Evening star., 1942-03-14
Nyscraper 5he||ing
That Gave Wall St.
'Jitters' Is Probed
East River Anti-Aircroft
Gun Fired Accidentally,
Army Officer Explains

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, March 14.-The first
shell of the war fell on Manhattan
yesterday, chipped a corner of
Wall Street skyscraper and caused
before officials learned the shot was
fired accidentally from an American
anti-aircraft gun.
Seven other shells were believed
to have landed in the East River.
The hit on the 40-story Equitable
Building at 100 Broadway knocked
pieces of brick from ledge between
the 37th and 38th floors of the $28,-
100000 structure, raining debris and
shell fragments to the busy street
below. No one was injured.
Army Opens Inquiry.
AS the Army started an investiga-
ton, Maj Gen. Sanderford Jarman,
commanding general of the anti-air-
craft artillery command, Eastern
theater of operations, issued this
statement:
AT about 3 80 p m. this date Fri-
day. one of the automatic anti-air-
craft weapons located along the
East River accidentally discharged
eight rounds. AS far as can be
learned to date, seven of these
rounds are believed to have fallen
Into the river and one to have hit
l20 Broadway, knocking out a few
bricks
preliminary investigation indi-
Gates that the accident occurred
through some mechanical failure in
the firing mechanism Of the gun.
Further investigation is being car
ried out"
Acting Capt. James Pyke, in
charge of the New York City bomb
squad, said the shell Travelled about
1000 yards. 1T was very fortunate
that 1t did not go through one of
the windows, as it would have
wrecked any Office that it entered"
he added.
Shell Weighed Pound.
The shells came from a 37-milli-
meter gun that fires automatically
at the rate of 125 rounds a minute.
The shells weigh about a pound
each.
The Equitable Building houses
5000 workers. but most of them
were unaware of what had happened
until the general excitement spread.
The direct hit" sent dozens of
police cars and fire trucks into ac-
ton, caused at least one afraid
warden to prepare to lead 200
workers to shelter and showered
fragments on window lodges of the
Bankers Club. on the 38th floor.
Luckily no one was struck by the
pinch sections of steel discovered
on the pavement.
Excitement Stirs Wild Rumors.
Before the official explanation was
given rumors swept the financial
district that a tri-motored plane
had been seen flying over the area
at the time of the explosions. and
there was speculation that perhaps
submarine had slammed a shell
at lower Manhattan.
Police experts on explosives
swarmed into the building Big
NIOWbS tlIS SllCclS- To-
lice headquarters. Army and Navy
information Offices, military head
quarters at Governors Island, and
newspapers were deluged with tele-
phone calls from Office workers in
the area.
The Broadway entrance of the
building, one of the largest Office
skyscrapers in the city. is dag
onally opposite famed Trinity
Church at the head of Wall Street.
The excitement was the greatest
experienced in the district since the
Wall Street explosion of September
i6, 1920, in which 27 persons we're
killed. The crowds were orderly,
and workers, after being reassured
by police, returned to their Offices.