which they were bound to accept as cheques in settling up the operations
of each day. It was through this help that the Metropolitan Bank was
enabled to resume payments on the 15th of May, the evening of the day
following its suspension. The Second National Bank was a loser through
the acts of its President, Mr. John C. Eno, but his father and the
Directors hastened to make good the deficit. At this moment the
excitement was intense, deposits were withdrawn, and 1 per cent. a day
was paid, and even more, to obtain ready money or credit; under the
influence of numerous sales of securities, exchange fell rapidly,
metallic money was secured in London even, to be hurried to New York.
Never could purchases be made under better auspices. Above all is this
true when we observe that the condition of companies was much better
known than in 1873. The year 1883 had been disturbed by numerous
failures. There had been no crash, but prices, far from advancing, had
held their own with difficulty. On the eve of the breaking out of the
panic there was complaint about the accumulation of goods in the
warehouses, and of the difficulty of making exports. No scheme worked
out, despite a very high protective tariff, and people were asking
themselves what was its effect under the influence of unfavorable
exchanges. Gold flowed away from the country, and cash on hand decreased
each day.

On the 1st of January, 1884, the New York & New England Railroad was
placed in the hands of a receiver by order of the court. The same thing
happened on the 12th of January to the North River Company. In February,
March, and April many houses exhibited their balance sheets. The fall in
prices grew accentuated not only on the Stock Exchange, but in all
markets. The discomfort increased until the 6th of May, the day on which
occurred the failure of the National Marine Bank, whose President was
associated with the house of Grant and Ward, which went down shortly