, 1888-07-10
A COLLAPSE.
The Rear End of the C0Whick Block
DemoraliZed.
A Portion of the Back Wall Falls
Out.
A Narrow Escape---The Cause of
the Wreck, Etc.

Intense excitement followed a loud
crash heard in the lear of the Corlett-
Cowhick block shortly after IL O'Clock
Yesterday forenoon, and when a moment
later parties came laundering down the
stairway and announced that the rear end
of the building had fallen. and that the
entire structure would soon follow, there
was a hurried rush in that direction by
nearly everybody on Sixteenth street.
Up stairs there was perhaps less ex-
element than there was on the street,
and those who belonged up there. includ-
ing w. w. Corlett, j. A. Riner, Judge
Lacey, L. j. Churchill and Mrs. Chur-
chill, staid at their respective posts for
the purpose of doing whatever seemed
necessary to do under the circumstances.
The portion of the building where the
collapse took place is an addition to the
main Cowhick building, but so linked
and attached to it that the fall has, to
some extent at least, had an effect on the
whole. An investigation from the rear
and west side of the shattered block,
showed that a large portion of the wall OF
the second story of the building fell out,
and at the same time the side wall all the
way back to what may be termed the
main building, broke away and was on
the point of falling when the true charac-
ter of the accident was discovered. At
the SAINT time that the south wall, or a
portion of it, fell down and outward, the
entire southwest corner of the block set
tied, SO that in passing into it from up
stairs it was like going down hill
The crash came without any previous
warning, except to n Individual who
will be mentioned further on. At the
time the wall fell Judge Lacey, Hon. w.
W. Corlett, L. j. Churchill and one or
two other parties were in the law Office
(of which there are several departments
of Corlett, Lacey & Riner, but Mrs. Il.
j. Churchill was the only person in that
portion Of the building wrecked by the
fall, though Mr.. Churchill rushed into it
as SOOH as ne ucdTu llle CTdSI-
Mrs. Churchill who proved to be one
of the bravest little women in the coun-
try escaped without injury, and was there
after one of the coolest of the individuals
around the block, and assisted in the res
cuing of the many valuable articles Of
household furniture, juwelry. silverware,
etc, in the rooms, for it was in the shat
tered portion of the building that Mr..
and Mrs. Churchill have rented since
their marriage some months ago. As
soon as the first surprise was over a mum
Der Of people rushed up stairs and assisted
at what seemed to be the peril of their
lives in getting out the furniture, ETC., be-
fore the final collapse. Among those
whom the LEADER reporter noticed hard
at work for this purpose were Judge
Lacey, j. A. Rner, E. J. Churchill,
Louis Kirk, Capt. Smith, Charlie Good
sell, Rev. D. l.. RAIDER and others whose
names the LEADER man did not know or
if he did failed to charge his memory with
them. AS before stated Mrs. Churchill
staid bravely at the front, and though ad-
vised to go to a place of safety, she would
not do so. OF course the danger was not
so imminent as was supposed at the time,
but this does not alter the fact that those
who worked with a will for half an hour
or more in the wrecked building we're
courageous.
While the crowd up stairs were thus
engaged, a force of men headed by H. Z,
Beuchner, succeeded by means of planks
and timbers carried up the stairway of the
Zehner & Beuchner block, in propping up
the tollering wall, so that one great dam
ger was averted. Had the entire wall fallen
with a crash it would no doubt have shat
tered a portion of the east wall of the
Zehner & Beuchner building and done
immense damage to the structure. .
There were some narrow escapes, but
hat of Mrs. Churchill and Philip Zehner,
Mrs. Churchill has already been described,
but Mr.. Zehner's has not been alluded to.
He was the individual to whom a warning
came of what was about to happen. Just
before the wall fell with a crash he was
out in the back yard of the Zehner &
Buechner block and came hurriedly in to
inquire who it was on top of the building
throwing down fragments of brick and
sand into the yard below. A moment
later the crash came and everyone learned
at once who it was throwing down the
brick and mortar. Had Mr.. Zehner re-
manned outside a moment longer he would
have been killed.