The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-10-30


drug house was on fire He mad seen a
vofume of black smoke coming from the
u,:rd-story window An alarm was turned
in.
TERRIFIC EXPLOSION.
Soon afterwards a second and third alarm
were turned in. One fire company had
just arrived when 4 terrific explosion oc-
Cured and threw the entire engines crew
down the stairway. The tiremen, realizing
the danger of their position, rushed out
Of the building to the streets. The eX-
pIostion had filled the street in front
with a shower of falling glass and small
debris. which sent the crowd fleeing for
safety. Engineer Rocksbsrry and Fireman
Brown were injured. as was another lire
man belonging 10 the company.
Captain Devanny, OF the company. or
dered his crew back into the building
again. They were dragging the line of
hose to the door, when another explosion
more terrific than the first, came. and the
whole crew was hurled across Greenwich
aStrest. zDevanny-e being SO badly injured
that he was sent to a hospital.
LEApED INTO THE AIR.
From the accounts of witnesses. the
building seemed TO leap into the air. and
in Z, moment masscs of brick wall, tim
berS and stone were falling into the
streets The force of the explosion tore
away the walls of the big comm ssion
storehouse fronting on Washington STREET
and caused them to collapse.
Across Warren Street tos the opposite
buildings, the fam leaped. setting TEN
all afire at once. the force of the explosion
demolishing windows and all wooden
structures about the houses. In Il mo-
,nent Warren Str Ell was checked up with
a mass of debris and the whole place wa /;
afane The great explosion was followed
by half 81 dozen more. scarcely s. in
tense, and by a countless number OF
smaller ones. Deputy Chief Ahern came
about twenty M nut after the g.co
ser:es of explosions and he at once ordered
a fifth alarm sent ont, followed by Il gen
cra call for ambulances.
CROWD F.sNtlC-STRICKEN
The explosion and tire together had now
assumed the proportions of great catas-
troohe, and it was at first thought that
hundreds of lives had been lost. ThronSs
Of people were rushing about IN the near
by streets. many of them panic-strcken,
fleeing from the fire. T:Iey mingled in
the crowd that was rushing down from
Broadway to see what had happened-
The second explosion carried destruction
in every direction. That it did not cause
a wholesale loss OF life was due to the
fact that almost ten minutes warning
cai,ls. after the first cry of fire. and fully
FIVE minutes occurred between thu first
and minor explosions. which warned
EVERYONE within nearing. and the second
ona.
Just after the outbreak of the fire from
the windows of the building. train
stopped at sWarren-Street Station Of the
Ninth Avenue Elevated Road IT passed
on in time to escape the explosion, ana
the few people who We're isfs5on tie plat t
form, of the station are thought to have
all escaped. The statioa-master fed
across tlls structure. while Two women
VINO had stopped on the Platform fed
down the tracks to the Barclay-Stteet
Station in safety.
The explosion completely carried away
the station, and the mass of masonry
that fell with it broke through the floor
ing and almost demolished the structure
just below tlle building. Immense masses of
masonry, pieces of cornice. great beams,
window castings. and an Understandable
mass OF wreckagc of every description
t,lmhled suddenly into the street in front
ofSthe building.
The 5wrecSage was thrown across through
tl.e windows of the building in which The
irving National Bank is, Oh the northeast
& corner of the street. The offices Of the
irving Bank and of Meel1Iem Brothers,
bankers and brokers' We're nearly wrecked.
IN the first explosion an attempt w..s
made to gather ALL the money and papers
together and to throw them into the
safes Captain A1ctIusly of the Detec-
tive Bureau, 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 ito ne unlocked When the
CAPTAIN and his men went m. however.
they found about $4,000 scattered in con-
fusion over counters and floor. This was
hastily thrown into the vault and the
door locked.