The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-10-30

by streets, many of them panic-stricken,
fleeing from the fire.
just after the outbreak of fire from the
windows Of the building a down town
train stopped at Warren street station
Of the Ninth elevated road, in the street
below. 1t passed on IN time to escape the
explosion and the few peOp who were
left on the platform of the station are
thought to have all escaped before the
great explosion came.
The big explosion completely carried
away the station and the mass of mason
~ that fell with 1t broke through the
flooring and almost demolished the struc-
ture just below the building.
The Wreckage was thrown through
the windows of the building in which
The Irving National bank is situated.
The offices Of the Irving bank and Of
Meckle Bros, bankers and brokers. was
PARTLY wrecked,
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 Irving bank.
de was told that the money was in the
vault, the door OF which was supposed to
be unlocked. When the captain and
his men went in, however, they found
about SO, COZ scattered over counters and
floor. This was hastily thrown into the
vault and locked
Down in Mec KLEIN Bros Offices in the
basemsnt were III. 9. Meokle and his
brother William wit Frank Heoken ber-
rye by, 4 hOmas ii lckett,a a CLERK, anoth-
er man named Bruce and some girls,
among them Ellen Van Deem and Mary
Dunklemann. When the fire broke cut
$50, OO0 in money lay upon the counters,
bt i5 was gathered together and put in
the vault
The first explosion filed the place with
sulphurOus smoke that nearly asphyxiat-
ed every body. The second explosion blew
n the windows and pnf the two Meox-
lens seriously. The boy found that the
/ two girls had tainted He carried them
out to a place of safety. The others gath
cred up the money and carried it into
WaddeIle g Co . at 81 Warren street. A
/ barber shop IN the same building was
demolished, the BARRIERS and two custom
ers who were being shaved being driven
to the street. The Oth9r tenants all es-
capped injury. The explosion completely
demolished windows along Greenwich
street on both sides for three blocks, in
both directions, The street was covered
with line bits of glass. The force or the
explosion was exerted horizontally, sky
lights being carried away and the castings
OF doors broken away with the glass.
In the interior Of stores everything was
heaped in confusion.
The explosion tore down the buildings
to the west, the walls of those on the
Washington side b5ing hurled outward
to the streets as If an explosion had been
taking place there instead of away ab
the Greenwich street end OF the block.
The immense buildings of j. H. MohI-
mann q Co., frontage on Washington
street, simply collapsed a deluge OF
barrels and boxes tilIed with fruit, rolling
out and forming a pile that stretched
half way across the str5et.
The first reports Of the fire that went
out were that the Tarrant building in its
fall had crashed down upon two crowded
rasfauravts and huripd q h11ndred NJ. mora
in each.
Subsequent examination showed that
il any persons were caught in these
places it was the kitchen help and very
few outsiders II anybody. The patrons of
the "HOme Made'' brestaUrants kept by a
man named Buckley, were in the most
imminent danger but probably all es-
capped, for after the flames subsided no
bodies were seen. A restaurant on the
south side Of Warren street was almost
in as much danger aud the building was
destroyed by the fire but i6 is said that
the crowd got out, 1t was thought that
the cooks in the Buckley restaurant and
some Of the guests who tried to escape by
rear alley might have been caught.
Outside of a few who were injured in the
streets, the loss Of life by the fire and
explosion must have occurred in the
Tarrant building, mainly, and possib bly,
in the other buildings destroyed by the
fire.
The numbers OF persons In the Tarrant
building was estimated to be in the
neighborhood of fifty. Secretary Allen of
the company said that there were % en-
pIOyes and he thought all got out with
the exception of one. People who saw
the fire declared, however, that more
must have been lost.
Engineer Alexander Phillips Who lives
in HOboken, after the tire, told how he
tried to MAKE his way into the burning
building. He said that the people in the
building were as follows:
In the basement were the engineers
department. and the shipping room where
tlve men were employed. All these, he
thought, escaped. Son the first floor were
the offices of the company and the retail
dispensing department.. There were about
half dozen persons on this floor. On
the second floor was Breitenbaoh's gum
factory where ten girls and six boys were
employed.
The third and fourth floors were stor-
age floors for the 1arrant company
Ihers were several porters on the two
floors. The fifth floor was used as a bot
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