The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-30

si1re of them I shall not allow the pro-
prietors to open them for business.
Forty buildings We're damaged by the
explosion. I place the property loss at
81 600 000'
Dr.. Feeney, chief inspector Of the
heath department, was at the scene of
the explosion today
benzine or naphtha," he said 4 believe
it was nitrOglycerin. It is used very
largely nowadays by physicians as a
heart stimulant, and Tarrant & Co., as
wholesale druggists, would have had to
supply 1t. The stuff used is in very
weak solution. Usually it is from one
tenth of one per cent to one per cent.
pounds of nitroglycerin in their place,
it would have blown a building like
theirs into fragments
CAUSE OF THE EXPLOSION.
George E. Murray, inspector of COM
bustibles. gave out the following state
ment today:
1T is my opinion that the explosion
was due to chemical action, which took
place during the compromising Of drugs
Just what the exact cause was we can
not tell until we can get the foTamulae
used in compromising and can get the
employees on the witness stand before the
fire marshal
THE company had permit to store
collodion, ether and phosphorus in small
quantities, a barrel of alcohol. two gal
Ions Of benzine, one carboy of sulphuric
IF all these should blow up together
I do not think it would be heavy enough
to make such q terrific explosion. This
is why / am of the opinion that the ex-
plOsiOn was due to chemical changes"
The damage to the Ninth Avenue
Elevated road was smaller than was at
first thought The damage to the struc-
ture proper is largely superficial and can
as soon as the hremen grant the neces-
sary permission and the work on the
west track of the road will probably be
in running order before the end Of the
week.
An but five of the injured, who were
taken to the Hudson Street House of
Relief, were discharged this morning
and those who remained were reported
out of danger The seven injured at
Gouverneur hospital are still there but
are out of danger.
What was thought to be a body To-
Gated by Deputy Fire Chief Ahearn,
turned out to be only a water soaked
bedspread that was lying on wooden
beam.
added to the list Of missing, a number
were stricken from it. Stella Christie,
George Donnelly, Ernest Flatman, Nor
ris KWaver Henry Afuh and Frank
Schoeter, had all been found before noon.
At that hour the police had been asked
to add the following to the list of miss
ing:
Charles Clark, bookkeeper at 1872
Kate NJ Green, employed In the Home
Made restaurant, and Harry Moore, an
erFand boy.
Tarrant & Co.. and M. J. Brietenbach
& Co, have opened new headquarters at
So Murray street. President Thomas F.
Main, of Tarrant & Co, said today:
In our own stock we had no ether, or
at most not more than a few pounds;
we had no benzine and no collodion.
When we needed any of these articles to
fill orders, We bought it from dealers
We had very little alcohol in stock, not
withstanding the fact that we used a
considerable quantity in making our
perfumes We had absolutely no nitro
gIycerine and no gunpowder.
'-AIl our employees but two have been
accounted for. We employed 20 men
and Is women. William Moorehouse, a
shipping clerk and a boy who was en-
ployed on an upper floor are missing.
Two Of our men say they saw Moore
house in the street after the last explo-
sion Some one said the boy had been
to the cashier to get car fare to go on an
errand a short time before the fire. His
family however, says he did not go
home last night. We fear he was lost in
the bIIiIdinU"