The sun., 1900-10-30
NEW YORK HORROR
Block Wrecked by EXplo-
SiOnS Over Drug Store.
AWFUL LOSS OF LIFE.
Panic Stricken People Cut
Down In the Streets.

ueInIess to Aid Them, Spectators
watch Men, Women and Girls
Biown 10 Denth-EIeyated Struc-
ture Destroyed by Force of the En-
pIosiOns-The Irving National BANK
Wrecked - Firemen Go to Their
Death In Heroic Efforts to Fight
the ConhnErntion-Resta the
Scene of Horrible TrnEedy-The
streets For blocks Around Strewn
With Debris of All Sorts.
New York. Oct. 29.--.Ns the result of a
terrible explosion in the building nccu
pird hy Tarrant X Co., wholesale drug
eists At 2S0 and 2S2 Greenwich street
aOu people were killed and injured.
over Tamant's drug store was the Tar
rnt npcrirut works, and il was IN lliIs
soda water factory that the fire oligi-
mated.
The explosion was so violent rs I"
shake nh the buidings in the 'ieWn town
di>t-ict. People who heard il jumped 20
thcir windows und sitW huge column 81
lnoWuish yellow smoke high IN the ar
As they leaked no less than four or
five other explosions followed in quick
succession and with increasing Violence.
Tho noise was terrifying; one cnnghl
himself wondering what awful thing
would come nest, and finally, after tine
last ana grentcSt of these shocks. the
whole roof of the building was torn from
tho walls and shot high in the air, while
behind it came rolling upward Il mon
strous ball of flame, whirling and cN-
banding lS il climbed.
Al its height this great and terrible
rose Of flame was level with ST. PauIs
stprple Beneath il came more smoke.
now black, now streaked with fire. which
burst forth uncontrolled. The city was
filled with alarm. People rushed toward
the building from all sides. While they
were moving through the streets. some
were in peril Of injury, for the tin roof
of the building hurled on high by the
force of the explosion, remained i'll the
air for nearly ten minutes, floating on II
mighty upward rushing current. ana then
came down in pieces, SwirlinS through
the streets to the ground.
How Ii Started.
1t is understood that the accidental is-
nitun of drugs in the componnding room
On the second floor caused the explosion,
but how the ignition was produced viii
probably never he known.
basement, Immediately shut off the steam
when he heard The first explosion and
banked the fires when the others fol-
logged.
III knew that thc building was wreck
cd above him, but he stuck 70 his post.
When his work was DONE he crawlcd mp
to The street level and rushed out through
riSiuu hamrS. His hands. which he held
before his face. were badly burned.
lie said he stumbled over many bodies
On The way out which must have lccn
burned to ashes presently by the fierce
flames which wrapped the whole nine
stories of the building.
Thousands of the working girls wht
were employed in the neighhorhood got
~ far out Of the reach Of the fire as they
could and stood Shivcring and hungry ii
the streets. Hundreds could be seen hNd
ding together III City Hall park. Thc5
were too frightened TO speak. Mann
were ms pale us ghosts and white ~
sheets.
All the roofs Of down town building
were soon covered with people whom th'
rumble aud the quake caused by tho eN
rloSiun had alarmed. y huge rnnn'
pillar Of slate colorrd smoke, rising frcn
n great iloWer Of flame at the base, KEEP
their attention fixed.
beHHthe fNpluueu.
Within five minutes after the smoke wa
first stcn u spark flow in among Il ,ltlni
tty Of barrels, and Il tremendous cXiic
sion followed.
Ry this time Il number of frpin,n hr"d
entering the building. Fully - of thu5
were inside when there was il second a4s
mere terrific explosion of heziu", Wlti
actually lifted oil the roof ~ h@e ~,
tions and threw the hodes OF TIC =I.l'1l
tunatc hrrlGpn hi4h into ,ae TIL
The s.pnud cXplo,.ioa WI 90 t,n n
and burst with such Jury on r 4, h.
II blew of tile station on ,t,e t,c1"t
railroad structure close -. z. tei.t
rocked from ride to side .tMa t.ll aiA
4 crash TO thc street below.
n some hult dozon proplc .o Wt
standing on the station plnl tst.h
number OF others. Including lh' tWN
sellers, wln were inside. were iiltra I'll"
4 their feet and blown int" ihc street
The bodies Of eight persons Nrrc blow
high into tho air and fen I" the Stret'
ON the uoighborn- huGse tops.
4 People ran ont of the houses aud sior
aud janmcd the streets with IN excite
frightened mob which CROPPED nbont
the dense clouds of hot smoke. For a +
dilIs Of two blocks business was susprll
cd, and crowds of frrnzed people block
the thOroughGares. some heeihS rum !
fire and others anxious to get near L
a blazing building.
N Almost Roasted.
"a Carl Bcndcrwald of 1l5 Boerum pla(
Brooklyn. who was standing on the sit
81 walk across the street, was Knocked doN
by the explosion. and his clothes We
n burned from his back. lie fell IN I
"A street. his body almost roasted.
III At Ienst fl nprsons who were watch
Ia the fire from the sidewalks were serious
injured by the explosions.
The Raines law hotel Levy, next dc