The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-04-21
The Buffalo Disaster.

Following are full particulars of the
late terrible disaster al Buffalo, meagre
accounts OF which have been received by
telegraph: At 2 o'clock in the morning
the arched roof of the old part of the
New York Central Depot, on Exchange
street, fell with terrible crash. The
cause of the disaster is attributed to the
weakening of the walls by making the
arches to communicate with the new de-
pot recently built. The roof was over
weighted with accumulated snow and
weakened by removal of the former
offices which had formed large portion
of its support, fell crashing to the earth,
burying number of cars and human
forms beneath tangled mass of iron,
wood, glass, snow and brick The st.
Louis express on the Central was three
hours and half late, and its connecting
train on the Lake Shore, composed of
four cars with the sleeper, stood
upon the outer track waiting for
it. A Canada Southern train had
Just hauled out of the depot and
only twenty minutes before the day ex-
press on the Central had borne eastward
large load of living freight Switch
engine, No. 126, manned by Frank
Schaefer, engineer, was standing, on the
middle track ready to take Coroner Scott
to East Buffalo. Near the other end of
the new depot was train of flat cars.
On the track Just outside of the south
wall were some old-fashioned passenger
cars belonging to the Central Road.
Half dozen passengers were in the cars
of the waiting Lake Shore train, and one
or two others who are believed to be lost
were standing in the depot near the fiat
cars. Coroner Scott had just boarded
the switch engine and was on the point
of bidding goodbye to Henry Walters,
Superintendent Tillinghasts confidential
secretary, when sudden, hollow sound
as of snow falling in mass from the
roof, was heard, and Immediately after
ward the south wall, about 60 feet from
the new portion, began to totter and fall.
Depot Master Kring succeeded in get
ting beneath brick wall, which held its
position, but his cap was torn from his
head by fragments. Mr.. Smith ran into
the vestibule of the abandoned eating
house, and escaped through the cellar
Mr.. Walters, who was just behind him,
was caught by timber, and held pris-
oner until other portions of the falling
roof crushed out both his life and HUI
man shape. The Lake Shore train
was buried from sight by roofing
material. The switch engine was
broken and partly dismantled.
An unsightly gap was torn out of the
wall of the new waiting room, the fatal
mass which crushed the life out of Capt.
Byrnes. The old cars which stood on
the track were all torn to pieces. The
work of overhauling the ruins was imme-
diately commenced by members of the
fire department and employees of the
railroad, and the first two bodies recov-
cred were those of Capt. Byrnes and
Henry Walters. Shortly after the work
men found the mangled bodies of VIM.
Wells, clerk for Car Inspector Howe of
the Lake Shore railroad, and two other
bodies have been found.
The noise resembled that of an earth
quake and was heard mile distant. The
whole of the old depot structure, which
was $50 feet long by 100 feet wide, is o
mass of ruins. At no other hour of the
day or night could the accident have
happened without more terrible loss OF
life, AS the depot at the time was compar-
atively deserted. The number of mar
row escapes was large, but, fortunately,
no accidents are reported OF a serious ma
ture beyond the four persons killed out
right. In the Lake Shore cars OF the
waiting train a few passengers, perhaps
fifteen or twenty in all, were seated, wait
ing for the train to start. Fortunately
not one of them was injured. The bod
les of the victims have been taken in
charge by the coroner and an investiga-
ton will be promptly made.