, 1879-07-04
FALLEN FLOORS.
Two Stories Of the Empire Ware
house Gave Way Last
Night.
Tho Interior Of the Building a Total
Wreck Careless Architecture,
An Examination Of tho Premises Mt Mid
nlght--.3oods 1,adlY Damaged.

The Empire Warehouse, located at the foot Of
Quincy stfecs, and owned BY Wadsmorth, Dirk.
ioson It Co.. better known as the Empire
Warehouse Company, 10 ttls morning the next
thing 10 total wreck inside, although the outer
walls look al good at tvpr.
At about o o'clock last evening the night
Natchmnn OF thu building had pulled OF bis
loots 4hd sat dorm to cool himself, when tho
two !etd claps nf thunder. were heard, md,
about 1eh minutes later, i,ts ears wcru greeted
With the aoMnd Of tlle cracking OF
hea7y s5mbcrs III the north end
of',," tho rarehousc. - 10 proceeded
to investigate, hut ~ he entered the maln build.
Ing from The Office the sounu ot falling t!mocrs
and merchandise grow so loud tlat ho "mado
himself searce." There appeared to be u hole
through the roof, and tile ruin was coming down
upon tho goods In store. The n1au found Q
night watchuab from rinkorton's Agency, to
whom ho told TIC stofY, and The two started
for the of1lco Of tho FErc.1nsusaucc Patrol, and
to Tho Superintendent hcE toll their story, and
ho could DO nothing in The promises, and
atly'hed them TO 70 atter the proprtetors.
The: wntchnlan Of the warehouse went To tho
clifton, where Mr. atambaugh resides, hit tliat
secured lodgings In a small building on tho
the doomed building.
between Tho hours Of II md IL o'clock a
TRIBUNE reporter went over to the warehouse
upon,
TOUR or INVESTIGATION.
no visited aIl Sides Of the buifdiug but could
not detect the falntcst sound. 1t WAS shut up,
the ems Ill turned ont, and there was nothing Of
reporter began to think that he mas tho victim
.ecdyosklns Sesa; s'e nasaua VI 1'o riss ssa'''s
clay ppo 10 bis mouth md an ug'y.looklng
paper man captured, aud asked him who ho
might b. {thinking ha ,fas the watchinnn). Tie
man hastily explained sllat he belonged to q
gaual-hoat that WAS tied !Mp down In tho
unmolcsted. llle reporter being willing, he de-
parted Ia the dark. Tfen tho scribe found
Plnkcrton's. man, and listened to bis story,
which he offered to corroborate II the. roporter
night Watchman was awakened, md the three
went over TO the warehouse, unlocked tho
door, md went Inside. Tho: Watctulan sn!l
money could not hire him to sleep in TINT build
Ing tint night, md ho remained outside whilo
Plnkcrton's man went in to investigate, Tho
latter returned shortly. AMI askr.l thu reporter
to co with him. The building waa allied witlt
heavy storage, consisting chEody ot barrels and
sacks OF snlt, suEar, whisky, a!ld other heavy
material. Tho cracking tnsiao~ 49,. p: ;,
WAS SOMETHING FEARFUL.
The two c!ambered over tho barrels aud sacks
nearer aud nearer to tile ccutrc from which
cma,atcd tt,c racket, and at las. the watchmau
threw the white glaro OF bis dark lantern over
toward tho north end OF tho premises, and
fearful sight met the Eazo OF the wrltor.
There in a confused mass, lny the heavy Roods
Of thc second and third floors, with the tftnbers
OF each tnterming1ed In strange confusion. Tho
Ioists wers resting in all conceivable forms;
somt were lying crosswisc, SONG andwlse or per.
pcndtcu'at, md others vera fcattng mtthouo
cntl upon tile first lour and the other end upnn
the second floor. In q. hcayy, dead lunlu.
lay or. stood largo nnsn6es 'of whs-
ky barrels, the contents Of tho third
1oor. Tile reportcr had no desire to. approach,
too closply TO tho ruins, which wore bolnE In
creased constantly, but from what be could SEQ
In bis poat!on II waa evident that considerable
damage bud uireauy 6ueu done, md 1t was also
apparent tlIat the end wds mt vet, There ep-
peared to he largo hole through tile roof, a1,
the tirEt floor Tas bearing uo a large section OF
the second md third toura with what had boeu
their coDtouts.
4 hasty examination OF the interior revealed
tho lact TINT tho joIsts Of the floors above wero
not moro than two BY eight or ten tnches,-en.
tlrely Incompetent to bear. up the heavy load
which rcstcd upon them. md they appeared to
be gradually giving away all oyer By tho crcak-
inE aud groaning which WAS hoard Throughout
tho building.
1t wns a rolIef to. get outside and FREQ from
the danger Ut being crushed In tho falling ruin.