Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1900-11-03

explosion came. The station mastey
FED across the structure. carrying with
him the receipts OF the day and his
unused tickets. while two women. who
had stepped on the platform to watch
the fire, frightened by the first explo-
sion. fed down the downtown tracks,
assisted by the station porter, who
took them to the Barclay street STA
don In safety. The big explosion COM
pletely carried away the station, and
the mass OF masonry that fell with Il
broke through the flooring and almost
demolished the structure Just below
the building.
Immense masses ofmasonry, pieces OF
cornics great beams, window castings
and an Ia >escriable 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 firemen back
across the street so that they were not
caught, but their escape from the rain
or debris was almost miraculous.
The wreckage was thrown across the
windows Of the buildings In which the
Irving National bank - located, on
the northeast corner OF the street
The Offices of the Irving bank and of
Mecklem Brothers, bankers and brok-
ers. were nearly wrecked.
At the first explosion an attempt
was made to gather all the money aud
paper that was lying on the counters
together and TO throw them into the
safes, and it was supposed that this
had been done, when the second ex-
p1osion brought flying glass and plas-
tering from the skylighted ceilings
down about the heads of everybody and
caused them to escape IN a hurry.
Capt. McClusky, of the detective bu-
reau, who hurried every available man
Of his staff to the fire, was appealed
to to protect the funds of the bank,
he being told that they were In the
vault, the door of which was supposed
to be unlocked. When the captain and
his men went, however, they found
about $4,000 scattered in confusion
over the counters and floor. This was
hastily thrown into the vault and the
door locked.
The explosion completely demolished
windows along Greenwich street on
both sides for three blocks IN both di-
rections. The street was covered with
fine bits of glass.
The force of the explosion was exer-
ted horizontally across the street, sky
lights being carried away as If by a
storm, and the castings of doors broken
away with the glass. The explosion
did not spare the interiors Of stores,
everything being heaped up in confu-
sion.
Yesterday Superintendent Dooner
had very large force of men working
as hard as possible, tearing down piles
of debris and removing it, The fire
burned all day, and toward night was
practically to the end of the mass of
debris at Washington and Warren
streets. The fire extends back for some
distance, and is burning fercely.
There were no new workmen st work
last night. The reason assigned for
having no new men is that the ruins
are so hot that but few can get at them
yet. and the men have TO work at out
side walls and debris in the streets.
The efforts of the searchers for the
dead were rewarded last evening by the
finding of the remains OF II. G. A
Schmidt, of $50 Clinton street, Brook
Ign, and the discovery of what looked
to be the bodies of three other people.
Schmidt was an engraver, and had an
Office on the third floor OF 1O1 Warren
street. The body could be seen pin
ned down under a mass OF twisted iron,
but could not be gotten at last night
1t was removed today.
AT the northwest corner OF the Tar
rant building. at Warren and Green
witch streets, a mass of clothing and
indiscriminate articles was come
across, and the mass was said to be
the bodies OF three people. The fire.
men went to work with a will to dig
out the mass, and at 10 o'clock last
night brought TO light a portion OF a
woman's foot and the top OF a crushed
in skull. The skull had long brown
hair attached, and is supposedly that
Of a woman.
At 1880 o'clock a portion OF a hu-
man trunk, probably the abdomen,
was dug out and little later a brown
canvas coat. There was nothing in
the pockets but four quill toothpicks.
Still later the flremen found another
portion of skull and a portion OF a
human back.
DR.. Conner, OF the health depart
ment, who examined the remains, said
they were probably all from the same
person, as were the foot and portion OF
a skull found earlier.
The remains were all found in the
Tarrant building.
There was great indignation among
the business men OF the vicinity when
they learned the part the explosion
had played in the general catastrophe.
An explosion OF this drug house had
not been unexpected, as it was gener-
ally believed in the neighborhood that
there We're explosive chemicals in the
place.