The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-10-30
NEW YORK'S FIRE DISASTER
Continued from First Page.)

%NNAAt A-1N
fion in every direction. That it did not
cause a wholesale loss Of life was due
to the fact that almost ten minutes
warming came after the first cry OF
fire-a cry that was a real warning to
people who knew the character of the
chemicals in the burning building-and
fully five minutes occurred between the
first and minor explosion, which warn
ed everyone within hearing, and the
second one. Just after the outbreak
of fire from the windows of the build
dng a downtown bound train stopped at
Warren street station of the Ninth ave-
nue. elevated road In the street below.
1T passed on in time to escape the ex-
plosion and the few people who were
left on the platform of the station are
thought to have all escaped before the
great explosion came.
The station master fled across the
structure carrying with him the re-
ceipts of the day and his unused tick
etc, while two women who had stopped
on the platform to watch the fire,
frightened by the first explosion fed
down the downtown tracks assisted by
the station porter, who took them to
the Barclay street station in safety.
The big explosion completely carried
away the station, and the mass of
masonry that fell with it broke through
the flooring and almost demolished the
structure jus tbelow the building.
Immense masses of masonry pieces
of cornice, great beams, window cas-
ings and an understandable mass of
wreckage of every description tumbled
suddenly into the street in front of the
building all at once. The force of the
explosion below had thrown the fire.
men back across the street, so that they
were not caught, but their escape from
the rain of debris across the street was
almost miraculous.
The wreckaGe 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 Brothers, bankers and brok-
ers, were partially wrecked.
At the first explosion an attempt
was made to gather all the money and
paper 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 skylight-
ed ceilings down about the heads Of
everybody and forced them to escape
in hurry.
Captain McCluskey of the detective
bureau, who hurried every available
man of his staff to the fire, was ap-
pealed to to protect the funds Of the
4
was In the vault the door of which
was supposed to be unlocked. When
the captain and his men went in, how
ever the found about $4,000 scattered
In confusion over counters and floor.
This was hastily thrown into the vault
and the door locked.
President Fancher of the bank ar
rived within few minutes after the
start Of the fire BY half past two.
however, the directors of the bank had
met and posted sign in the window
stating that the bank would do bust
ness tomorrow.
Down In Mecklem Brothers offices in
the basement were H. Mecklem and his
brother William with Frank Hecken-
berry, a boy, Thomas Hackett, a clerk,
another man named Bruce and some
girls, among them Ellen Van Dee and
May Unklemann. When the fire broke |
out $4,000 in money lay upon the coun-
tiers. Heckenberry was stationed at the |
door while this was gathered together |
for putting in the vault.
The only person known to have been |
killed up to s o'clock was a man, who |
died in one of the hospitals from the re- |
a,It of an injury raoaivsd in fine street |
4. Chief Croker said that there were