The herald., 1896-06-23
BURIED IN THE DEBRIS
OF a Collapsed Building in
San Francisco
FIRE Breaks OUT IN The RUINS
Before All the Bodies Have
Been Recovered
MANY PEOPLE ARE WOUNDED
Some So Seriously That Their Death Il
Almost Certain
Carelessness Is Assigned as the Cause Of
the Disaster
Workmen Preparing for the Erection Of .
Building on the Adjoining Lot Under.
mines the Foundations-Piti.
full Scenes
MANY PEOPLE ARE WOUNDED
Some So Seriously That Their Death Il
Almost Certain
CareIessness Is Assigned as the Cause Of
the Disaster
.ssociated Press Special Wire

SAN FRANCISCO June 22.-The three
story building at the corner of Fifth
street and Mint avenue collapsed at 4
o'clock this afternoon, burying a dozen
perhaps in the ruins. Two bodies have
been recovered and it is feared that
there are others in the debris. The
list of dead and injured is as follows:
Dead:
venson street.
John May, laborer.
Injured; Patrick McKeown, propri-
etor Brighton house, severe internal in
juries; may die.
Richard Bucking.
ii. Shepard.
Dennis Griffin.
Emiele Luenberger.
John Lyons.
Simeon Dean.
Miss Sarah A. Byrne, skull fractured.
right arm broken, right thigh fractured,
Mrs. Joseph Byrne.
Mrs. j. l.. Mailer.
Miss Bessie Wilson.
Miss Pearl Woodwork.
To add to the horror fire broke out in
the ruins shortly after the accident but
it was put out before reaching any of the
victims.
Carelessness of the grossest sort is re-
| sponsible for the collapse of the lodging
house and the loss of life it caused.
From the statements of several people it
is evident that a disaster had been ex-
pected. Warnings were given and I'M
needed Contractor p Gleason, who
/ H.
underpinning or street work on which
the building was raised, says he explain
ed to some of the other workmen sew
| eral days ago that If they continued
operations along the line on which they
We're working, there was bound to be q
| collapse.
The resources of the receiving hospital
were totally inadequate to care for the
wounded. Nine people were taken to
| that institution within three-quarters Of
| an hour, and while two were being
treated in the operating room, the re-
naming seven were huddled into the
| outer office, where they writhed and
groaned in agony until the doctors were
able to attend to them. Two women
gave up the only sofa in the room to a
man whose injuries were so painful that
| he could neither stand or sit.
| Mrs. Joseph Byrne and her sister-in-
law, Miss Sarah Byrne, were next taken
| in. Their clothing was almost torn from
their bodies and they were bleeding from
| gashes in their hands and crying with
| pain. They were boarders in thehouse.
Mrs. Byrne was in the second floor when
| the building fell but her sister-in-law
was in her room on the top floor and
went down with the flooring. She waa
the only person on the top floor at the
time and her body was found pinioned
by two heavy planks that lay across her
| chest
| "It was only the matter of a moment"
! said Miss Bryne, 81 was seated In my
room on the top floor and was waiting
for my sister-in-law to return. She had
gone for Mr.. McKeown, the proprietor.
was reading a letter. My mind wan
occupied with that letter and just as I
| had finished it heard the floor creak.
did not pay any attention to the noise,
but when it creaked again I became
afraid, and L was just going to the door
when heard slow, rumbling noise a.
! if on the floor beneath me.
Just as L opened the door I turned
around and saw the floor on the opposito
side of the room cave in. Then 1 fell
myself, going down and down. uttered
a cry and grabbed the door. In an In
| stant l knew what was happening. ]
| remembered that the building was being
| fixed. / thought of my sister-in-law and
called for her. Planks and boards were
| going down with me, and suCdSu,'
| struck beam and was hurled forward
! what happened then. / was struck on
the head by a board and was knocked
| insensible. When / regained conscious
| ness was capght under two big planks.
/ There / remained for fully half an
| hour. My pains were something ter
rible, but my thoughts of my sister ra-.
law were worse. l could see the fire
engines pumping water on the ruins.
but a great wall of boards kept the
water from touching me. Then the men
| came and one of them saw me. There's
woman he said, and as they carried
| me out l could see my sister-in-law
| carried out too. 1t is impossible to tell
how l felt when the building was fall
| ing. 1 expected to be killed, and the
| sight of the boards as they crashed down
upon me was something terrible
! H. Shepard, young man who resides
| in Southern California and was staying
| at the house. was asleep when the build
| ing fell. He was nthe first floor ami
was taken to the hospital to bQtreate0
for a broken leg.