Huntsville gazette., 1886-07-31
A TERRIBLE TUMBLE.

ua1ties.
ST. Louis, July 26.-The large force OF
clerk who reported for duty this morn
mons Hardware Company, corner of
Ninth and Washington avenue, were
pressed into service as wreckers, and put
to work in the ruins of the western end
OF the establishment, which collapsed
shortly after nine O'Clock last night.
Private Watchman t. r. Pullen made a
round of the stores and found everything
In good shape. He returned to the en-
trance of the offices of the wholesale de-
department ten minutes past nine O'Clock,
when he heard premonitory crack, fol
lowed by succession of crashes VIII ich
shook the adjacent building and startled
the neighbOrhOod as the entire inside OF
the great structure sunk down, letting
the twinkle of the stars above in upon the
conglomerate mass piled up in the cellar
below, and reaching to where the second
story floor had been.
From the doors and windows of the
first floor torrent of shovels, coal hods,
baby carriages, clothes baskets, sleighs,
ice saws and toys tumbled out across
the sidewalk and roadway of Washington
avenue, while cascade of fish baskets,
rods, bicycle fittings, household articles
of utility and ornament fell from the up
per easements and lost itself in the mass
Of debris below. With each successive
crash cloud of dust and lime rose, en-
velOping the building. An alarm of
fire was turned on from box
No. As, which brought the Fire
Department and Salvage Corps to the
scene with large additions to the crowd
of spectators already attracted by
the crash. No signs of fire were dis
covered, but it was soon found necessary
to cut off the supply of gas which flowed
into the wrecked building from the pipes
that had been snapped in The collapse.
The cut offs were discovered with diff
ficulty. This danger removed, nothing
remained for the fire department to do,
and the engines accordingly retired. BY
this time the dust had cleared away and
an investigation was made by the Salvage
Corps and the force of the Chemical en-
gine, aided by the calcium lights.
1t was found that the floors and roof,
the full width of the building and extend
ing back about sixty feet towards st.
Charles street, had fallen to the base
Thomas E. Tut, of the Third National
Bank, and was erected three years ago,
occupying the western half of the block
bounded by Ninth, Tenth. st. Charles
streets and Washington avenue. The
western portion of the building, a six
story red brick structure, is occupied by
the Hamilton-BroWn Shoe Company.
Although under the same roof the eastern
portion Of the building is completely cut
off from the portion occupied by
Hamilton, Brown & Co., by fire wall,
and is annexed to the retail department
of the Simmons Hardware Store.
The full extent of the damage was not
known until this morning. All the stock
of the front portion of the store was
heaped in an inextricable pile, while the
rear portion of the building was un-
disturbed The wrecked portion looked
like shaft into which the debris had
been thrown. The girders and josts
were taken completely from their rests in
the walls. Between the first floor and
the top of the walls in the front portion
of the building not trace of support
is attached to any of the three walls. At
the fourth floor the front wall bulged out
fully foot. The bricks of the central
column were displaced fully an inch and
a half One-half the arch of the east
front window of this floor was also
pushed out Of line. A crack on the west
side of the column gave the two upper
stories of the front wall an appearance
of insecurity.
Deputy Commissioner of Buildings
Barron inspected the building this morn
ing and at once served written notice of
condemnation on the wrecked portion,
directing the owner to take down or Sc
cure the front wall. The fire wall on the
west side, and the main wall on the east
side are apparently secure though possi-
bly they have been somewhat weakened
by the bricks having been torn out by the
joists.
At the offices of the Simmons Hard
ware Company no estimate could be
formed of the extent of the loss on stock.
Mr.. Kimball said that this would not be
known until the debris was cleared away
Much Of the stock would not be seriously
damaged At the worst the loss would
not exceed $40, 900, and in all probability
it would not reach that sum. On the
building the loss is estimated at 200.
No accident policies were held on either
building or stock The cause of the ac
cident is not known yet, but 1T is most
probable that it resulted from some de-
feet in the central pillars OF the base
ment. These were of wood, capped with
iron.
close examination made to-day shows
that both walls are somewhat lower than
the central uprights causing trlnlng
arch in the lintels of each story Inc
position of the floors showed that tney
sagged towards the center, which con-
firms the theory that the central sup
ports first gave way. The building was
not stocked as heavily as usual ana was
supposed to be thoroughly safe. Further
examinations will be made Wnen the
debris is cleared away.
This morning Washington avenue was
crowded with people watching the work
of dismantling the rear portion Oh the
building and the clearing away OF the
wreck With the crash last nlght large
stock of hunters supplies was precipitao-
ed from the sixth floor. In this "as.
large covey OF decoy ducks, one OF "hic1
found Judgement in Its uoWhmalu
flight on the sill of a window I'D the .iilu
story. Flom its perch at TINS aizzy
height the decoy duck, begrimed, out se-
cure, swayed serenely on the WlndoW-siil,
nvarinoEipcx n, - cr,,rd and The scenes OIL