On September 4, 1918, as Chicago moved through another tense wartime afternoon, a blast tore through the Adams Street entrance of the city’s massive Federal Building.
The explosion was sudden and devastating. Glass shattered across nearby streets. Offices and shops filled with the wounded. The granite entrance of the $13 million government building was wrecked, and early reports described a scene of confusion, panic, and horror.
Authorities believed the bomb may have been hidden inside a suitcase and left near the parcels post department. One report suggested that a worker in that department was blown to pieces. Dozens more were injured by the force of the blast and by flying glass from surrounding buildings.
Rumors spread quickly. Some said a woman had been killed. Others reported the deaths of a mail carrier and a sailor in uniform. There were also claims that the person responsible had already been captured, though early newspaper accounts were often filled with conflicting information in the immediate aftermath of such disasters…