New-York tribune., 1900-10-30

passengers and carmen escaped with cuts only.
Drug stores in the neighborhood were speedily
hned by the victims. who called for bandages
and restoratives. and the druggists did much
70 relieve the work Of the host of ambulance
surgeons who gathered with their ambulances
from many parts of the city Broken glass
covered the sidewalk for blocks around. and
most Of the injured ones were cut by it, The
loss on plate glass alone will be large item in
the total
For several hour affervvard traffic in the
streets for many blocks around was almost
suspended. There was blockade after blockade.
and it seemed impossible to find a starting
point from which to move the tangled mass OF
cars, trucks and wagons. The police were al
most powerless. and they had their hands fun
keeping the crowds away from the fire and
helping pedestrians to cross tha streets. The
blockade extended to Broadway and ii was
dangerous to attempt to cross that thorough
fare between Duane and Barclay SITS West
Broadway. Park Place. Greenwich Warren.
West. Church and Washington SITS. were one
congested mass Of trucks and wagons Of all
face cars could not run below Duane-st.. and
the Broadway cars were so inpeded that they
extended in a seemingly solid line from the
City Hall 10 the Battery
Just as blockade was about TO be raised q
heavily loaded truck would be forced into
bad spot in the street or would lock wheels
with similar vehicle. and the crush and Jam
1-cyTId he
terrible calamity that had caused the conges-
tion appeared to subdue even the truck drivers
and, strange to say. there was little profanity
heard. The men seemed 10 take matters philo-
sophically. and they sat calmly on their seats
until things Strengthened themselves out. About
4 p. m the blockade began to break up and
business was resumed. Many of the produce
houses in the neighborhood. Of the fire how
ever, kept open for several hours after the
usual closing time last night to ship and re-
| ceive goods.
Traffic the Ninth-ave. elevated road was
also suspended below Christopher-st, the War
, ren-st. station the downtown side being
completely blown away by the explosion and
that the uptown side being badly shattered
About o'clock. however. the running Of trains
resumed on the uptown track but the
Health Board ordered them to cease, because
the vibration threatened to bring down several
rickety buildings in Greenwich-st- whose sta
bIity had been impaired by the explosion The
trains were running last night however, on the
uptown track
Just after the outbreak of fire from the win
dows of the building a downtown elevated train
stopped at the Warren-st. station of the Ninth
ave. road. It passed on in time to escape the
explosion and the few people who left it and
walked out on the platform Of the station are
thought to have all escaped before the great ex-
pIosion came. The station agent, J. Devries,
fed across the structure carrying with him the
receipts Of the day and his unused tickets, while
two women who had stopped on the platform
to watch the fire. frightened by the first ex-
plosion. fed along the downtown tracks. assisted
by the station porter. who took them TO the
Barclay-st- station in safety.
BUILDING FORCE ON HAND.
Superintendent Dooner Of the Buildings De-
partment was on hand within an hour after the
He said the Tarrant Building was three years
old. and that it had been constructed in accord
ance with all the requirements Of the Building
Department Had it been dishonesty con-
structed. he declared, the walls, when the big
explosion occurred. would not have fallen in
great masses as they did. but would have tum-
bled down in single brick fashio-. He declared
there would be a thorough investigation Of the
fire. the explosion and the structure itself
Mr.. Dooner put forty-five inspectors at work
inspecting the buildings from westinghouse.
TO West Broadway and Chambers to Murray sJs.
He said that there were number of old build
ings in the neighborhood and that he feared
some of them had been rendered unsafe by the
shaking up they received.