Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-10-30


plosion was exerted horizontal
~. skyights being carried away and
the castings of doors broken away with
the glass In the interiors of stores
everything was heaped In confusion.
The explosion tore down the build
ings to the west the walls of those on
Washington street being hurled out
ward TO the streets as ii an explosion
had been taking place there instead of
a way at the Greenwich street end OF
the block. The iInmense buildings of
j. II. Mohlmann & Co. fronting on
Washington street, simply collapsed. a
deluge Of barrels and boxes. filed with
fruit. rolling out and forming n pile
that stretched half way across the
street At the time OF the explosion
blazing barrels were hurled across
Washington street and set fire to the
buildings on the west. threatening an
extension Of the confiagration in that
direction, but the fireman deluged the
buildings and saved them
The first reports of the fire that went
out We're that the Tarrant building in
its fall had crashed down upon two
crowded restaurants and buried 100 or
more in each
Subsequent examination showed that
if any persons We're caught in these
places it was the kitchen help and very
few outsiders. If anybody. The patrons
Of the Home Made" restaurant. kept
by man named Buckley. were in the
most imminent danger. but probably
all escaped, for after the flames subsid-
cd no bodies were seen. the place being
untouched by fire. though damaged by
the collapse OF the Tarrant building. 4
man who had watched the fire from
across the street said that crowd in
the restaurant evidently swarme1 out
after the first explosion
A restaurant on the south side of
Warren street was almost in as much
danger and the building was destroy
ed by the fire. but it 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 es
cape by a rear alley might have been
caught. Outside Of a few who were in
jured in the streets. the loss of life by
the fire and explosion must have &C
Cured in the Tarrant building. mainly.
and possibly in the other buildings des-
troyed by the fire.
The number of persons in the Tar
rant building was estimated to be in
the neighborhood of so. Secretary Allen
of the company said that there were 4o
employees, and he thought all got out
with the exception of one. People who
saw the fire declared. however. that
more must have been lost.
Alnyanlar phiilinG who
lives in Hoboken. after the fire told
how he tried to make his way up into
the burning building. He said that the
people in the building We're as follows:
In the basement were the engineers
department and the shipping room;
four firemen were employed. All these
he thought escaped as he warned them
in time on the first floor We're the
offices Of the company and the retail
dispensing department. There We're
half a dozen persons on TINS h"of- IN
the second floor was Breitenbach's gum
factory, where 10 girls and SIX boys
were employed The third ana fourth
floors were storage floors for the Tar
rant co. There were several porters
Oh the top floors The fifth floor was
used as bottling department. six
girls We're employed there.
The sixth floor was the place Of man
ufacture of one of the specalties.
where three men were usually employ
ed. One OF these. n porter named John
Phillips is known to have escaped. An
other. an old man so years OF age
named Callahan. Phillips thought mist
have lost his life. being unable to get
out
The top floor was chemical labora-
tory, used by Louis Patterson. the
chemist. and two men and two girls
assisting him. Phillips was inclined to
think that most of these got out. al
though at a late hour Patterson him.
self had not been heard from.
Phillips said he saw the fire while out
at lunch and rushed into the building
to try to warn the people. He went
to his own department and yelled fire.
and then made his way up to the fifth
floor. He could not see into the Brett
enbach premises which are separated
from Tarrant's rooms. but he got up
to the fifth floor and then found that
the way was cut off by the flames.
Seeing that there was so much fire.
he hurried out, having been warned
that there We're explosives in the place.
He yelled to the firemen as he came
down to get out for their lives. as there
would be an explosion.
How many of the girls and other en-
ployes escaped could not be guessed at
even. tonight. although a large number
of missing persons indicated that there
Were some. It is said that half of the
employees were getting lunch. A rumor
went around that a boy had been seen
at one of the nearby restaurants get
ting lunches for Is girls who were
waiting in the building.
A man named Sexton is said to have |