The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-11-02

back across the street, so that they
were not caught, but their escape from
the rain of debris across the street was
almost miraculous.
The wreckage was thrown across
through the windows of the building
in which the Irving national bank is,
on the northeast corner of the street.
The offices of the Irving bank and of
Mecklem Brothers, bankers and brok-
ers, were nearly wrecked.
President Fancher, OF the Irving
bank, was away on business at the
time of the explosion, but Vice Presi-
dents Charles III. Mattlage and John
W. Castree, Cashier James A. Denni-
son., and Assistant Cashier b. F. Wer-
ner, Paying Teller William Dunlap and
Adjustor Van Vidt were present. At
the first explosion, an attempt was
made to gather all the money and pa
pers that were lying on the counter, to-
gether and to throw them in the safes
and II 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.
Captain McClusky of the detective
bureau, who hurried every available
man of his staff to the fire. was ap-
pealed to to protect the funds of the
bank, he being told that they were in
the vault, the door of which was sup
posed to be unlocked. When the cap
tain. n his men went in, however,
they found about ten thousand dollars
scattered in confusion over the coun-
tiers and floor. This was hastily
thrown into the vault, and the door
locked.
President Fancher, of the bank, ar
rived within a few minutes of the start
of the fire and was nearly heysterical
when he found what had happened.
By $3.50 o'clock, however, the directors
of the ban had met and posted a
sign in the window stating hat the
bank would do business tomorrow.
Down in Mecklem Brothers office in
the basement, there were NJ. c.. McCul-
lum and his brother William A. with
Frank H~eckenberry, a boy; Thomas
Hackett, a clerk, anothe man named
Bruce and some girls, among them Ell
len Van Deem and Mary Dunklemann
When the fire broke out 5000 in none
lay upon the counters. Heckenberry
was stationed at the door while this
was gathered together for putting in
the vault.
The first explosion filled the place
with sulphurous smoke that nearly as
phyxiated everybody. The second ex-
plosion blew in the windows and cut
the two Mecklems seriously. The boy
Heckenberry found the two girls lying
in a heap, tainted away. He carried
them out to a 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 & Cos.
The first reports of the fire that went
out were that the Tarrant building in
it's fall had crushed down upon two
crowded restaurants n buried a
hundred or more in each. Subsequent
I0- -l 49,
sons were caught in these places it was
the kitchen help and very few outsid-
ers, if anybody. The patrons of the
Home Made restaurant" kept by a
man named Buckley, were in the most
imminent danger, but witnesses say
all escaped, and, after the flames sub
sided, a clear view could be got into
the dining ROOM, and no bodies were
seen, the place being untouched by
fire, though damaged by the collapse
of the Tarrant building. How many
of the girls and other employees escap-
ed could not be guessed even tonight,
although a large number of missing
persons indicated that there were some.
1t was said that half of the employees
were out getting lunch. A rumor went
around that a boy had been seen at one
of the nearby restaurants getting lunch
for fifteen girls who were waiting
in the building.
n man named Sexton is said to have
seeen two men and a woman at n
of the top floor windows, just before
the building collapsed. Another wit
ness said he saw fou girls being car
ried down the rear fire escapes by men
of truck No 10. AS no firemen are
supposed to have been lost, these girls
probably were saved.
Another witness said that he saw a
large number of girls on a fire escap
just before the explosion and that none
could have escaped.
The only person known to have been
killed, up to 8 o'clock tonight, was a
man who died in one of the hospitals
from the result of an injury received
in the street.
Chief Croker at an early hour said
that there were no firemen missing,
although it had been reported hat an
entire company could not be found, and
it was supposed that they had been
lost under the ruins of the collapsed
commission houses on Washington
street. A number of firemen were in
jured in various ways, however, and
scores of persons received injuries of
every degree from falling debris in the
streets.