Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-22
LIKE A HOUSE OF CARDS
A Rotten Building at Buffalo, n
N, CoIIapSes
AND A SCORE WERE BURIED
Three Persons Known to Have Been Killed.
A Girl Cashier Is in the
Number.

Buffalo, N. Y, May 21.--At 9:25 o'clock
this morning the Browne building, at the
corner of Main and Seneca streets. which
was undergoing extensive alterations
and repairs collapsed with an awful
crash, burying score of people in the
ruins. At this writing one man is dead,
and 1t Is believed that several other dead
bodies are under the mass of debris. The
old building was one of the city's land
marks For years the Western Union
Telegraph company had occupied room
on the corner as business office and all
of The third floor as an operating room.
The building was filled with offices, al
most all of which were occupied and on
the ground floor on both Main and Sene-
ca streets were stores occupied by mer-
chants. The Western Union left the build
ing few weeks ago. and the owners or
the block began the work of remodeling
and strengthening it. On The Seneca
street side the workmen were engaged in
putting In place new columns and beams
and new foundations for them.
About $3.50 o'clock the walls of the sec
ton of the building on Seneca street col
lapsed. There was no warning of falling
plaster or creaking timbers. The walls
fell with crash. taking down the roof
and ceiling with them.
At No. IL Seneca street was the barber
shop of George Seinert, employing half
score of men, one of whom is dead and
others severely injured. A girl cashier
is somewhere in the ruins.
Seinert says he first heard noise like
the roll of thunder, then the crash came.
He and his men made a, rush for the rear
door, which opened on an alley leading
toward Washington street. Just as those
in the lead reached the alley the rear
walls fell, burying them under mass of
bricks and timbers. George Metz, 2S
years of age, was taken out terribly
crushed, and died at the hospital. Nos.
and 10 Seneca street were occupied the
fronts being torn out in the process of
alteration. Here most of the workmen
were employed, the steam fitting being
done by J. H. Cassler, who had fully
dozen men at work, nearly all being
caught in the collapse, and some severely
injured.
Casters brother, youth of IS years,
was buried under the fallen timbers, but
escaped being crushed, and was taken
out practically uninjured.
At 1880 o'clock wreckers at work on
the debris uncovered the foot of one man
and then the arm of another. The faces
of both were completely hidden by great
piles of brick, mortar and timber that
lay heaped up on them. Some of this
was removed and one of the imprisoned
men cried: "For Gods sake, men, take
this terrible weight Off"
A few moments later another man was
brought to view and found to be still
alive Both were seriously injured. Their
names are Ed Murphy and William
| Schuad
At II o'clock other men could be heard
| grooming in the ruins and the rescuers
| were urged to increase their efforts and
| do their best. They responded with a
| will and the debris flew thick and fast.
At the same time the firemen who had
entered the second story of the building
discovered the presence of three men on
what remains Of the third floor of the
section that fell. The firemen called to
them and one of them answered, saying
he was pinioned under heavy timbers,
but was not badly hurt His name, he
said, was Joseph Boiler. He was unable
to tell who the other two men under the
heavy timbers are, but said he could
hear them grooming. One of them was
praying, he said. Efforts are now being
made to reach the men.
Up to noon nothing has been seen of
Jennie Cribben, the girl cashier In Sem
ert's barber shop, and there is little doubt
that she is dead in the ruins.
Later-Nine people were in the Seneca
street barber shop. OF these George
Metz, a barber, and Jennie Cribben the
cashier, were killed. An unknown man
was found dead in the ruins late tonight.
William p. Staub, a contractor, Is
known to be in the ruins, and dozen
others are more or less injured, one of
whom will probably die.