Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-10-30
tHE MISSING EXPLOSION VICTIMS
Up to Noon They Number Differ to Cause
Of Accdent-Pres Mayn OF Tarrant Co. Says They Had
No BenzOin, CoOdiOn, NtrO.Gycerne or GuupOwder.

| dead bodies was really caused by de-
! caYng vegetable matter.
Seven fire engines were still on the
| ground this morning.
Superintendent Of Buildings Dooner
| had LOCO men at work as soon as day
| light appeared He declared that a
dozen buildings would have to be torn
| down.
Srhe force Of the explosion has I'm
| paired many buildings In the vicinity"
| he said. IL cannot think OF letting men
work in them while there Is a possibility
! that they may come down. ! believe
! the buildings along the south side OF
Chambers street from Greenwich 70
Washington streets, and on Washington
street from Chambers 10 Warren streets
have been made unfit for occupancy.
Forty buildings We're damaged by the
explosion. place the property loss at
$1,000, C00."
Dr. Feeney, chief inspector Of the
health department, was az the scene OF
the explosion today, This havoc was
never wrought by benzoin or Taphtha,"
he said u believe II was nitro-giycer-
Inc. IL Is used very largely nowadays
by physicians as a heart stimulant and
Tarrant q CO.. as wholesale druggists.
rant & Co. had twenty-five pounds of
nitTo-glycerine In their place il would
have blown a building like theirs into
fragments"
George h. Murray, Inspector Of COM
bustibles gave out the following state
ment; 1T Is my opinion that the
explosion was due 10 chemical action
which took place during the compound
ing Of drugs Just what the exact cause
was We cannot tell until We can get
the formulas used IN cOmpounding. and |
can get the employees on the witness
stand before the fire marshal The |
company had q permit 20 store col. |
lndl0n ether and phosphorous IN small |
quantities, n barrel OF alcohol, two GAL |
Ions Of benzoin. one carboy OF sulphur |
70 acid and one carboy OF nitric acid. |
II all these should blow up together. |
do not think II would make such a |
terrific explosion. / am OF the opinion |
That the explosion was due 10 chem |
ical changes
President Thomas +. Mayn, Of Tar
rant & Co., said today: IN our own |
stock We had no ether or a most not |
more than a few pounds. We had no |
beuzoin and no collodiOn When we |
needed any Of these articles 10 nm or
ders we bought them from dealers
had very little alcohol In stock, not
wlthstanding the fact that we use a
considerable quantity IN making our
perfumes, We had absolutely no nitro
glycerine and 20 gunpowder
Mr.. Mayn said In an Interview today
that Tarrant & Company stored on the
third and fourth floors large amounts OF
stuns for other drug concerns.
Among this said he. was much
chlorate Of potash and this may have
caused the explosion. I'm inclined 20
think II did. While chlorate Of potash
Is not explosive In itself, It is explosive
when connected by fire or other
means with other drugs or fslds. and II
Is on this very theory that the experts
are now working to determine just how
the explosions may have been caused"
All our employees but two have been
accounted for. We employed twenty
men and fifteen women. william
Moorehouse. shipping clerk. and a boy
who was employed on an upper floor
are missing"
The damage to the Ninth Avenue
elevated road Is largely superficial and
can be readily repaired. An but FIVE
OF the injured who were taken 10 the
Hudson street house Of relief were dis
charged this morning. those who re-
mained were reported out OF danger.