The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-10-29
AWFUL
CATAS TROPHE
Wholesale Drug Store in the
Heart Of New York
Business Section
Blown Up.
Il" STATION BURNED
Two Hundred Killed and
Crowds Injured Three
Explosions.
Il" STATION BURNED


| A horrible catastrophe occurred today
| shortly after noon at Warren and Greens
| Tich streets, New York City. 1t is believ-
| ed that 200 have been burned or crushed
/ to death and millions of dollars worth OF
/ property has been destroyed and many
businesses affected almost beyond repair.
For three blocks in almost every direction
from the point at which the explosion oc-
cured the neghborhood presents scene
| such as follows the visit of a cyclone al
most without exception Every pane OF
! glass in more than 200 buildings were
| blown out, great holes were torn in brick
| walks, the streets are strewn with bricks
and pieces of lumber and or iron that rest
where they landed after ascending almost
! to the clouds. Surely whatever caused
that explosion was of tremendous power
and quantity. Water pipes were burst and
some streets were impossible at various
points. The 81" station at Warren and
| Greenwich streets is a useless mass of
| iron.
| The explosion occurred in the big drug
/ house of Tarrant & Co., at the north
| west corner of Warren and Greenwich
/ streets. 1t was an eight story brick struc-
| ture and contained great quantities of
various chemicals. More than half hun
| dred people were in or Immediately about
| the building when the first explosion went
| off. Then there was a great scattering
and when the second explosion occurred
many had reached places of safety and
were still running for their lives in mad
rush to get beyond reach. These two erup-
| tions did no great damage to anything
but the building in which they occurred.
| The third. however, was only few sec
cnds behind the second and it blew the
roof off the building up and two of the
walls down. Then ascended into the air
a great mass of burning debris which was
scattered in all directions, carrying tons
of wood and iron that tore holes where
they hit. The ground was shaken 80
much that many buildings shook visibly.
| From all the buildings rushed frightened
men and women, who joined in the mad
dash for distant points. Many were
knocked down and trampled upon and
they Were later taken to hospitals. 49,
Almost before it seemed possible an the
fire companies in the lower section of the
city were on hand to cope with the situ-
| alton. Streams of water from hundred
| hose were directed at Tarrant .&5 Co.'s de-
&3tOA4SSeA pam ci1O laC property.
Soon it seemed that there was an oppor-
tunity to get into the building and save
| those who might be there still alive
! The members of Engine Company No.
| II were the first to enter Only some of
them returned to join in the fight on the
outside after being repulsed by the
flames and smoke. There are still several
members of the company missing and it
ic fao \,
| their post.
There was up to a late hour this after
noon the greatest excitement. An effort
was made to learn how many were miss
| ing, but this was impossible. Several who
We're unable to leave the immediate vicin-
| ity and were struck down in the streets
! by flying pieces of wood and iron, were
taken to the hospitals in various con
ditions- A number of unfortunates seri-
ously wounded but not dead were taken
from the buildings and cared for in near
| by stores.
| Doctors from all over the CITY were
summoned, and they lent what aid they
could to those afflicted A number of
dead bodies have been recovered, some
mutilated beyond recognition, and all still
unidentified. These bodies were removed
to the City Morgue
| The explosion was heard for many miles
shocking the Island of Manhattan almost
| from Harlem to the Battery Throughout
/ the lower section of this city particularly
! the rumble was heard quite distinctly,
and was of such great strength and vol
ume that all the buildings in the business
section of the city were shaken Windows
were fierce1y ratified and in some cases
| even broken.
| All about the streets nj the neighbor-
| hood were anxious crowds inquiring for
| this or that one, but they received no
| Information. Those who were at work on
the recovery of those caught worked like
beavers. They paid no heed to questions
and continued with an energy that was
wonderful to clear away piles of ashes
| At the time the last explosion occurred
the IL" station, which was only ten feet
from the building, was crowded by pas
sengers who were awaiting a train. A
train took most of these away, but others
were forced to flee for their lives The
train that passed at the critical moment
was rocked considerably and a number
of the windows smashed The station
| quickly caught fire and all the wood work
was destroyed. 1t is not known if anyone
was killed or injured on the station.
There were also several slight injuries
/ to those employed in the buildings here.
Cabinets and pictures and parts of walls
/ and ceilings were knocked down, inflict-
| ing wounds on many
| 1t was some time before those within
| this city's limits were aware of the
! cause of the great shock When it was
| learned that a drug house had blown llp