Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1900-11-01
ARE SEARCHING THE RUINS.
rho New York Fire i. Not a. Fatal

ARE SEARCHING THE RUINS.
The New York Fire Is Not As Fatal -
First Reported.
New York, Nov. ALL night long a
at work among the ruins caused by the
explosion In the building occupied by
Tarrant & Co. 1t was not believed
this morning the list Of dead would
exceed thirty, and some estim.
placed the total dead at below tive
One hundred and twenty seven injured
persons We're received at the hospitals
discharged after their wounds had
been dressed. The list of missing was
.arge at first but many of those sup
posed to have been buried in the ruins
have pcen accounted fcs' and as far
as known not more than % persons are
missing this morning.
The property loss is variously esti-
mated from s1,51DO0O to $4,000, 0O0
Chemicals probably entered into the
origin of the fire. The first smoke that
was seen was dense and very black.
Then began series of minor eNplo-
sions, not heavy enough to disturb the
persons in the street further than TIC
warn them from too near approach.
Suddenly an explosion of much greater
force drove the glass from windows,
showering 1t upon the firemen and po-
licemen and thousands of spectators
who had gathered. This was followed
almost Immediately by another eXplo-
sion of far greater intensity that
worked much disaster. There was per-
haps an interval of two minutes when
the third explosion occurred that far
exceeded those that had preceded, and
which brought the buildings on both
tumbling to the ground as though
they were built of pas.eboard.
Chemicals Were Used.
Fire commissioner John G. Scannell
said today: II have no doubt chemi-
calls and oils far in excess of the guam
tity sanctioned by law were stored in
the building. | suppose a keen watch
was kept over the official movements
of inspectors and when it became
known that visit might be made the
quantity of explosives was depleted.
After the inspector had departed the
supply was built up. One who has
seen the result of the explosions that
occurred need not be told that the law
was violated. l cannot tell what action
will be taken, but you may be sure a
rigid investigation will be made and
full punishment melted out to the guilty
ones, IL sucn a thing is possible. Tar
rant & Co. have not been the only Of
tenders. There are other similar con-
Germs that pay little heed to the law. -
superintendent of buildings Gooter
said 1t would be necessary to make a
thorough inspection of the neighbor-
hood of the explosion and the fire, as
soon as possible, and that the result of
1t will be that some buildings will have
to come down. There is little doubt,
he said, that the foundations of many
buildings have been damaged, and they
are now In a dangerous condition.
Looking for Friends.
Scores of anxious persons throngeo
Leonard street police station all night
Inquiring for lost friends and relatives.
Many women came weeping only to
learn that the names of their loved
ones We're not in the list of dead or
injured prepared by clerks from the
reports sent in b the hospitals and
police.
Chief Devory soon established an in
formation bureau in the district and
here We're tabulated the names of the
known victims of the disaster. Anex-
ira force of clerks was sent to this sta
ton, and these took down the names
of persons sent to the hospitals and
those reported missing.
From the time the first ambulance
returned with its load of wounded from
the scene of the disaster until late in
the evening the Hudson street hospital
was besieged by anxious men and
women who We're looking for missing
relatives and friends. Outside the
F; street was thronged with curious and
morbid crowd AT the hospital there
was continuous stream of people
coming in with blood trlckling from
their wounds. and they were met at the
door by another line of people with
bandaged faces, hands and arms.
Shortly after 8 o'clock Fire Chief
Ahearn reported the body of woman
located under the wreckage in the rear
of the Home Made restaurant. He
feared about twenty bodies would be
found at this point as he had been in
formed that many women We're on the
fire escape a few minutes before the
explosion. AT this hour thirty nine
persons are reported missing.
| thousand men are at work on the
! wreckage and Superintendent of Build
ings Dooner hopes to have the debris
cleared away so the bodies buried Will
be reached by noon.
Up to O'Clock not a single body had
been recovered from the ruins What
was thought to be a body located by
Chief Ahearn turned out to be only o
tor l{ aH