The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1900-11-03

10 the hospitals.
Tie building vas on fire five minutes
before the first explosion occurred and
there were a number of nrefnen near
whe.r the walls blew out. 1t is feared
some are dead. Reports as To the occn-
pants OF the building. Including la5
girls, are conflicting and 1t is believed
ia greater number escaped.
Areport that Chief Strugger and tif-
teen fremen lost their lives could be
neither confirmed nor5denied.
The property destroyed included
nearly an entire block.
The crowds which gathered about the
scene was SO great that the police for
a time were powerless to keep them in
order. All the available, reserves from
the neighboring station houses were
called out,asand even then the crowds
appeared for a time to rule. The
streets for several blocks were strewn
with broken glass and other debris.
blood spottered in every direction,
showing there must have been many
persons in the vicinity at the time who
We're injured by falling glass.
Lifted the Entire Roof.
From an unofficial source 1t was said
the fire started on the third floor o,
the building, which was a four-story
structure. Immediately a column OF
white smoke shot up through the roof
and this column of smoke was followed
by an explosion, which shook the en-
tire building, lifting the roof complete
~ off and tearing away part of the
front wall.
Nobody up to this time has been
found who saw any of the employees
leave the building.
When the first explosion occurred the
ftremen who had answered the alarm
CT fire saw the building coming down
and fled for their lives. -Four were In.
jured. two seriously.
Joseph Beck, an empioye of Tarrant
& Co., was seen after the explosion. His
head was wathed In bandages and his
arm hung limp. He said there were
about 200 girls in the building. Many
OF them escaped on the fire scape
There We're at least seventy-tlve, he
said. that could not possibly have got
ten away. The girls We're all eating
their lunch at the time the first start
ed. He said TarInnt & Co. carried q
large stock. There was also a large
quantity of alcohol and other explosive
LIQUIDS stored In tie building.
The building was also used as q stor.
age warehouse by r. w. Phair 4 Co
and VI. j. Breitenbach & Co.
turers of medicine.
]. johnson. cashier of the IRVING
bank, was bruised and cut.
At 1880 p. M. wv explosions oc.
Cured in h building occupied by J
H. Mohlmnn & Co., grocers, in Green
witch street. The entire block on Wash.
ington street from Nos. 253 to 263 is
now burning.
TAKEN to the Hospitals.
In a restaurant mex door to the drug
store about 200 people We're eating
luncheon. Many We're injured, and il
is reported a score more lost thei1
lives.
Up to 12:45 p. m. eleven injured pei
sons had been taken to the New York
hospital. All the ambulancea from tht
hospitals south of Flfty-ninth street
had been called to the scene.
A lithographing establishment, close
to Tarrant's place. caught fire, and the
flames spread to the Irving bank and
two buildings across the street.
The Warren street station Of the
Ninth avenue elevated road, directly in
front of the drug establishment, was
completely demolished and n number
LOT persons waiting for the train were
blown to the street and received sert.
u injury. Several women ESCAPED
from The station by walking along The
plank platform at the edge Of the
track.
Several buildings at the rear of the
drug store We're blown down. The
flames spread with wonderful rapidity,
until the two blocks rom.Chambers tc
Warren and from Washington tic
Greenwich streets We're soon on fire.
Policeman Calvin was in the imme-
diate vicinity of the fire when the first
series of explosions occurred. He said
a number of firemen We're blown to
death on the Warren street side Of the
building. He rescued n of them.
Calvin says it was his belief that nc
less than 200 persons would be found tic
have lost their lives. The force of the
explosion was heard and felt clear
down to Wall street. and heavy plate
| glass windows We're smashed and PEG
pie thrown to the street a distance of
four blocks.
Panic in u Bank.
The employees of the Irving National
bank, whose building stands directly
across the street from the fire, say
that when the first of the explosions
came not a clerk or official Of the bank
but was thrown to the floor by the
building about to fall several officials
ran for the cash and had it taken out
of the building and to a place of safe
Ity. The clerks and other employees
then made their way to the sidewalk
and ran for places of safety.
Every available physician and ambu-
lance surgeon who could be reached
was called into service and the houses
and various stores which were not
damaged by the explosions We're turn
ed into temporary hospitals for the
care of the wounded.
1t was only an instant after the first
explosion occurred when the elevated
caught fire. Fortunately there was no
train in the immediate vicinity at the
moment. The structure was in a blaze
for a distance Of half a block in less
time than it takes to tell It. The dam
age is SO great to the road that traf-
to come.
Fire Under Control.
At 1870 o'clock the fire seemed to be
giving way to the efforts of the fire.
men and the lower half of the block
below Warren street seemed in a fail
way to be saved from destruction. "A;
that time there was a report that AS
sistant Fire Chief Cruger and ffteer
men of No. 10 truck Were missing, but
nothing certain could b. learned.
A girl employed in the Tarrant build
ing declared the girls ate their lunch
con on one of the upper floors. Shs
said she knew they could not have es.
capped.
r. NJ. Coughlin said he saw two mel
and a woman on the top floor of thu
Tar1ant building Just after the fire
broke out. They We're frantically aH,
lpealing for aid at a window when TIL,
building collapsed and they fell bach
into the ruins.
At 3 o'clock rumors concerning thu
oss OF life were many and various. bu'
none of them could be verified. The fire
Is still burning. but it is believed to be
under contro..
say office between January I and Octo-
Der "a of the present year.