A TRAGEDY ON WALL STREET
From injuries received in the Wall Street bomb explosion which shocked New York and the country at large on September 16th, Harold Lusk Gillies of the class of 1916 of Amherst University, died in the Broad Street Hospital at 3 o'clock the following morning. This atrocious crime against society brought upon New York alumni and "Pike's" many friends in and about the city a personal loss the intensity of which is alone explained by the remarkable personality of this young Amherst man whose friendship has been such an important factor in the lives of many men.
The explosives, which were carried in a ramshackle delivery wagon, were detonated at a point in Wall Street immediately in front of the Assay Office and across the street from the office of J. P. Morgan & Co. Gillies had stopped a very short distance away, approximately in front of 40 Wall Street, to have a chat with a friend from his home town, Nyack, N. Y., when the explosion occurred at 12.01 P.M. Many persons near bim were killed instantly by flying pieces of metal and the flames of the burning charge. Gillies suffered a triple fracture of the right leg, a dislocation of the left hip, lacerations of the face and a severe cut in the back of the head. It has been learned that as he lay helpless he tried in vain to remove his coat to quench the flames which were burning the clothing of a girl who had fallen near him.
Owing to the crowds and the many police that had been brought into the district, it was some time before George H. Fitts, '12, was able to reach him at the hospital. Fitts, who is connected with the banking house of George H. Burr & Company, with which Gillies was also identified, had been notified by telephone. First aid had already been administered and "Pike" although suffering great pain was in his customary cheery mood. The shock of the operation performed during the afternoon, added to that of the explosion, left him in a very serious condition, and it was realized that he had only an even chance of recovery, though he rallied splendidly in the evening.
Not once during the entire period at the hospital did he inquire as to his own condition, but showed the greatest solicitude for the others who were suffering with him. One of the nurses, a Miss Stevenson, telephoned to the office of George H. Burr & Company the next morning to offer the information that all of those on duty considered "Pike" to have been the outstanding figure among the one hundred and fifty patients in the hospital. His buoyancy and courage had so captivated those who were serving there as well as the other victims of the explosion that even after those few hours they grieved for him as for a friend. One of "Pike's" most endearing characteristics is aptly illustrated by his action under these circumstances. When the nurse brought some cracked ice, he showed his appreciation by saying, "I'll vote for you," and when the doctor who was moving him from his bed to the operatting room, asked him if the pressure hurt him, his answer was, "I'll say it does." He showed his appreciation of every kindness and was fearful lest his weakness and his needs should focus attention on himself. His concern for a patient in the next cot who had to have a leg amputated was so pitiful in the light of his own maimed condition that it brought tears to the eyes of those who had grown accustomed to such scenes of human suffering. One of the nurses who had seen a long term of service on the battlefields of France said she had never known of a case of such entire unconcern for one's own condition.
The details of "Pike's" last hours are so typical of his life at Amherst and in business that they serve to bring into relief the characteristics which contributed to his brilliant personality. He made his friendships secure because of his helpfulness. In a dark hour his counsel was reassuring and opened the way to a happy solution. Yet this counsel was never a balm which dulled the point at issue. In an instant he absorbed the situation and clarified it by the largeness of his point of view, very often giving expression to it in a delightfully epigrammatic manner. As one of his business associates said, "'Pike' could sense the vital elements of a situation more quickly and more accurately than any man I have known in business." He was conversant on almost any subject and could be depended upon to make a definite contribution to any discussion.
He attracted to himself not only those in his own sphere, but men of large business interests as well and indeed those in the more humble walks with whom he came in contact. Such was the magnetism of his personality. Of the three hundred who attended his funeral at the Funeral Church, Broadway at 66th Street, on Sunday, September 19th, there was not one who did not feel the loss of a friend. There were boys and girls, not to mention his own family, all of whom came there to mourn for one who had helped them build their lives through his own wholesome outlook and congenial spirit.
Harold Lusk Gillies was born in Nyack, New York, on March 16, 1893. He attended the public schools there and entered Blair Academy in New Jersey in the fall of 1911. Finishing in 1912 he entered Amherst the same year and was graduated with the class of 1916. He was married to Miss Marion Rawson on April 4, 1917. A son, John Douglas, was bor n to them on July 3, 1918.
After a short experience first in New York and later in Chicago in the bond business, he returned to New York and became associated with George H. Burr & Co., through Frederick S. Bale, '06, who is a member of that firm. In a short time he was made manager of their Hartford office, and a year ago he was promoted to the position of the firm's representative in their relations with many of the principal New York banks.
The place he had made for himself is indicated by the remark of a well known New York bank official, "I have rarely known a man, with such comparatively slight experience in New York, who was so highly regarded."
Source: Amherst Graduates' Quarterly
New York City Municipal Deaths:
Name: Harold L Gillies
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 17 September 1920
Event Place: Manhattan, New York
Address: 54 Store Ave
Residence Place: Pelliam, New Jersey
Male. 27 years old, Married, White
Occupation: Salesman
Birth Year (Estimated): 1893
Birthplace United States
Cemetery: N.Y. 9 N.J. Crematory
Father's Name Isaac Gillies
Father's Birthplace: U.S.
Mother's Name: Emma Lusk
Mother's Birthplace: U.S.
==========
Citing this Source:
.... New York City Municipal Deaths
.... 1795-1949
.... Database: FamilySearch
From injuries received in the Wall Street bomb explosion which shocked New York and the country at large on September 16th, Harold Lusk Gillies of the class of 1916 of Amherst University, died in the Broad Street Hospital at 3 o'clock the following morning. This atrocious crime against society brought upon New York alumni and "Pike's" many friends in and about the city a personal loss the intensity of which is alone explained by the remarkable personality of this young Amherst man whose friendship has been such an important factor in the lives of many men.
The explosives, which were carried in a ramshackle delivery wagon, were detonated at a point in Wall Street immediately in front of the Assay Office and across the street from the office of J. P. Morgan & Co. Gillies had stopped a very short distance away, approximately in front of 40 Wall Street, to have a chat with a friend from his home town, Nyack, N. Y., when the explosion occurred at 12.01 P.M. Many persons near bim were killed instantly by flying pieces of metal and the flames of the burning charge. Gillies suffered a triple fracture of the right leg, a dislocation of the left hip, lacerations of the face and a severe cut in the back of the head. It has been learned that as he lay helpless he tried in vain to remove his coat to quench the flames which were burning the clothing of a girl who had fallen near him.
Owing to the crowds and the many police that had been brought into the district, it was some time before George H. Fitts, '12, was able to reach him at the hospital. Fitts, who is connected with the banking house of George H. Burr & Company, with which Gillies was also identified, had been notified by telephone. First aid had already been administered and "Pike" although suffering great pain was in his customary cheery mood. The shock of the operation performed during the afternoon, added to that of the explosion, left him in a very serious condition, and it was realized that he had only an even chance of recovery, though he rallied splendidly in the evening.
Not once during the entire period at the hospital did he inquire as to his own condition, but showed the greatest solicitude for the others who were suffering with him. One of the nurses, a Miss Stevenson, telephoned to the office of George H. Burr & Company the next morning to offer the information that all of those on duty considered "Pike" to have been the outstanding figure among the one hundred and fifty patients in the hospital. His buoyancy and courage had so captivated those who were serving there as well as the other victims of the explosion that even after those few hours they grieved for him as for a friend. One of "Pike's" most endearing characteristics is aptly illustrated by his action under these circumstances. When the nurse brought some cracked ice, he showed his appreciation by saying, "I'll vote for you," and when the doctor who was moving him from his bed to the operatting room, asked him if the pressure hurt him, his answer was, "I'll say it does." He showed his appreciation of every kindness and was fearful lest his weakness and his needs should focus attention on himself. His concern for a patient in the next cot who had to have a leg amputated was so pitiful in the light of his own maimed condition that it brought tears to the eyes of those who had grown accustomed to such scenes of human suffering. One of the nurses who had seen a long term of service on the battlefields of France said she had never known of a case of such entire unconcern for one's own condition.
The details of "Pike's" last hours are so typical of his life at Amherst and in business that they serve to bring into relief the characteristics which contributed to his brilliant personality. He made his friendships secure because of his helpfulness. In a dark hour his counsel was reassuring and opened the way to a happy solution. Yet this counsel was never a balm which dulled the point at issue. In an instant he absorbed the situation and clarified it by the largeness of his point of view, very often giving expression to it in a delightfully epigrammatic manner. As one of his business associates said, "'Pike' could sense the vital elements of a situation more quickly and more accurately than any man I have known in business." He was conversant on almost any subject and could be depended upon to make a definite contribution to any discussion.
He attracted to himself not only those in his own sphere, but men of large business interests as well and indeed those in the more humble walks with whom he came in contact. Such was the magnetism of his personality. Of the three hundred who attended his funeral at the Funeral Church, Broadway at 66th Street, on Sunday, September 19th, there was not one who did not feel the loss of a friend. There were boys and girls, not to mention his own family, all of whom came there to mourn for one who had helped them build their lives through his own wholesome outlook and congenial spirit.
Harold Lusk Gillies was born in Nyack, New York, on March 16, 1893. He attended the public schools there and entered Blair Academy in New Jersey in the fall of 1911. Finishing in 1912 he entered Amherst the same year and was graduated with the class of 1916. He was married to Miss Marion Rawson on April 4, 1917. A son, John Douglas, was bor n to them on July 3, 1918.
After a short experience first in New York and later in Chicago in the bond business, he returned to New York and became associated with George H. Burr & Co., through Frederick S. Bale, '06, who is a member of that firm. In a short time he was made manager of their Hartford office, and a year ago he was promoted to the position of the firm's representative in their relations with many of the principal New York banks.
The place he had made for himself is indicated by the remark of a well known New York bank official, "I have rarely known a man, with such comparatively slight experience in New York, who was so highly regarded."
Source: Amherst Graduates' Quarterly
New York City Municipal Deaths:
Name: Harold L Gillies
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 17 September 1920
Event Place: Manhattan, New York
Address: 54 Store Ave
Residence Place: Pelliam, New Jersey
Male. 27 years old, Married, White
Occupation: Salesman
Birth Year (Estimated): 1893
Birthplace United States
Cemetery: N.Y. 9 N.J. Crematory
Father's Name Isaac Gillies
Father's Birthplace: U.S.
Mother's Name: Emma Lusk
Mother's Birthplace: U.S.
==========
Citing this Source:
.... New York City Municipal Deaths
.... 1795-1949
.... Database: FamilySearch
A TRAGEDY ON WALL STREET
From injuries received in the Wall Street bomb explosion which shocked New York and the country at large on September 16th, Harold Lusk Gillies of the class of 1916 of Amherst University, died in the Broad Street Hospital at 3 o'clock the following morning. This atrocious crime against society brought upon New York alumni and "Pike's" many friends in and about the city a personal loss the intensity of which is alone explained by the remarkable personality of this young Amherst man whose friendship has been such an important factor in the lives of many men.
The explosives, which were carried in a ramshackle delivery wagon, were detonated at a point in Wall Street immediately in front of the Assay Office and across the street from the office of J. P. Morgan & Co. Gillies had stopped a very short distance away, approximately in front of 40 Wall Street, to have a chat with a friend from his home town, Nyack, N. Y., when the explosion occurred at 12.01 P.M. Many persons near bim were killed instantly by flying pieces of metal and the flames of the burning charge. Gillies suffered a triple fracture of the right leg, a dislocation of the left hip, lacerations of the face and a severe cut in the back of the head. It has been learned that as he lay helpless he tried in vain to remove his coat to quench the flames which were burning the clothing of a girl who had fallen near him.
Owing to the crowds and the many police that had been brought into the district, it was some time before George H. Fitts, '12, was able to reach him at the hospital. Fitts, who is connected with the banking house of George H. Burr & Company, with which Gillies was also identified, had been notified by telephone. First aid had already been administered and "Pike" although suffering great pain was in his customary cheery mood. The shock of the operation performed during the afternoon, added to that of the explosion, left him in a very serious condition, and it was realized that he had only an even chance of recovery, though he rallied splendidly in the evening.
Not once during the entire period at the hospital did he inquire as to his own condition, but showed the greatest solicitude for the others who were suffering with him. One of the nurses, a Miss Stevenson, telephoned to the office of George H. Burr & Company the next morning to offer the information that all of those on duty considered "Pike" to have been the outstanding figure among the one hundred and fifty patients in the hospital. His buoyancy and courage had so captivated those who were serving there as well as the other victims of the explosion that even after those few hours they grieved for him as for a friend. One of "Pike's" most endearing characteristics is aptly illustrated by his action under these circumstances. When the nurse brought some cracked ice, he showed his appreciation by saying, "I'll vote for you," and when the doctor who was moving him from his bed to the operatting room, asked him if the pressure hurt him, his answer was, "I'll say it does." He showed his appreciation of every kindness and was fearful lest his weakness and his needs should focus attention on himself. His concern for a patient in the next cot who had to have a leg amputated was so pitiful in the light of his own maimed condition that it brought tears to the eyes of those who had grown accustomed to such scenes of human suffering. One of the nurses who had seen a long term of service on the battlefields of France said she had never known of a case of such entire unconcern for one's own condition.
The details of "Pike's" last hours are so typical of his life at Amherst and in business that they serve to bring into relief the characteristics which contributed to his brilliant personality. He made his friendships secure because of his helpfulness. In a dark hour his counsel was reassuring and opened the way to a happy solution. Yet this counsel was never a balm which dulled the point at issue. In an instant he absorbed the situation and clarified it by the largeness of his point of view, very often giving expression to it in a delightfully epigrammatic manner. As one of his business associates said, "'Pike' could sense the vital elements of a situation more quickly and more accurately than any man I have known in business." He was conversant on almost any subject and could be depended upon to make a definite contribution to any discussion.
He attracted to himself not only those in his own sphere, but men of large business interests as well and indeed those in the more humble walks with whom he came in contact. Such was the magnetism of his personality. Of the three hundred who attended his funeral at the Funeral Church, Broadway at 66th Street, on Sunday, September 19th, there was not one who did not feel the loss of a friend. There were boys and girls, not to mention his own family, all of whom came there to mourn for one who had helped them build their lives through his own wholesome outlook and congenial spirit.
Harold Lusk Gillies was born in Nyack, New York, on March 16, 1893. He attended the public schools there and entered Blair Academy in New Jersey in the fall of 1911. Finishing in 1912 he entered Amherst the same year and was graduated with the class of 1916. He was married to Miss Marion Rawson on April 4, 1917. A son, John Douglas, was bor n to them on July 3, 1918.
After a short experience first in New York and later in Chicago in the bond business, he returned to New York and became associated with George H. Burr & Co., through Frederick S. Bale, '06, who is a member of that firm. In a short time he was made manager of their Hartford office, and a year ago he was promoted to the position of the firm's representative in their relations with many of the principal New York banks.
The place he had made for himself is indicated by the remark of a well known New York bank official, "I have rarely known a man, with such comparatively slight experience in New York, who was so highly regarded."
Source: Amherst Graduates' Quarterly
New York City Municipal Deaths:
Name: Harold L Gillies
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 17 September 1920
Event Place: Manhattan, New York
Address: 54 Store Ave
Residence Place: Pelliam, New Jersey
Male. 27 years old, Married, White
Occupation: Salesman
Birth Year (Estimated): 1893
Birthplace United States
Cemetery: N.Y. 9 N.J. Crematory
Father's Name Isaac Gillies
Father's Birthplace: U.S.
Mother's Name: Emma Lusk
Mother's Birthplace: U.S.
==========
Citing this Source:
.... New York City Municipal Deaths
.... 1795-1949
.... Database: FamilySearch
From injuries received in the Wall Street bomb explosion which shocked New York and the country at large on September 16th, Harold Lusk Gillies of the class of 1916 of Amherst University, died in the Broad Street Hospital at 3 o'clock the following morning. This atrocious crime against society brought upon New York alumni and "Pike's" many friends in and about the city a personal loss the intensity of which is alone explained by the remarkable personality of this young Amherst man whose friendship has been such an important factor in the lives of many men.
The explosives, which were carried in a ramshackle delivery wagon, were detonated at a point in Wall Street immediately in front of the Assay Office and across the street from the office of J. P. Morgan & Co. Gillies had stopped a very short distance away, approximately in front of 40 Wall Street, to have a chat with a friend from his home town, Nyack, N. Y., when the explosion occurred at 12.01 P.M. Many persons near bim were killed instantly by flying pieces of metal and the flames of the burning charge. Gillies suffered a triple fracture of the right leg, a dislocation of the left hip, lacerations of the face and a severe cut in the back of the head. It has been learned that as he lay helpless he tried in vain to remove his coat to quench the flames which were burning the clothing of a girl who had fallen near him.
Owing to the crowds and the many police that had been brought into the district, it was some time before George H. Fitts, '12, was able to reach him at the hospital. Fitts, who is connected with the banking house of George H. Burr & Company, with which Gillies was also identified, had been notified by telephone. First aid had already been administered and "Pike" although suffering great pain was in his customary cheery mood. The shock of the operation performed during the afternoon, added to that of the explosion, left him in a very serious condition, and it was realized that he had only an even chance of recovery, though he rallied splendidly in the evening.
Not once during the entire period at the hospital did he inquire as to his own condition, but showed the greatest solicitude for the others who were suffering with him. One of the nurses, a Miss Stevenson, telephoned to the office of George H. Burr & Company the next morning to offer the information that all of those on duty considered "Pike" to have been the outstanding figure among the one hundred and fifty patients in the hospital. His buoyancy and courage had so captivated those who were serving there as well as the other victims of the explosion that even after those few hours they grieved for him as for a friend. One of "Pike's" most endearing characteristics is aptly illustrated by his action under these circumstances. When the nurse brought some cracked ice, he showed his appreciation by saying, "I'll vote for you," and when the doctor who was moving him from his bed to the operatting room, asked him if the pressure hurt him, his answer was, "I'll say it does." He showed his appreciation of every kindness and was fearful lest his weakness and his needs should focus attention on himself. His concern for a patient in the next cot who had to have a leg amputated was so pitiful in the light of his own maimed condition that it brought tears to the eyes of those who had grown accustomed to such scenes of human suffering. One of the nurses who had seen a long term of service on the battlefields of France said she had never known of a case of such entire unconcern for one's own condition.
The details of "Pike's" last hours are so typical of his life at Amherst and in business that they serve to bring into relief the characteristics which contributed to his brilliant personality. He made his friendships secure because of his helpfulness. In a dark hour his counsel was reassuring and opened the way to a happy solution. Yet this counsel was never a balm which dulled the point at issue. In an instant he absorbed the situation and clarified it by the largeness of his point of view, very often giving expression to it in a delightfully epigrammatic manner. As one of his business associates said, "'Pike' could sense the vital elements of a situation more quickly and more accurately than any man I have known in business." He was conversant on almost any subject and could be depended upon to make a definite contribution to any discussion.
He attracted to himself not only those in his own sphere, but men of large business interests as well and indeed those in the more humble walks with whom he came in contact. Such was the magnetism of his personality. Of the three hundred who attended his funeral at the Funeral Church, Broadway at 66th Street, on Sunday, September 19th, there was not one who did not feel the loss of a friend. There were boys and girls, not to mention his own family, all of whom came there to mourn for one who had helped them build their lives through his own wholesome outlook and congenial spirit.
Harold Lusk Gillies was born in Nyack, New York, on March 16, 1893. He attended the public schools there and entered Blair Academy in New Jersey in the fall of 1911. Finishing in 1912 he entered Amherst the same year and was graduated with the class of 1916. He was married to Miss Marion Rawson on April 4, 1917. A son, John Douglas, was bor n to them on July 3, 1918.
After a short experience first in New York and later in Chicago in the bond business, he returned to New York and became associated with George H. Burr & Co., through Frederick S. Bale, '06, who is a member of that firm. In a short time he was made manager of their Hartford office, and a year ago he was promoted to the position of the firm's representative in their relations with many of the principal New York banks.
The place he had made for himself is indicated by the remark of a well known New York bank official, "I have rarely known a man, with such comparatively slight experience in New York, who was so highly regarded."
Source: Amherst Graduates' Quarterly
New York City Municipal Deaths:
Name: Harold L Gillies
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 17 September 1920
Event Place: Manhattan, New York
Address: 54 Store Ave
Residence Place: Pelliam, New Jersey
Male. 27 years old, Married, White
Occupation: Salesman
Birth Year (Estimated): 1893
Birthplace United States
Cemetery: N.Y. 9 N.J. Crematory
Father's Name Isaac Gillies
Father's Birthplace: U.S.
Mother's Name: Emma Lusk
Mother's Birthplace: U.S.
==========
Citing this Source:
.... New York City Municipal Deaths
.... 1795-1949
.... Database: FamilySearch
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