The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-10-30

uJy On came ABOUT IWO minutes
after the teries of explosions, and
he at ont xN . ! a fifth alarm sent
out, followed e EE aeral call for ambu-
lances. The % and fire together
had now assume, ~ ortion of great.
it wa, that hundreds
of lives had been 10. ,gs of people
were rushing about i1s>A 4earby streets,
many of them panic stTsKen, fleeing from
the fire. They mingled in the crowd that
was rushing down from Broadway to see
what had happened
THE WARNING HEEDED n
Half an hour after the explosion the
streets for blocks around the fire were
crowded with fire apparatus with score
of ambulances, while hundreds Of police
were being rushed from all the lower
precincts of the fifty to form lines and
many priests from nearby parishes were
going here and there in the smoke OBJ
scured thoroughfares, seeking for injur-
ed who might need their aid. From the
burning districts a column of smoke was
rising high in the air. mingled with
flames that could not be controlled by
hundreds of streams thrown upon them.
The second explosion carried destruction
in everv direction. That it did not
cause a Wholesale loss of life was due to
the fact that almost ten minutes
warning came after the first cry of fire
"a cry that was a real warning to peo-
pie who knew the character of the chem
icals in the burning building, and fully
five minutes occurred between the first
and minor explosion, which warned every
one within hearing, and the second one.
Just after the outbreak of fire from the
windows of the building a down town
bound train stopped at the Warren street
station of the Ninth Avenue elevated
road. 1t passed on in time to escape the
explosion and the few people who were
left on the platform of the station are
thought to have escaped before the great
explosion came. The station master fled
across the structure, carrying with him
the receipts of the day and his unused
tickets, while two women, who had stopp-
ed on the platform to watch the fire,
frightened by the first explosion, fled
down the down town tracks, assisted by
the station porter, who took them to the
Barclay street station in salty. The ex-
plosion completely carried away the sta
ton.
WRECKED BY THE EXPLOSION.
Immense masses of masonry, pieces of
cornice; great beams, window castings,
and an indescribable mass of wreckage of
every description tumbled suddenly in
to the street in front of the building.
The force of the explosion below had
thrown the firemen back across the street
so that they were not caught, but their
escape from the rain of debris across the
street was miraculous
The wreckage was thrown across
through the windows of the bu;I1ing in
which the Irving National Bank is To-
Gated, on the northeastern corner of the
street The offices of the Irving Bank
and of Mecklem Brothers, bankers and
brokers, were nearly wrecked.
FLIGHT FROM THE BANK.
Prendient Fancher, Of the Irving Bank,
was away on business at the time of the
explosion, but Vice Presidents Charles H.
Mattlage and John w. Castree, Cashier
James A. Dennison and Assistant Cash
ier BENZ. F. Werner, Paying Teller Will
liam Dunlap, and Adjuster Van Zeidt
were present. At the first explosion an
attempt was made to gather all the mon
ey and papers that were lying on the
counters, together, and throw them into
the safes, and it was supposed that this
had been done, when the second explosion
brought flying glass and plastering from
the skylighted ceilings down about the
heads of everybody and caused them to
escape in a hurry. Capt McCluskey, of
the Detective Bureau, who hurried every
available man of his staff to tie fire, was
asked to protect the funds of the bank,
he being told that they were in the vault,
the door of which was supposed to be un-
locked. When the captain and his men
went in however, they found about ten
thousand dollars scattered in confusion
over counters and floor. This was hastily
thrown into the vault and the door locked
President Fancher, of the bank, arrived
within few minutes of the start of the
fire and was nearly hysterical when he
found what had happened. By half past
two, however, the directors of the bank
had met and posted a sign in the win
dow stating that the bank would do busi
ness tomorr0w.
Down in Mecklem Bro. Offices, in the
basement, there were Fl. c.. Mecklem and
his brother, VIM, with Frank Heckenber-
ry, a boy Thomas Hackett a clerk,
another man named Bruce and some girls,
among them Ellen Van Deem and May
Dunklemann. When the fire first broke
out, 100000 in money lay upon the coun-
ters. Heckenberry was stationed at the
door while this was gathered together
for putting in the vault The first ex-
plosion flied the place with sulphurous
smoke that nearly asphyXiated every
body. The second explosion blew in the
windows and cut the two Mecklems Sc
riously The boy Heckenberry found the
two girls lying in heap, tainted away
He carried them out to place Of safety
The others, when they came to their
senses, gathered the money from the
floors, put it in cigar boxes and carried
it to Waddell and Company's.
The first reports of the fire that went
out were the Tarrant building in it's fall,
had crushed down upon two crowded res
taurants and buried q hundred or more
in each. Subsequent examination show
ed that if any persons were caught in
these places it was the kitchen help and
very few outsiders if anybody The pa
irons of the Home made restaurant"
kept by a man named Buckley, were in
the most imminent danger.