Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-21
BURIED UNDER RUINS
Sudden Collapse Of a Building at
Buffalo, N. Y.
ADJOINING STRUCTURE CRUSHED In
Wonderful Escape of a Steam
Filter.
WORKOFRESCUE IN PROGRESS S

BUFFALO, N Y, May 21-The four
story brick building. to 10 Seneca street,
part of 1t forming a portion of the Brown
building, recently vacated by the West
ern Union Telegraph Company, collapsed
today, while a large number CT men were
at work i'll the building, remodel!ng it.
The falling walls went down upon a cou-
pie of smaller brick buildings adjoining
on the east side and practically demol-
ished them. Schnert's barber shop. next
door to the falling building, wds crushed
as If it had been an egg she'll II was
full of BARRIERS aud customers at the time
Quickly responding TO an alarm a force
of iircmen went to work TO clear away
the ruins. Their Zeal was quickened by
hearing the agonized cry of men beneath
the debris. The walls on the west, north
and south sides stood nearly intact. The
front wall having fallen out gave the ruins
the appearance of a hollow square. From
the ;hird story of the wrecked portion of
the building an immense piece CT ceilin &
and floor seemed to hang above the heads
OF the reScutnS party. The wall to the
south had broken at the top and a portion
of il had been carried by the roof it
cave1 in This wall from the second story
up to what had been the third stood ur-
supported, and was regarded the chief
daf ger to the rescuers and those still be-
meath the ruins.
After twenty minutes Of hard work the
firemen reached and extricated one of the
victims, mangled and bleeding, but still
alive. He was taken away in an ambu-
lance.
A little later, directed by groans pro-
ceeding from mass of beams, lath, brick
and plaster, the firemen reached a second
sufferer He was young man. Though
he mad been under ten feet of debris, he
was able to stand when once he was eX-
tricated. He is not dangerously hurt. He
Is Robert easier, steam filter, who was
in the cellar and heard the first cracking
warnings of the impending ruin. He looked
up and saw the rafters and joists give way.
He sprang quickly into the part of the
cellar that is under the sidewalk. A mo-
ment later the whole structure was about
his ears. He was tightly penned in, al
though he could breathe easily. He said
there were two steamfitters and two help
ers in the cellar, and he did not see them
as the building fell He thinks they may
have escaped injury, as they were in an
other part of the cellar.
Up to noon only one of the dead had teen
recovered. though it is believed that there
are ten or twelve.
George Metz, the man who was first dis
covered by the firemen, died on his way to
the hospital
Following Is a list of the injured as far
as is now known:
D. L. Hawks, a carpenter. address I'M
known, married. severely bruised and cut
about the body; not seriously injured.
James Adams, ~ Chandler street, a car
penter, severely bruised, cut and injured
internally; has a wife and one child.
MlchaeI OBrien, carpenter. living at
80 James street; his back is broken; is a
married man and has four children.
Missing-Miss Jennie Griffin, cashier in
Jones barber shop; is uuried beneath the
ruins. j. Schtntzek, one OF the BARRIERS,
VINO escaped uninjured, said that as he
was rushing out of the shop he saw the
walls and debris fall upon her Nothing
mas been heard Of her, and the firemcn are
working hard at the ruins to learn the
truth of the rumor.
Peter Straub, contractor; VIM. Kuppinger
internally injured: - Fulnyer. WORK
man, internally injured.
StrauD, Fulmyer and KUppinger were
workmen, and were pinioned down nv
beams and bricks. The extent of their in
juries is not known
All of Schnertzs employees now. exceot
the woman cashier, have been accounted
for.
Seventy-fve men are working at the pile
or debris this afternoon.
Another body, that of a man, was re-
covered after several hours labor by tho
hremen- His name is not known
An iron column has been found in the
DEBRIS which Is SO full of sand holes that
II can be crushed with little effort. The
district attorney has taken some of il
1or use before the grand jury
AT the hospitals the surgeons ssy thar all
the injured whose names are given above
will recover.