Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1900-11-01
The Fire Originated In Drug store--EK'
ploding Chemicals Destroyed Tho
Building--Many Persons
Persisted IN the

l
An alarm wals turned in, Soon after
wallLl SECOND and third alarms We're
turned In. One fire company had just
arrived, when u terrilc eNplosIon oc-
Cured and threw the entire engine
crew down the stairway, The fire.
men, realizing the danger Of their
position, rushed out OF the building TO
tho street. The explosion had iiIed
Tho streets in front with showers Of
lalGlng glass aud debris, which sent
the crowd which WIS already gHIther.
cd ON the opposite sidewalks fleeing
Gor safety and caused the horses
hitched to the engines 10 rear and Try
10 get away,
Engineer RcclasbeTy WIS unfnSCen-
ing the hors,s and lNlremnn brown
was turning the safety valve Cf the
euglne when the explosion occurred
und covered them with shower OF
gllss. Bo.h wel'e injured, rs was am
other fireman belonging TO the com
pnny,
Captain Dcvlnncy OF the company
ordered his crew back lnto the build.
ing again. The were dragging the
Hne 20 the doorway for The second
time when came NmCth.r explosion,
more terrific ghan the first, ana the
whole crew We're hurled across dreen-
wich street Dcvanney being 50 baL-
ly injured that he was sent to a hospi-
tail.
In the meastimc the Other engines
that had responded 10 the u'arm mad
colteclsed and the fremcn were busy
reacuing people from surrounding
buildings. Nrtm n had already taken
many gtrs down the only five escape
from the building and mere pers ms
had beem carried down the escapes Oh
the Home Mad, restaurant, nest door,
ulnd Dalr..b, from which the flames
rem street.
The second explosion occurred about
ave minutes after the first. From the
ucoounl.S Of wfinrss,. the building
seemed ITO leap in,o lhe air and in
moment mass Of brick wall, tlmbers
and STONE were faiiIng hnto the street.
The force of the explosion tore away
the wl,s of the lIg commission store
houses fronting on Washington ',raet
and caused them TO cG"Lpse, falling
all ut once in a mass Of timber, boxes
and Lad,rei5, from which the flamls
burst out ilom the TaraLnt BUILDING
like the be!ching Of a cannon at once
broke forth.
Across Warren street b. the opposite
buildings the flames lcaped setting
them ahl ON fire ut once, the force OF
the explosion demO'sEtng winNl)ws
and all dp3den STRUCTURES about the
houses. In a moment Warren street
was checked with a mass Of debris
emil The whole place was atame' The
great explosion was followed by hair
\ Clo9en more scarcely ees intense ana
by IA countless number Of smaller
bnes.
by this time the five apparIlus was
trriving from every direction DeputS
Chief Ahthrn came about two minutes
after the second series of explosions
p,a3 he lat once ordered fifth alarm
sent out. followed by u genera cal!
MIR wmbulamces. The explosion ana
FIRE together had now assumed the
proportions Of great catastrophe
bnd 1t was thought that hundreds Oh
lives had been loSh Throngs OF peo-
ple were rushing about in the nearby
tlxets, many Of them panic stIlcken
fleeing fr5m the fire. They mingled
In the crowd that was rushing down
from Broadway to see what had nap
pened. .,o. =
In addition to the grelE number Of
Injured who were taken FROM the
ruins ait the scene Of the disaster or
huom the immediate vicinity ana car
Ned lin ambulanceg to the various nos
p,oals, q grcaI, number OF cases some
81 them said to be more than trll,'ng'
were attended to in the down town
districts.
The heads of the city departments
soncernsd in the many-Jdel disaster
hurried to the scene Of the fire, Chiet
Devery cf the police department. WIN
Deputy Chief Mclaughlin and Insp'%
or Brooks AMID Captain McCiuskey On
Ghe detective bureau were On hahu
butt few mlnutes after Fire Cmei
CROKER, Commissioner Scanncll OF the
fire department. Deputy Commissioner
BRENNAN of the chaIr0ples department.
in which the city's hospitals are III.
sluded, and Superintendent DJoner OF
he buildings department were soon Ph
he SCENE
Half an homr after the explosion the
streets for blocks around the lire were
crowdlH with fire app@natus, with
SERGE of ambuiancps. while hundreds
III police were being rushed from an
the lower prectncI,s Of the city to form
lines. and many priests from nearby
parishes wel'e going here aud there IN
the smoke-obscurcd thoroughlares,
seeking the injured who might need
their aid. Fnom the burning districts
a column of smoke was rising high in
the air. mingled with flames that
could nct b. controlled by hundreds
of streams lhr;wn upon them.
The second explosion carried de-
strud.cn in every direction. That ii
dla na,t cause n wh0lcsnTg boss Of llie
was du, to the fact that almost ten
minuf.ls' warming came after the iirN
cry of fires cry that was a red
warming To people who knew the char
ht1ter IS he chmlcais in the burn.