Waterbury Democrat., 1900-10-29
200 LIVES LOST.
Big Fire in Tarrants Chemical
 Works, New York.
EXPLOSION OF CHEMICALS.

Qred Feet into the Alr-Nluln <a'N
 Elevated Railroad Station Demol-
 ished-One Hundred and Fifty of the Dead are Girls.
 New York. Oct 29.-A fire that has sant a thrill of horror throughout the city of New York and has appalled, 'ne brayest firemen that ever asslsleu HI fphting the fire flames, broke out at 1S:2O to-day in the builcing occupleu hy Tarrant S Co, wholesale druggists and chemists. which is situated at tlie northwest corner of Greenwich ana Warren streets. The fire came so suu- denly and without scarcely any Warh- inc that the loss of life will be amaZ- ing. An explosion in the Iarrahs building sounded the first alarm ol danger. Next to the Tarrant pulluils is the building occupied by the ohAlo fire works Within few mlnu.es both buildings were in flames; nc fire department almost Immediately responded to n call. The members of the department had not reached the scene of the fire when three more eA- nlosions took place and each of them was much more violent than the hrst. Those who were in the vicinity say that il column of debris, smoke and flames shot up into the air three huh- dred feet in height. Fifteen minutes after the explosion pieces Of tin, sheet iron and other debris fell eight or ten blocks away from the vicinity Of the explosions. Some were present who said that they saw human bodies thrown up ill the column of dcbrss. When the explosion occurred the Ninth avenue railroad structure Which passes in front of the building was demolished The windows in the " cinity and for blocks away were blown out by the concussion. Houses across the street were at once threa tened Ini were soon on fire. AmbulanceS were called and after the first alarm all the ambulances from the hospitals south of Fifty-ninth street were called into service. At 1 o'clock. 1t was said, there were 1o0 persons in the building at the time of the explosion, and few If any escaped. One young man named Harry Ross. who is employed at II Murray street. said he was standing on tho corner when the explosion G:- cured and he was blown about ten feet away. When he picked himself up he said he saw bodies flying through the air and landing back in the flames. It was said that 100 of the employees in the building were girls They were on different floors when the fire broke out. No one could be found who could see how the girls could cs- cape and they are all probably lost. In restaurant next door to the drug store POO guests were having their luncheon. The explosion came so sud denly that many of those were injured. and it is reported that a score or more of those in the restaurant were killed. Up to a quarter to 1 only eleven per sons had been taken to the hospital. and that was the total number saved alive at that time from the burning buildings. The police reserves from the Old Slip Church street, Oak street andElizabeth street were called out 10 keep back the excited crowds and the frenzied people. A lithographing es- tablishment close to Tarrant's caught fire and the flames spread to IrvIng bank and to two more buildings across the street. The Warren street station of the. Ninth avenue elevated railroad, which stood directly in front of the drug store, was completely demolished and number of persons standing On the platform and waiting for a tratl were thrown to the street and received serious injuries. Several women es- capped from the station. however. by walking along the plank platform on the edge Of the tracks.
 Several buildings at the rear of the drug store were blown down from the concussion and the flames spread with frightful rapidity. In a short time the two blocks comprising Chambers to Warren and from Washington to Greenwich streets were soon in flames John N. Elliott of S3S Monroe street, Brooklyn, was sitting on the roof of the six story building at -66 West. Broadway, a block and a half away from the scene of the fire. He says the first explosion occurred at 1915, and it's course was directly upward, a matter of thirty feet, and the column hundreds of feet in the air spread and fell downward. It took, the roof of the Tarrant building completely and he could hear the cries of the injured and the dying in the building. Three minutes later came the other explos- ions one after the other. The third explosion which he said was the worst of all, shook the building on which he was sitting and the debris fell all about him.
 Coronor Hart was sent for to take charge of the bodies. Policeman Gal avih, who was in the immediate vii cinity, rescued one man from the build ing but he said that no human being could rescue the others.
  bulance surgeon who could be se- cured was called into service, and the various stores which were notinjured by the explosions have been convert ! ed into temporary hospitals. Police man Galavin of the Church street sta ton says that in his belief, not less than 200 persons perished in the flames. On account of the sudden ness of the, explosion it made it al- most impossible for any of those in the building to escape.
 The employees of the Irving National bank were thrown to the floor but es- : capped without serious injury. It is fortunate that no trains were at the Railroad station or in the immediate vicinity when the explosion took place. The station and the railroad structure for a block and half were in flames 1n less time than you could tell 1t after the explosion took place. From an official source It has been learned that the explosion occurred on z<4.ok {4rgv,d aoor of fhp Tarranf b1fIdiQQ.