The times., 1897-06-06

CierkS-E1fe Alarm Turned In.
| Two persons were injured, while a score
/ of others had narrow escapes from death
or injury beneath the heavy timbers Of the
| temporary shed erected across the side
| walk in front of the Boston Variety Store
after 2 O'Clock yesterday afternoon. as
| told in The Evening Times.
| The fallen shed covered the pavement
| like roof, from the front wall OF the old
| building, No. 705 Market Space. which is
/ being tern down, to the curbstone. IL was
| placed there to prevent pedestrians from
| being struck by falling debris during the
| demolition of the structure, which is to
| be replaced by handsome modern edifice.
| Market Space at that hour in the after
noon, especially on Saturdays, is crowded
with shoppers and others, and yesterday
was no exception to the rule. Eye wit
nesses estimate that there We're at least
| twenty men, women and children directly
under the shed when it crashed to ths
street below. Ii was constructed Of heavy
| loists and timbeIs, besides being ladel
with mass of flooring girders and other
material, which were being taken by the
workmen from the torn down building.
The only warning those beneath had that
the shed was coming down was a sharp
crack, like tie report of a musket, FOL
lowed by a crunching sound, as the tImbers
Were torn from their fastenings. The next
instant the mass OF lumber fell with
crash which could be heard several blocks,
While clouds OF dust arose from the wreck
ed structure.
Look out!' shouted an old man, who
stood near the wall OF the partly razed
structure. Look out. the building is
tunbling iown!'
The warning cry was heard by the
people under the shed and many OF them
scainpered to places of safety. one old
lady was petrified with fear and stood
Ike a statue, her face as pale as marble.
She had tightly clasped her hands to-
gether and collapsed just as a brawny
workman seized her and carried her into
a nearby store, where she tainted. a mid
dle-aged white manaiso suffered paralysis
of fright when the crash came, and had 10
he led from the debris, which fell within
two feet of him,
The dust which arose from the wreck
resenblcd smoke, and caused nervous
young inan TO shout Finer The cry was
taken up, and someone pulled in a fire
alarm from the keyIess box at the corner
OF Seventh street and Louisiana ayen;ie
In the meantime a great crowd had as
sernbled about the place, and IL was the
general impression that a number OF peo-
pie Were buried beneath the pile of fallen
timbers
There are bodies under therer' went
up the cry, and willing hands commenced
to clear away the mass OF spiintered beams
and timbers
AT this juncture changing gongs told Of
the arrival of the fire engines and police
reserves from the First and Sixth IRE
eincts. The great crowd which had as
sembled froIr all points as if by magic. was
forced hack, and the police and fire
men got TO work and extricated james
Hamilton, of No S13 G street northwest.
from beneath the pile. He was carried
INTO Saks & Co. s store and laid out upon
the floor in seni-Consciogs condition
until the arrival of the ambulance, which
conveyed him to the Emergency Hospital
Mrs Hand. who resides at No. 92i +
street northeast, W as also foundin faint
ing condition. She had been struck on the
legs by a failing timber and painfully In
jured. After treatment in Saks s Co. &
store, she was sent to her home.
When the crash came Hamilton was
standing at the curbStone, and was caught
fairly under the mass of lumber He was
severely injured, and owes his escape from
instant death to the fact that the descend
ing timbers tumbied him into the gutter
and several joistS formed a protecting
tent-like barrier above him. His right beg
was broken between the ankle and knee
and he received in addition Il cash over
his right temple and bruises about the body.
Last night he was reported 10 be resting
easily at the hospital
Mr.. Hamilton is an unemployed workman
and had been standing about the building
for several hours, seeking employment on
the structure, which was being demolished.
He has a family to support, and the acci-
dent yesterday will confinc him to his
bed for some time and leave them in a bad
plight.
Fortunately, there were no vehicles stand
ing in front of the shed when it collapsed
or there would have been other casualties
added TO the list When the tirnbers broke
loose from the walls of the building the
shed did not fall directly upon the side
walk, but Slid toward the roadway, the |
heavy timbeTs covering about one-half of
the pavement and third of the carriage
way. The accident was caused by the |
workmen piling great mass of ioists and
flooring on the she'd near the gutter,
preparatory TO lowering it to the street
This material was torn from the second !
story of the building being razel, and as
it was piled on the outer edge of the shed |
that structure was overbalanced and came |
down like dead fall or death trap
IS the clouds of dust following the |
crash were blown into the Boston Variety
Store, adjoining the partly torn down
edifiee, there was a panic among the
clerks, who believed the entire building
was tuntling down upon them. Several
of the girls collapsed when they heard
the shouts outside and saw the rapidly
gathering crowd,
After the firemen had removed the piles
OF lumber and found that there were no
dead and mangled bodies under the mass,
a sigh of relief went up from the assem-
blage about the building.
Policeman Heller, who is stationed at
the intersection OF Pennsylvania avenue
and Seventh street, heard the crash and
ran to tie scene of the accident. He then
went to the patrol box and summoned the
ambulance The police report several hair