Black Manhood Essay, Research Paper

ROBERT CLINE

The Explosion of Wall Street, September 16th 1920 from 3 different perspectives.

Reporting from Wall Street Live:

John Jackson,

Lady s & Gentlemen an explosion exterior the frontage of the Barclays Bank building just before 5 a.m. quivered downtown Wall Street sending debris of glass showering down on the intersection of Water Street. I spoke with New York City Police Chief of Detectives William Allee and he said, “An explosive device broke windows at Barclays Bank and windows across the street… One person was injured from the blast, but was treated at Downtown Beekman Hospital and released.” Afterward, the police tagged the device “an improvised explosive device,” but wouldn t say if it was a household mechanism. Allee said the New York City Police Department, the FBI and New York State Police have focused their attempts to find a 5-foot 10-inch, 220-pound man dressed in a tan construction coat that was seen outside 75 Wall St. about the time of the explosion.

Barclays Bank is not remarking on the incident other than to state that Barclays owns the building but doesn t sustain offices there. I spoke with a spokeswoman and informed me those two tenants in the building including Dresdner Bank and J.P. Morgan. There is no clue that the blast has any connection with Dresdner said a bank female spokesperson from Frankfurt, Germany. Bank procedures in the building include Dresdner’s trading floor and other facilities as

well. The spokeswoman stated that she couldn t give any other information at the time. One of J.P. Morgan s officials replied that Mr. Morgan has some employees that have been rerouted to another one of Mr. Morgan s offices and stated the bank is functioning “business as usual.” Bomb-smelling mutts and representatives from the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agency have closed searching the area and found nothing. The police say the area is now safe. Employees are now being permitted into the entrance on 75th Wall St., but are being accompanied by police cops through a secondary entrance. Streets are blocked off in the parameters between Pearl, Front, Wall and Greenwich streets. I spoke with a gentleman official at a corner stand and he stated he was piling donuts when the explosion occurred. “I figured it was a giant firecracker,” stated gentleman who declined to give his given name. He ended the conversation with, “I didn’t go out because I was scared.” I also spoke with Dennis Theodore and he said he heard the blast during his regular work on his fifth floor office at 110th Wall St. He stated, “My windows shook. The whole building shook, and I knew it was a bomb right away.” I found out that this would be Theodore’s second attack in five years. This 43 year old from Middle Village Queens, man was on a subway car near Fulton St. approximately five years ago when a bomb exploded in one of the train cars. The blast is the first in history in the lower Manhattan area that was so destructive ever.

I m seeing next door the gigantic iron bars across the Assay Office s windows twisted. The Stock Exchange s big windows shattered onto the trading floor. The effect of the blast caused the Trinity Church to tremble and thirty people died instantly because of stones falling and some mere scarlet stains on the pavement. A woman s head still wearing a hat is wedged to 23 Wall s fa ade. A courier lay decapitated with a package of securities burning in his hand. Also a clerk lay eyeless with his feet gone very fatigued. I figure about two hundred are hurt with the exception of the 10 who were just found dead. To the left of me a hoof of on of the horses that are soaking in a pool blood. Another on site witness remembered how the pool had glistened in the sunrays. There are crowds of unhurt people surrounding the shambles even though stepping on the dead to see well.

Other information on the explosion of Wall St. the Stock Exchange s president stated he walked at a good stride to the bathroom because running is forbidden on the trading floor. While he rang the gong to end the day s trading. The Curb Exchange brokers transacted commerce on the Broad St. walkway approximately 200 feet south of Wall St. Less officially suspended when the brokers ran off. The police and firemen are here cleaning up things trying to get order. Half a dozen cops with their guns drawn took post before the Assay Office and Sub treasury. Forty minutes after the blast federal soldiers from the Governor s Island barracks arrived with they re rifles filled and spears fixed were double-timing into Wall St.

Sources: www.yahoo.com; 1920 explosion.

www.msn.com; Wall St. Bombing of 1920.

Microfilm-September 16th 1920. Bombing of the Wall St. Market.