The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1900-11-02
TERRIBLE EXPLOSION IN NY.
LARGE NUMBER WERE KILLED.
Were Four Terrific Explosions
Wreck of the Huge Building,
Filled with Men and Women,

New York, Oct. 3O.-About 1890 p.
m. Monday lower New York was startled
by booming sound which it developed
was an explosion in the building occupied /
by Tarrant & Co., wholesale druggists. The
fire department Immediately responded to a
call, but had not reached the scene when
three additional explosions occurred, more
violent than the first.
A column of debris and smoke and
flames shot upward 300 feet.
Persons in the vicinity say they saw hui
man bodies thrown up in the column OF
debris when the explosion occurred. -Four
explosions occurred in rapid succession.
The Sixth avenue elevated railroad
structure is demolished at that point.
Windows for blocks around were demol-
Used by the conclusion and houses across
the street were probably damaged.
Calls were sent for ambulances. Five
alarms of fire were turned in.
Could Not Escape.
1t is said there were fully $50 people
in the building at the time OF the first
explosion and few if any of them had time
to escape
Three fire horses were cut by flying glass
anu will probably have to be shot. a
fire engine was almost completely demol-
ished by falling walls.
1t was said that 100 of the employees OF
the building were girls. They were on
different floors when the fire broke out
and the explosion occurred.
Restaurant Smashed.
In a restaurant next door to the drug
store there were about 200 people eating
their luncheon. OF these many were in
iured and it is reported score or more
of them lost their lives.
Up to l2:45 p. m. IL injured persons had
been taken to the New York hospital. The
police reserves from Old Slip, Church
Street, Oak Street and Elizabeth Street
stations were called out
The first explosion occurred at l2:l2 P
m. and took the roof off the building
The explosions sent debris flying trough
the air and into the street, where dozens
OF persons were injured.
All the ambulances from hospitals soutf
of Fifty-ninth street were finally called t.
the scene
Blew People Into the Street.
lithographing establishment close t.
Tarran'ts place caught fire and the hame
spread to the Irving bank and to two othe
buildings across he street
The Warren Street station OF the Mint
avenue elevated road, directly in front q
the drug establishment was completed,
demolished and a number OF persons wh
were standing upon it waiting for tran
were blown to the streets without an
serious injury. Some women escape
from the station by walking the plank a
the edge of the track
Several buildings at the rear OF tn
drug store were blown down.
The flames spread with wonderful rapiC
itv; The two blocks from Chambers
Warren and from Washington to Greer
ysich street were soon on fire.
John NJ. Elliott of Brooklyn was slttm
on the roof of the seven-story buildin
at &C West Broadway, block and ma
away from the explosion he says IL
force of the first explosion was dlrectl
inward for matter of 80 feet, when IL
column of debris spread and fell dow
ward. 1t took the roof off the building an
he could hear the cries and screams
persons.
Three minutes later the third eXplosio
which he said was the worst of all, cam
It shook the building where he was al
debris fell about it.
Policeman Calvin was in the immedia
vicinity of the fire when the first OF Il
e1plosions occurred. He said number
fremen were blown to death on the wa
rem street side of the building lie ga
that he rescued one of them, but no II
inc being could have rescued the others
He said that in his belief not less th'
900 persons will be found to have 10
their lives. This was on account OF U
guddenness of the explosions, VINE
rendered it impossible for any being
The place at the time to escape.
The force of the explosion was hea
and felt clear down to Wall street al
heavy plate glass windows were smash
and people thrown down in the street Tor
distance of four blocks.
Cash Was Saved.
The employees of the Irving Natlol
hank. whose building stands direct
ACROSS the street from Tarrant's pla'
ro a,,s;l1, eneaoed at their desks at t