Evening journal., 1900-10-30
FIRE AND EXPL OSION ADD
ANOTHER HORROR TO THE
LIST I'M GREATER NEW YORK
Big Seven Story Building Hurled Into the Air and Eleven Others
Wholly or Partly Wrecked Hundred Persons In
ured by the Falling Tnnbers

rushing down from Broadway TO see
what had happened.
Half an hour after the explosion the
streets for blocks around the fire were
crowded with fire apparatus, with a
score of ambulances, while hundreds
of police were being rushed from all
the lower precincts of the city to form
lines, and many priests from nearby
parishes were going here and there in
the smoke Obscured thoroughfares.
seeking foe injured who might need
their aid From the burning district
a column was rising high in the air,
mingled with flames that could not be
controlled by hundreds of streams
thrown upon them.
The second explosion carried de-
struction in every direction. That It
did not cause a wholesale loss of life
was due to the fact that almost ten
minutes warning came after the first
cry of fire-a cry that was real warn
ing to people who knew the character
of the chemicals in the burning build
ing-and fully five minutes occurred
between the first and second explosion,
which warned everyone within hearing.
and the second one. Just after the
outbreak of fire from the windows of
/ the building a downtown bound train
stopped at Warren street station of the
Ninth Avenue Elevated road. 1t pass
ed on in time to escape the explosion,
and the few people who were left on
the platform of the station are thought
to have all escaped before the great
explosion came. The station master
fled across the structure. carrying with
him the receipts of the day and his
unused tickets, while two women. who
had stepped on the platform to watch
the fire, frightened by the first explo-
sion, fled down the downtown tracks,
assisted by the station porter, who
took them to the Barclay street sta
tion in safety. The big explosion COM
pletely carried away the station, and
the mass Of masonry that fell with it
broke through the flooring and almost
demolished the structure just below
the building.
Immense Masses of Masonry FeII.
Immense masses Ofmasonry, pieces Of
cornice, great beams, window castings
and an Undesirable mass of wreckage
of every description tumbled suddenly
into the street in front of the building
all at once. The force of the explosion
below had thrown the firemen back
across the street so that they were not
caught, but their escape from the rain
OF debris across the street was almost
miraculous.
The Wreckage was thrown across the
windows of the buildings in which the
Irving National bank is located, on
the northeast corner OF the street.
The Offices of the Irving bank and of.
Mecklem Brothers, bankers and brok-
ers, were nearly wrecked.
President Fancher, of the Irving
bank, was away on business at the
time of the explosion, but Vice Presi-
dents Charles H. Mattlage and John W.
Castree, Cashier James A. Dennison
and Assistant Cashier Benjamin F.
Werner, Paying Teller William Dunlap
and Adjuster Van Zeidt were present.
At the first explosion an attempt
was made to gather all the money and
paper that was lying on the counters
together and to throw them into the
safes, and it was supposed that this
had been done, when the second ex-
plosion brought flying glass and plas-
tering from the skylighted ceilings
down about the heads of everybody and
caused them to escape in a hurry.
Capt McClusky, of the detective bu-
reau, who hurried every available man
of his staff to the fire, was appealed
to to protect the funds of the bank,
he being told that they were in the
vault, the door of which was supposed
to be unlocked. When the captain and
his men went, however, they found
about $4,000 scattered in confusion
over the counters and floor This was
hastily thrown into the vault and the
door locked.
President Fancher, of the bank, ar
rived within a few minutes of the
start of the fire and was nearly hys-
terical when he found what had hap
pened. BY 2:30, however, the directors
of the bank had met and posted a sign
In the window stating that the bank
would do business today.
Down in Mecklem Brothers Offices
in the basement there were H. C.
Mecklem and his brother William.
with Frank Heckenberry, a boy,
Thomas Hackett, a clerk, another man
named Bruce and some girls. among
them Ellen Van Deem and May Dunkle-
mann. When the fire broke out s9O.-
600 in money lay upon the counters.
Heckenberry was stationed at the door
while this was gathered together for
putting IN the vault.
Nearly AsDhyxiated by Smoke.
The first explosion filled the place
with sulphurous smoke that nearly
asphyxiated everybody. The second
explosion blew out the windows and
cut the two Mecklems seriously. The I
Heckenberry boy found the two girls |
lying in heap. tainted away. He car
ried them out to a place Of safety. |
The others, when they came to their |
senses, gathered the money from the |
floors. put it in cigar boxes and car
ried it 10 Waddell & Co.'S.
A barber shop in the same building |
was demolished, the BARRIERS and two /
customers that were being shaved be-
ing driven to the street. The other /
tenants of the building. a number of
lawyers and brokers, all escaped in
jury, as did the janitor, James Rubini,