Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-10-30
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was ioiio"eu py nalr dozen more
scarcely less intense. and by a count
less number of smaller ones.
BY this time the fire apparatus was
arriving from every direction Deputy
Chief Ahearn came about two minutes
after the second series of explosions
and he at once ordered a fifth alarm
sent out, followed by general call for
ambulances. The explosion and fire to-
gether had now assumed the proper
tons of a great catastrophe and it 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 stricken, fleeing
from the fire. They mingled in the
crowd that was rushing down from
broadway TO see what had happened.
The heads of the city departments
concerned in the disaster hurried TO the
scene of the fire. Chief Devery. of the
police department. with Deputy Chief
Mclaughlin and Inspector Brooks and
Capt. McCluskey of the detective bur
eau. We're on hand a few minutes after
Fire Chief Croker. Commissioner Can
mel of the fire department.. Deputy Com
missioner Brennan of the charities
department, in which the city's hospi-
tails are included and Supt. Dooner of
the buildings department. We're soon on
the scene.
! Half an hour after the explosion the
streets for blocks around the fire We're
scrowded with fire apparatus and Il
score of ambulances. while hundreds
OF police We're being rushed from all
the lower precincts to form lines and
many priests from nearby parishes
were going here and there in the smoke
obscured thoroushfares seeking for
! injured who might need their ala.
From the burning districts a column OF
smoke was rising high in the air min
gled with flames that could not be
tcontrolled by the hundreds of streams
thrown upon them.
! The second explosion carried destruc'
| ton in every direction. That it did
not cause a wholesale loss of life was
due 10 the fact that almost 10 minutes
warning came after the first cry of fire
and fully five minutes occurred be-
tween the first and minor explosion
| which warned every one WITHIN near
| ing. and the second one.
| lust after the outbreak of fire from
the windows Of the building a down
| town fbUlI u am SLot'E'.A 81 W - -
street station Of the Ninth Avenue
Elevated Road. in the street below.
II passed on in time to escape the ex-
| pl1sion and the few people VINO were
left on the platform OF the station are
thought to have all escaped before the
great explosion came. The station
master fed across the structure while
two women who had stopped on the
a. IL. Frf.~l tarN .ff
by the first explosion. fled down the
down town tracks. assisted by the sta
| ton porter who took them TO the Bar
clay street station. The big explosion
| completely carried away the station
and the mass Of masonry that fell with
il broke through the flooring and al
most demolished the structure just be
low the building.
| Immense masses of masonry, pieces
| of cornice. great beams, and an indie
| scribable mass of WreCkage Of every
description. tumbled suddenly into the
| street in front OF the building. The
| force of the explosion below had
thrown the firemen back across the
street. so that they We're not caught
The wrcckage was thrown through
| the windows of the building in which
| the Irving National Bank is situated
The offices of the Irving Bank and Of
! Mecklem Bros. bankers and brokers.
were partially wrecked.
At the first explosion an attempt was
| made to gather all the money and pa
| per that was lying on the counters in
| the Irving Bank together, and to throw
! them into the safes. and it was sup
/ posed that this had been done when
| the second explosion brought flying
| glass and plastering from the sky
lighted ceilings down about the heads
| of everybody and forced them to es-
cape.
Capt McCluskey of the detective
| bureau who hurried every available
| man of his staff to tho fire, was appeal
| ed to to protect the funds Of the bank.
| He was told that the money was in the
vault. tho door of which was supposed
to be unlocked. When the captain and
| his men went in. however. they found
| about so 600 scattered over the count
ers and floor. This was hastily
thrown into the vault and the door
| locked President Fancher of the
hank arrived within a few minutes af-
ter the start Of the fire. By $50. how
ever the directors Of the bank had met
| and posted a sign stating that the bank
would do business, tomorrow.
! Down in Mecklem Bros. offices IN
| the basement were II. G. Mecklem and
! his brother William. with Frank Heck
enberry. boy Thomas Hackett,
| clerk, another man named Bruce and
some girls among them Ellen Van
| Deem and May Dunk!emann. When the
fire broke out $4,000 in money lay up
| on the counters. but it was gathered
| together and put in the vault.
| The first explosion filled the place
with sulphurous smoke that nearly as
phyxiated everybody The second ex-
| plosion blew in the windows and Seri-
| ously cut the two Mecklems. The boy
found the two girls had tainted away
| He carried them out to place of safe
ty. The others gathered up the money
and carried to Waddel & Cos. at S4
Warren street.
A barber shop in the same building
| was demolished, the BARRIERS and two
customers who were being shaved be-
| ing driven to the street. Other ten
ants, n number of lawyers and brokers.
all escaped injury as did the Janitor.
| who lived on the top floor with his
| wife and two children.
| The explosion completely demolished