The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-02-16
ra.al Fan of n Rn,Iroad Depot

BrFrAIo, February Shortly
after nine o'clock tic arched roof Of
the old depot on Exchange street,
loyerweighted with the accumulated
lsnow and weakened By the removal
of the Offices which formerly con-
tributcd greatly to its support, fell
and buried number of persons and
ears beneath \ tangled mass OF iron,
wood. glass, snow and brick. The
I st. Louis express train was three
hours and a-half late, and its con-
Meeting train on the Lake Shore,
composed Of four cars and the
sleeper, stood upon the outer track
waiting for 4 Canada Southern
train had just hauled out Of the de-
+ pot. and only twenty minutes before
I the day express on the Central had
( borne eastward large load Of living
freight. Switch engine No. 1876,
m1nned by Frank Schaefier, engin-
Z eer. was standing ON the middle
track ready to take Coroner Scott to
East BufIalo. Near the other end
of the new depot was a train Of fiat
cars. On the track Just outside OF
South wall were some old passenger
cars Among the people known to
( be in the depot just previous to the
crash, were Depot Master Byron
Kring and john Ready, Of Messrs.
Johnstons Bros. eating house, who
stood near together about the centre
of the building, Dewitt c. Gibson,
switchman, +. VI. Stevens and Ro-
bert Berry, baggage-men, r. c.
Smith, passenger agent Of the Lake
Shore road, z. ]. Hartwig, Henry
Eckert, d. c. Hubbs and other en-
ployes. Half n dozen passengers
Gere In the cars Of the waiting Lake
Shore train, and one or two others,
who are believed 70 be lost, were
standing in the depot near the fiat
cars. Coroner Scott had just board
the switch engine, and was on the
point OF bidding goodbye to Mr..
Henry Waters, Superintendent Til
linghast's private secretary, when a
sudden hollow sound - OF snow
falling in u mass from the roof was
heard, and Immediately afterward
the south wall, about sixty feet from
the new portion, began to tot.er and
fall. Depot Master kring succeed
cd In getting beneath a brick wall
which held its position. but his cap
was torn from his .ad by fragments.
Mr.. Smith ran int the yestibule Of
the abandoned ca .ng house and es-
capped through the cellar. Mr..
Waters. who wa Just behind him,
was caught by timber and held a
prisoner until other portions Of the
wall from the roof crushed out both
Iris lie and his human shape. The
Lake Shore train was buried from
sight by roofing material The
switch engine was broken and part
Is dismanlled. IN unsighdy gap
was made in the wall Of the beluti-
fui new waiting room by the fatal
mass which had crushed out the
life Of Captain Byrncs. The old
ears which stood on the track were
ali torn to pieces. The work Of
ovcrtauling the ruins was immedi-
ately commenced by members Of
the FIRE department and employees Of
o C railroad company, and the first
two bodies were those OF Cap
tain Byraes and Henry Waters.
Shortly after the nen found the
mangled body Of VIM. Wells, clerk
of Car inspector Howe, of the Lake
Shore Railroad, and two other bodies
were found. John II. Jackson, q
c0lored man, was in one Of the clos
cts attached to the waiting room,
and Immediately on hearing the
crash smashed the window and
Jumped out into the street, followed
by VIM. :. 0dell, agent of the Wag-
ner Sleeping-Car Company J. Co
vey, who had charge of a newsstand,
took hasty leave OF the building by
gong through the window and
smashing the glass, by which he cut
his hands severely.