New-York tribune., 1900-10-30

LOSS ESTIMATED AT A MILLION.
The loss Of property in the neighborhood. in
.luding broken plate glass for many blocks
around. is estimated at about S1O0o,00o. The
less Of life could only be guessed at last night
because fire having followed the explosion the
ruins were too hot 70 permit any search for the
bodies Of those who are supposed to have been
buried when the buildings collapsed.
whether these victims are many or few. it is
difficult TO say. To one looking al the scene Of
ruin and remembering the suddenness of it it
seems impossible that scores of-perhaps a hun
dred-pe-sons have not been overwhelmed in
the catastrophe.
on the other hand. many argue, IT was the
noon hour, when most of the employees had
gone out for luncheon and therefore few were
left IL the buildings. In addition to this it is
asserted that the whole neighborhood knew and
feared the explosive stock Of Tarrant & Co.. and
when the first explosion came-for there was
series Of them-hundreds fed TO the street at
once Most eyewitnes7es agree that from six
10 ten minutes elapsed between the first ex-
plosi0n. which was comparatively harmless
one and the tremendous outburst which swept
down al the buildings on both sides Of Warren
ST. from Greenwich TO Westinghouse as if
they had been houses made of cards
Superintendent John a Dooner OF the Build
ing Department said he would make a thorough
search for bodies as soon as the ruins were cool
enough to be handled
Needless alarm was created among the friends
and relatives Of persons doing business in the
stricken neighborhood by the exaggerated, if Lot
unfounded- reports set afoat in some afternoon
papers regarding the number Of the killed
These were mere guesswork. and probably bad
guesswork al that. but the figures were an
nounced as positively as If the corpses had been
counted.
Little light was thrown upon the question or
how many had been killed by the compilation
Of a list Of the missing, because many Of those
al first reported TO the police as missing were
found later either at the hospitals among the
injured or unharmed al their own homes. The
Tribune publishes list Of those said by their
relatives 70 be missing but it is thought that
majority OF them viii turn up all right
SPECTACULAR FEATURES
The catastrophe haQ its picturesque and spec
tscular side as weu as its tragic and eye
witnesses differ as much IN describing the ap-
pearance OF the volcano caused by the ex-
pIosions as they differed in the location from
which they view IL Some who saw it from the
tops Of tall buildings say the greatest expIo-
sion hurled the entire roof Of the Tarraat
building as high into the air az ffteen-story
skyscraper. and along with the roof went a
mass Of beams and boxes. This great blot on
The sky adhered until IL reached its extreme
height and then burst like vast aerial bomb
and Iet down shower Of twisted beams IUm-
b=r. pieces Of Tin roofing and lighter objects
Wrapping paper continued TO come down for
almost fifteen minutes. Many pieces OF debris
r4I n St PauPs churchyard, and portion of
Ea@etiron descended in Broadway in front Of
Trinity church. and on the roof of The
Tribune building lighter material found Iodg-
Eent Boxes bearing the name Of Tarraut &
Co. fell on the roof Of the Scott & Bovine build
ing. and from them the tenants first learned
where the IRE was.
Many who saw the explosion from the street
Level say a great smoke cloud black and Of
circular shape. was thrown what seemed to
them thousand feet high. Between it and the
building from which IL assembled was clear
space for time Suddenly shafts of light like
s-reaks o. lightning shot up after the cloud
1aea the cloud dissolved into rain Of mis-
s-les which cut men and horses when it fell and
tore tar paper roofs into ribbons.
Others again described the smoke cloud as
H'ushroo-l-shaDed. um shaped etc. but all
sgrsed that II was swe-inspiring and weirdIy
magnificent
BLAST HEARD FAR AWAY
The noise Of this mighty blast carried so far
that II startled readers IN the Lenox Library at
ssyentieth-st In the financial district the peo-
F-e thought for the moment that Trinity Church |
sf=ep-e had come crashing TO the street or that /
-7-7e big building near by had fallen A postal
card addressed 70 Tarrant & Co aIghted in
H-oad-st.. in front Of the Mills Building
The origin of the ire which preceded and
caused he explosions has not been revealed by
those who know. II is supposed TO have begun
~ an upper floor. 4 man who gave his name to
Tribune reporter as Sinclair. says that he was
n rae Office Of Tarrant & Co when the fire
broke out With him. he savs. were Thomas F.
Main the president Of the company. and VIII
Jam C Allen. The secretary and treasurer He
ADDED.
was standing a. Nj Mains desk talking 70
MIN sJ the moment. Mr. ST JoFr came IN and