The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-19
Schultz BLOCK Rims FALL INTO
SEVENTH STREET WITH
= A CRASH.
STREETS ARE BARRIcADED
WHILE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
BRACES up THE FRAMEWORK
ABOUT THE RUIN.
CLOSE CALL OF A CABLE CAR
Gale blows a Railing From the Pho
neer Press Building Onto q
Grip Car.

The fierce wind storm which ragged
over st. Paul throughout yesterday
played havoc generally with portable
objects Of all kinds and RACED brick
walls, tore down fences and bill boards,
sent loose shingles flying from blocks,
filled the air with dust and rendered
pedestrianiSm a laborieus as well as a
dangerous feat. The earlier morning
hours were not so bad, but as the day
| advanced the wind increased in force
and drove alp but those compelled to
be out from the streets. The gale blew
directly from the northwest with all CT
the yigor Of a blizzard, and was suff1-
ciently cold and raw to rebuke those
who had left home with the idea Of
promenading under the ideal Easter
sun with overcoats or wraps.
In fact it was, for this season of the
year, almost a cold wave, and, aug
mented by the high winds, a combi-
nation whose disagreeable possibilities
could hardly be excelled.
The most disastrous occurrence due
to the high winds, and one which might
have resulted in loss of life, was the
Schultz block, at Seventh and Jackson
! streets, at 2 O'Clock. The danger yester-
day lay only in the event of people
passing on the streets being injured, but
had the walls fallen on a week day.
while the force Of workmen engaged
in rebuilding @the block were at their
places, loss ofslifei must almost necessar-
! lily have resulted. Fortunately when
the wall fell greater portion went
| down inside the building, a fact which
saved many pedestrians and the oc-
cupants of an East Seventh street car
| and trailer which were at the moment
Immediately in front of the shaken pile
! A few scattering bricks which fell to
| the street struck the car and badly
| frightened the passengers, but resulted
! in injury to no one.
The portion of the wall which fell
was on the Seventh street side, running
nearly the entire length Of the building
consisting of section twenty-five feet
in width. Little apprehension had been
| entertained for the safety of the wall
until a few moments before it went
down, and before any precautiOn could
be taken a mass of debris weighing
all of fifty tons fell to the ground
floor had already been put in place by
an avalanche. The jOiSts on three
/ floor had already been put in place by
| the Workmen and these were shattered
| like pipe stems, people scurried in all
! directions and the motornlan of the
! street ear, hearing the bricks rafting
| on the coaches, turned on the current
full force. not stopping his train until
in the middle Of the next block.
OH e lA fa1 I1N1rr ~ =
cracking timbers at once attracted a
| great crowd, which persisted in spite
of the efforts of several policemen, who
! had reached the scene, in surging dam
gerously near the lettering scaffold
outside of the wall. The police depart
ment was at once notified of the fall
ing Of the wall and the danger of trav-
ell, when the patrol wagon, with Chief
! Schweitzer and Detectives Daily, Muir
name and Gruber, hurried to the vicin-
| ity. Ropes were stretched across Sew
| enth street and also Jackson street,
| stopping travel from each approach to
| the building, and a special detail CT
! patrolmen summoned, which kept peo-
| pie back Of the danger line. Street car
| traffic was also stopped and both the
| Jackson and Seventh street cars forced
| to terminate their trips at the ropes.
| Late in the afternoon, Hook and Lad
| der Company No. g. from central fire
| headquarters, strengthened the outside
| scaffolding, and the street was again
| opened to pedestrians.
| Shortly before the Schultz block &C
| cident heavy railing blew off the top
| Of the Pioneer Press building, on the
| Fourth street side, and badly frightened
| those in the vicinity. A cable car was
passing at theEtinhe and one of the iron
| supports of the railing slightly dam
| aged the roof of the grip, while other
! flying objects 1bFbke out a number of
windows in the coach. Few passengers
were on the car and no one was iniur-
| ed The fire department was also call
! ed upon to clear away the debris on
| top Of the building in this instance, and
| several men with ropes tied about
| about their Waists, to keep them from
| being blown away removed a part of
| the railing left overhanging the edge
| of the building.
| A portion of the Market house sheds
was partly denuded of its shingles by
| the wind, which also blew down a large
| sheet iron chimney on the RockaWay
| restaurant on East Seventh street. A
| large bill board at the corner of South
| Robert and Delos streets was also
| blown down while many swinging
| signs and awnings were torn from
! their fastenings. No cases Of personal
| injury as a result of the wind storm
were reported to the police during the
| day.