Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-10-30
(By Telegraph to virglnian-pilou


Now York. Oct. 29.-rhe long list OF
fire horrors that occurred in and
around the city of New York, II list
that includes the Royal Hotel fire. the
Park Place disaster. and the Windsor
ana tloDoken fires, WAS added to TO-
day by n fire and explosion that shook
the lower end OF Manhattan like an
earthquake, hurled seven-story
building into the air, and set fire to
Two blocks of buildings, with loss of
lie that only the efforts of the hun
dreds of men who were rushed to the
work of digging away the ruins as
soon as the fire was eXtingushed will
reveal.
The big building of Tarrant and
company, makers of medicinal special
ties. standing ut the northwest corner
or Greenwich and Warren streets, and
fiiied with chemicals took fire in some
way That may never be known, at
about quarter after twelve o'clock
this afternoon. 1t was sixteen minutes
after noon that citizen rushed into
lac house of Fire Engine %. on Cham
pcrS street. near Greenwich. and shout
Q" that TarranL's drug house was on
IRE. He had seen volume of black
smoke coming from the third story
window. An alarm was turned in.
~ TERRilS e EXPLOSION.
soon afterwards second and third
ulirHlS We're turned in. one fire COM
pany had just arrived when a terrific
explosion occurred and threw the en-
ire engines crew down the stairway
Inc iircmen, realizing the danger of
their position, rushed out of the build
ing to the street. The explosion had
filed the street In front with shower
OF railing glass and small debris which
sent the crowd, which was already
gathered on the opposite side walks
Ucelne
horses hitched to the engines to rear
ana try 20 get away. Engineer Rocks
berry was unfastcning the horses. and
Fireman Brown. of the company, was
turning the safety valve OF the engine
when the explosion occurred and COW
cred them with Il shower of glass
Both we're injured, MS was another
fireman belonging to the company.
BACK INTO THE BUILDING.
Captain DcVanncy. of the company
ordered his crew back into the building
again They were dragging the line to
the doorway for the second time, when
another explosion. more terrific than
the first. came and the whole crew was
hurled across Greenwich street. Devan-
ncy being so badly injured that he was
sent TO Il hospital
In the meantime the other engines
that had responded to the alarm had
collected. and the nremen were busy
buildings. Firemcn had already taken
away many girls down the only fire
escape upon the buildin@ and more
persons had been carried down the
escarcs Of The Home Made restaurant
next door and the buildings adjoining
upon Warren street.
a SECOND EXPLOSION.
The second explosion occurred about
five minutes after tho IIrsy
FROM the accounts of the witnesses
inc building seemed to lean into the n in
and in moment masses of brick wall
iimhers and stone were falling into the
streets. The force of the explosion tore
away the walls Of the Iii. commits
sion storchouses fronting on Washing
ION street and caused them TO collapse
i'u'inS all at once in n mass of tim
hcrs. boxes and barrels, from which
ne uames. which burst out from the
me Tarrant building like the bclching
OF cannon at once broke forth
SPREAD OF THE FIRE.
Across Warren street TO the opposite
buildings the flames leaned. setting
them all aiire al once the force of The
explosion dcmolishins windows and All
wooden structures about thee Houses
In moment Warren street was cholied
up with mass of debris and the whole
i r,'hce was ailame; The great eXplo-
sion was followed by half n dozen more
scarcely less intense and by a count
less number OF smaller ones By This
TIME inc ire apparatus was arriving
from every direction. Deputy Chief
Aherl came about two minutes after
the second series of explosions and he
at once ordered Il fifth alarm sent ont
loiIoWed by general call for ambu-
lances. The explosion and fire together
had now assumed the proportions of a
great catastrophe, ana II was at first
thought that. hundreds of lives had
been lost. Throngs OF people were
rushing about in the nearby streets.
many of them panic-strickcn fleeing
from the fire. They mingled in the
crowd that was rushing down from
broadway 10 see what had happened.
AN EXCITING SCENE.
Ealf 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
ponce were being rushed from all the
,,oWer precincts of the city to form
nltS. ana many priests from nearby
!aIiShcs were going here and there in
ne smoke bscurcd thoroughfares
sSfNng for injured who might need
thr,r ala. From the burning districts q
co'uIHii OF smoke was rising high in the
m mingled with flames that could not
~ N"l' iolled by hundreds of streams
thrown upon them,
me second explosion carried destruc-
non IN every direction. That it did not
cause Wholesale loss OF life was due
to the iact that almost ten minutes
warning came after the first cry of fire
"a CRY mat vas real warning to the
people, who knew the chnracter of tho
chemicals in the burning BUILDING
and fully five minutes occurred between
the first and minor explosion. which
warned everyone within hearing and