Evening journal., 1900-10-31
Three Sections of a WOman'S
Body Removed
CHIEF CROKER HARD At WORK
He Believes That Many Bodies Will Be
Found in Streets Under
the Wrevkage

New York, Oct 31.-AIl the efforts
of the authorities are now directed to
cleaning away the ruins of the Tar
rant and other buildings wrecked in
the great explosion of Monday in the
desire to find out how many bodies are
buried in them and to ascertain what
was the cause Of the explosion. The
efforts of the searchers for this dead
were rewarded last evening by the
finding of the remains of II. 9. A.
Schmidt, of $50 Clinton street, Brook
lyn, and the discovery of what looked
to be the bodies of three other people.
Schmidt was an engraver, and had an
office on the third floor of 101 Warren
street. The body could be seen PIN
ned down under a mass Of twisted iron,
but could not be gotten at last night.
1t was removed today.
At the northwest corner of the Tar
rant building, at Warren and Green
wich streets, a mass of clothing and
indiscriminate articles was come
across, and the mass was said to be
the bodies of three people. The fire.
men went to work with a will to dig
out the mass, and at 10 o'clock last
woman's foot and the top of a crushed
In skull. The skull had long brown
hair attached, and is supposedly that
OF woman.
At 10:30 o'clock a portion Of a hu-
man trunk. probably the abdomen,
was dug out and a little later a brown
canvas coat. There was nothing in
the pockets but four quill toothpicks.
Still later the firemen found another
portion of a skull and a portion of a
human back.
Dr. Conner, of the health depart
ment, who examined the remains, said
they were probably all from the same
person, as were the foot and portion of
skull found earlier.
The remains were all found in the
Tarrant building.
Yesterday superintendent Dooner
had very large force of men working
as hard as possible, tearing down piles
OF debris and removing it. The fire
burned all day, and toward night was
practically to the end of the mass of
debris at Washington and Warren
streets. The fire extends back for some
distance, and is burning fiercely.
There were no new workmen at work
last night. The reason assigned for
having no new men is that the ruins
are so hot that but few can get at them
yet. and the men have to work at out
side walls and debris in the streets.
There has been found to be much
difficulty in getting contractors carts
in Warren and Greenwich streets.
What space is not used by fire engines
is nearly all taken up with piles Of
debris, and only one cart can back in
at time, thus allowing only one load
to be removed. At the Washington
street end more carts can be utilized
and the work is progressing much more
rapidly.
Deputy Commissioner Of Sewers
DonOhue. with two inspectors from his
department, was at the scene of the
fire last night 1t had been feared that
the sewers would become clogged with
debris and cause the water to form
stagnant ponds around the ruins. The
inspectors examined the sewers and
said that they were remarkably clear
from debris and that with the excep-
tion OF a few elbows" which were
clogged were all right
One hundred and eighty patrolmen,
under Capt. Westervelt and Inspector
Brooks were stationed at the ruins at
o'clock, relieving the day force. Both
Inspector Brooks and Capt. Westervelt
were skeptical over the reported large
Joss of life. They both said that they
did not expect that more than four or
five bodies would be found in the ruins.
Just before midnight a workman
found a black cheviot coat in the
exact spot where the human remains
had been found. In the pockets were
four cents and an application for
membership in the West End Republi-
cam club.
Shortly afterward, in the same place,
an entirely unrecognizable mass of
human flesh was found. A half coat
was also found at this place.
Chief Croker, of the fire department,
says that the work of digging out the
dead his hardly begun. He believes
that the greater number of dead will
be found on the streets, where the fall
ing walls buried them and the fire
charred their bodies. He believes, too,
that the buildings contain more bodies
than most persons will admit.
1t was those in Warren and Green
witch streets who were killed by the
falling walls, according to Chief
Croker's theory. When the crash came
and the walls fell in heap they had
no time to get to safety.
when we get to that point in dig
ging for the dead" said Chief Croker.
pointing to the smoking ruins under
the tottering walls Of the Atlantic