Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1900-10-31
SEARCHING The RUINS
FOR The DEAD BODIES
Latest Report Places Number
Of Missing at so.
LOSS is ABOUT 100000

Many Buildings In the Vicinity of the
Explosion VIII Be Torn Down-Of-
ficials Specializing ON the Cause of
the New York Disaster.
NEW YORK, Oct. 30.-The search for
bodies in the ruins of the buildings oc-
cupied by Tarrant & Co., which was
kept up all night, was without result
until after s o'clock this morning.
Deputy Fire Chief Ahearn reported that
the body of woman had been located
under the wreckage in the rear of the
Homemade restaurant, and added that
he feared about 30 bodies would be
found at this point, as he had been IN
formed that many women were on the
fire escape of the restaurant few min
utes before the Tarrant building col
1apsed and that they ran into the build
ing just before the big explosion.
No change was made today in the
original estimate of the financial loss by
the explosion, the figures remaining at
from ST., 500, 900 to $4,000, 900. 4
Although force of 300 men worked
all night on the ruins of the property
destroyed by the explosion in Tarrant
g Co. s drughouse yesterday, and were
relieved by more than 1000 men at day.
light, the search had not resulted in the
discovery of a single dead body up to
1890 o'clock today, 24 hours after the
explosion occurred. The list of the
missing numbers SO, but it is believed
that many of these will be found.
Thomas #. Main, president of the Tar
rant company, said he felt sure that all
of his employees with the possible ex-
ception of two had been saved.
Some of those reported missing re-
turned to their homes during the night.
At 8 o'clock this morning about 1000
men were at work on the wreckage and
firemen were playing streams of water
ington street below Warren, Seven fire
engines were still on the ground. Forty
people are reported missing today.
Property Loss So, 100000.
Three hundred men were at work on
the ruins all night. Superintendent of
Buildings Boomer had / 200 men at work
as soon as daylight appeared. He de-
clared that a dozen buildings would
have to be torn down.
Explaining his statement that dozen
buildings would have to be torn down,
superintendent Dooner said:
"More important than finding the
dead is the protection of the living. The
force Of the explosion has impaired
many buildings in the vicinity. can
not think of letting men work in them
while there is a possibility that they
may come down. I believe the build
ings along the south side of Chambers
street from Greenwich to Washington
streets, and on Washington street from
Chambers to Warren, have been made
unfit for occupation. They will be thor
oughly examined this morning and un-
til am sure of them l will not allow
the proprietors to open them for bust
ness.
"Forty buildings were damaged by
the explosion. place the property loss
at $2,000,000.
DR.. Feeny, chief inspector of the
health department, was at the scene of
the explosion today.
''This havoc was never wrought by
benzine or naptha, he said. 81 believe
it was nitro glycerine. 1t is used very
largely nowadays by physicians as
heart stimulant and Tarrant & Co., as
wholesale druggists, would have had to
supply it. The stuff is used in a very
weak solution. Usually it is from one.
tenth of per cent to per cent of water.
If Tarrant & Go. had 25 pounds of nitro
glycerine in their place it would have
blown building like theirs into frag-
ments. F."
Due to Chemical Action.
George E. Murray, inspector of COM
bustibles, gave out the following state
ment today:
cit 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 formulas
used In compromising, and can get the
employees on the witness stand before
the fire marshal.
1.-THE company had a permit to store
collodin, ether and phosphoric in small
quantities. barrel Of alcohol, two gal
Ions of benzine, one carboy of sulphurio
acid and one carboy of nitric acid.
eff all these should blow up together
I don't think it would be heavy enough
to make such a terrific explosion. This
is why l am of the opinion that the ex-
plosion was due to chemical changes"
During the day several names were
added to the list of missing and a num-
Der were stricken from it.
President Main of Tarrant 90 Go. said
today:
''In our own stock we had not more
than few pounds of ether; we had no
benzine and no colodion. When we
needed any of these articles to ill orders
we bought it from dealers. We had
very little alcohol in stock, notwith-
standing the fact that we use consid-