WALL STREET EXPLOSION.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 292, 7 December 1920, Page 8

WALL STREET EXPLOSION.

NEW ZEALANBEH A WITNESS. EXTRAORDINARY SCENES. Hon. George FWlds, of Auckland, missed by only a few minutes the great explosion which shattered a section ot Wall Street, in the heart of New York, on September US. Ho gave to the "Star , a vivid little description of the accident, or outrage, as it is now alleged to be.

"I happened to arrive at the Wall Street station of the underffroundY' he said, "lees than five minutes after the explosion took iplacc. Even in that short space of time the crowxia could have been counted 'hy the hundreds ot thousands. I was fortunately n few minutes late for an appointment, or J should have been passing the Assay Office, where the explosion took place Wall Street and the nhuttino streets were so densely packed .'.hen I arrived (hat I was compelled to make a long detour to <jet to my destination. lv various parts of the wildly-excited crowd I came across people claiming to have been eyewitnesses of the explosion, each "tie retailing to a knot oi people an entirely different story of the occurrence One young man bearing convincing eviileii;*- of having been hurt by tlyin? jjlass was quite definite in his assertion that a wagon delivering explosives had been run into hy x motor ear, and l.iial ( this did the damage. His statement was confirmed later by six workmen engaged on the foundations of a near-by building, who volunteered evidence that shortly before the accident the driver of it wagon called there saying he had some explosives for delivery, and asked the use of the telephone to gvt more definite instructions from his employers. Soon after leaving the telephone he returned again to report the explosion! which had occurred meantime. Any! such delivery of explosives in the heart of Xew York would of course be illegal, and the responsible party, if discovered and convicted, would have been liable! for the lo?s of life and property —mtiny millions of dollars, in fact. An anarchisthunt therefore: would naturally We mote agreeable to all parties concerned. The newspapers promptly with one accord declared tire explosion to be the work ot anarchists using a clockwork bomhThree separate investigations were immediately set on foot by city. State, and | l-'edcrnl authorities, and every fresh clue for days was graphically described until the next sensation came along.' .