 5000 feet of telephone space, seats which
bring more than quarter OF a million dollars.
The Curb" has travelled a long, long way
from the madhouse antics staged in the open
highway and accentuated by seemingly insane
shoutings and hand wavings and gyrations.
This was in its day one of the spectacular
sights of New York, free show which tourists
from every section of the world took in: a show
which caused every one to wonder at its actors
and yet which proved vital first act IN the
Nations economic drama, which today finds
millions with eye glued to the ticker tape
But had you walked through Broad street
as recently as nine or ten years ago. a truly in
credible scene would have been presented to
your eyes. There, in what was referred to as
Exchange square" you would have been at a
loss to explain the presence of many curiously
CARRIED men. One might have been wearing
Scotchman's plaid turban, another might have
been affecting violent green felt topper; there
would have been considerable collection OF
screaming red caps, some white duck yachting
hats and other flaShy types of head dress.
To the stranger, this might all have seemed
like some inexplicable carnival.
OF sudden, the strangest of tumults would
have started. Crowds of men, packed from
sidewalk to sidewalk would, seemingly without
reason have begun dancing about and shouting
and pushing each other, looking up at the win
dows in the tall buildings about them and
making mysterious gestures with their hands.
Some would hold up two fingers and some
would have fists. In the windows were busy
looking telephone operators with receivers
clapped tightly to their ears. Within few
moments the scene would have been a COM
bination of the biblical Babel and imitation
of a deaf and dumb school picnic.
But, believe it not, a great cross section
of the Nations business was thus being carried
on. Stocks in some of the Nations greatest
enterprises were being bought and sold. For
tunes were being made and lost. The ludicrous-
looking hats were solely for purposes OF identi-
hcation The men peerng from the windows
above could recognize certain trader set
of traders by the funny-looking skull caps, and
all the finger manipulation was the process of
bidding.
And this would go in fair weather foul
Serious business men, engaged In affairs OF tire
mendous moment, thus pranced shouted and
motioned in rain, sun and fair weather; bust
ness history made and prices established
by methods so picturesquely unbelievable that
many today marvel that it could have contin-
ued for so many years without change
IN just such scene, but maddened and eX-
banded by the exciting times, the famous
"war brides"-that is, the stocks representing
ammunitions, explosives, copper ships and the
street into a sort of fury which sent dozens OF
securities skyrocketing and made fabulous for
f''t ":tN'e'ts