The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-22
A BIG BUILDING cOLLAPsEs.
Several Lives Lost by Crash That
Came without Warning.

Buffalo, n. Y. May 21.-At $50 o'clock
this morning Browns building al the cor
ner of Main and Seneca streets. which
was undergoing extensive alterations and
repairs, collapsed with an awful crash.
bury!ng a score OF people in the ruins.
The building was one Of the city's land
marks. For years the Western Union
Telegraph Company had occupied the
room on the corner as a business Office
and all Of the third floor as an operating
room. The building was filled with Of
fees, almost all of which were occupied,
and on the ground floor on both Main and
Seneca streets, We're stores occupied by
merchants. The Western Union Compa-
ny left the building a few weeks ago. and
tho owners of the block began the work
of remodeling and strengthening it on the
Seneca street side. Workmen were en-
gagged in putting In place new columns and
( beams. and new foundations for them.
when at $3.50 o'clock the walls or a. section
of the building on Seneca street collapsed.
There was no warning of falling plaster
or creaking tmbers, but the walls fell
with a crash, taking down the roof and
ceiling with them.
At No. u Seneca street was the barber
shop Of George Seinert, employing half
a score of men, one of whom is dead, and
others severely Injured.
The girl cashier is somewhere in the
ruins.
Mr.. 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 opens on an alley
leading toward Washington street. Just
as those in the lead reached the alley, the
rear walls tell, burying them under "a
mass of bricks and timbers. George Metz,
- wears taken terrible
crushed. and died at the hospital.
Nos. and 10 Senaca street were unoc-
cupied the fronts being torn out IN the
process OF alteration. Here most OF the
workmen were employed, the steam fit-
ting being done by J. II. Cassler, who had
fully dozen men at work, nearly all Of
whom were caught in the collapse and
some severely injured. Casters brother
a youth Of Is years. was buried under
fallen timbers, but escaped being crush
ed, ana was taken out practically unin-
jured. At 10:30 O'Clock the wreCkers at
work on the debris uncovered the foot
of one man, and then the arm of an
other. The faces Of both We're complete
~ hidden by great piles of brick, mortar
and timber that lay heaped upon them
Some of this was removed and one of
the imprisoned men cried: For God s
sake, men, take this terrible weight off
me-" A few moments later the other man
was brought TO view and was found to
be still alive. Both are seriously injured
Their names are Edward Murphy and
William Schnade.
At II o'clock other men could be heard
groaning in the ruins and the rescuers
were urged to increased efforts to do their
best. They responded with will and de-
bris 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 remained OF the third floor of the
section that fell. The firemen called to
them and one OF them answered, saying
he was pioned 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 We're, but said he could hear them
groaning. one Of them was praying he
said.
Buffalo, N Y, May H II p. m.-Nine
people We're in the barber shop. OF these
George Metz, a barber, and Jennie Grif-
fifth the cashier, were killed.
An unknown man was found dead in
the ruins late tonight.
William Z. Straub, a contractor, is
known to be in the ruins, and a dozen
others are more or less injured, one of
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