Litchfield enquirer., 1869-07-22
FALL oF4 BUIIDINa.
MrnAcunous .Esclrs OF HE IsMAris- Loss NEARLY s20. 900 THE RESULT eof CARELEssNEss

F-
 Loss NEARLY s2O. .O0O-TH RESULT SoI
 CARELEssNEss.
 Shortly after o'clock yesterday after
 noon, the brick building on Main Street, nearly opposite St. John s Church, fell with a terrible crash, and from the ruins a fire started which caused an alarm and the steamers repaired to the spot. Tie build ing has stood in the center of an unsightly frame row. Recently the struetare adjoin ing it on the South has been torn down to make room for new building to be erect ed by Thomas Duffy, proprietor of fancy goods store in the same locality. Here workmen have been engaged for several days in digging foundation. and went SC far in their excavations as to undermine tue stone wall on the north, which placed the building now destroyed, ill 80 much danger, that various persons cautionedthe contractor, though no attention was 2appa rently paid to their warnings. Just before the accident occurred, Mir. William Law renee, proprietor of shoe-store on the first floor, who was attending to lady GUS. toner, heard 8 cracking noise, followed by slight shaking of the walls, and, having before apprehended danger, called the at. tention of his son-in-law, Peter Lux, who was in front of the store, to the fact, and the latter. quickly comprehending the sit nation, ran to the south side of the build. ing and told five or six Iaborers there em pioyed in digging under the walls to run for their lives, which they did; meantime MT. Lawrence had by shouting alarmed all the occupants of the upper stories of the building, and these persons, consisting of workmen in Lux's repair shop, and four girls working in Frank Smiths tailor shop, came tumbling down the stairways, with out having stopped for coats, vests, bon nets, or any other article of apparel save what they had on at the. time. Hardly had the last of the inmates reached the curb stone of the walk before the wholes build ing fell mass of ruins. It is singular that sufficient time should have elapsed to enable this most fortunate escape from death; yet there was a visible warning at the outset and q providential. delay before the work of destruction came to allow the building to be deserted. ExtrsGvagant,$ru- mors were, however, extensively circula- ted; the number of persons killed outright was variously estimated at from one to eight, and this served to attract very large crowd to the scene of the disaster
 The building belonged to the Russ es- tate. and was worth probably $S,OOO or $9,OOO, though it cannot be rebuilt for that money; it is partly insured in the Hartford office, but there is serious question as to whether the policy will hold good, there being no fire until after there was nc build. ing, and then none to speak of. MT. Law renee estimates his loss at between $6, 900 and $7. 900, and is without insurance. Lux's repaif shop (condncted by George Lux for his brother), contained considerable stock and full supply of tools, and the loss will probably reach S2,0O0. Tn Smiths tailor shop there were four Singer sewing ma chimes, and work on hand for Kelsey & Hitchcock, Gemmell X Clark, and other clothing dealers; loss from $1, ,OOO to $1, 500 with no insurance. Iathrop's barber's shop on the second floor, was unoccupied at the time of the accident. = Coui'ant, Ju e Is. U o-