The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-18
A GREAT LOSS OF LIFE
WAS NARROWLY AvERTED
The York Block Collapsed, Carrying Down Into the Ruins
Thirty-Five People-Not One Was Killed Miracu-
lous Escape From the Mass of Wreckage.

a H0EiNAOh ~ III ~ an oPB0A tANt ~
run. Each successive crash was louder
thar the one before. nj people in ad-
jacent buildings. not knowing what was
the matter, left their work and ran into
he street, not knowing but an earth
quake was the cause Of all the commo-
ton. The report OF The falling building
was heard throughout the business GEN.
ter and thousands OF people ran rx-
citedly to the scene. Soon several thou
sand had c~ongregated and the excite
ment grew to a terrible pitch of inten-
sity when people were seen scrambling
from the ruins and the means and
shrieks of the imprisoned reached the
ears OF the crowd.
One man whose Identity the crowd
could not make out. but who IL was
subsequently, learned was Officer Shea,
was seen to crawl up out of a window
of the third story on the west side as
that side careened and went down and.
jumping the areaway between the
building and the Maule block, caught
the sill of a window and crawled in. IT
was a marvelously narrow escape and a
great 'oh" went up from the crowd
when he was seen to leap into the air.
An audible sigh of relief followed wnen
he landed safely.
Meantime there were other matters Of
concern to engage the attention of the
tONt II was = te AoAA ~
were imprisoned in the ruins and the
work of rescue was proceeded 10 as
quickly as It was possible for anyone
TO get into the wreck.
The Quartz street hose wagon OF the
fire department was out to exercise the
team and CHANGED to be close by when
the building fell. The men were quick
to take in the situation. The team was
quickly hitched, and Foreman Mike
O'Brien ran into Blacks candy store
and ~telephoned Chief Flannery, while
his companions ran to the building.
Chief Flannery and Assistant Chief
Sanger were soon on the ground.
with the rest of their men they
took charge of the work of rescuing the
imprisoned. A telephone had also been
sent to police headquarters and Chief
MulholIand and Captain Dawson were
not long reaching the building with a
force to handle the crowd. Telephones
to the hospitals brought the ambu-
lances, and undertakers hearing of the
disaster. sent their dead wagons, sup
posing, like every one else, that the INST
of casualties had been great.
The building had so fallen that the
posts rested against the buildings on
either side at one end. while the other
was pitched downward to the center.
This left ia possible TO get through
along the walls on each side OF the
center. and Chief Flannery led his men
in at the front. while Assistant Chief
Sanger started in from the rear. Chief
Iannery and his men ound Mrs. An
ME II. McCaughey in the basement and
carried her out. The ambulance took
her to the Sisters hospital. Next they
discovered James A. Myer, a carpen-
ter. underneath the debris in the base
ment. neal the 'front.' Of the building.
The timbers were raised and he was
dragged out and sent TO his home at
eO7 Dakota street. Several others VINO
had been somewhat injured were found
making their way out and assisted 70
the street. Assistant Chief Sanger n
his crew at the rear We're much
needed.
Means coming from the second floor
told them a woman was imprisoned
there To get 10 her one Of the parti-
tions of the building and a ceiling a
to be gone through. A hole was
chopped through each and sanger
crawled in and found Mrs. j. J. Hell
land imprisoned beneath the bed in her
room. He pulled her out and taking
her on his back. crawled out again
through the holes in the ceiling n
nartition. Mrs. Holland called pitifully
FOR water while her rescuers were at
work trying to reach her and water
was passed in through a chink in the
debris neal her. She was sent to Muir
raw e. Freund's hospital where II was
found she was not badly hurt. OF all
those who went down in the crash,
these four were the only ones who were
so caught that they could not have
gotten out themselves eventually al
though several others were given as
s~istance.
The fremen were not alone in the
work Of rescue as many others lent a
hand, but the experience Of the fire.
men enabled them 10 work TO the best
purpose.
The workmen who were in the build
ing We're Carpenters NJ. II. Shadiner,
VIII Barker. Sam Cockell. John Zell-
ner. James A. Myers, James Cullen,
John Miller, John McElveny, Andrew
Johnson, Pete Munlock. James Crowley.
Charles Foote, Laborer Frank Wager.
Those in the lodging house were: Mrs.
Birch. the l~andlady. and her sister, Ella
Sullivan; Dave Rankin, room 20: Frank
Burk. room 81: two unknown parties,
in room %; ]. w. Wilson n wife IN
-; Molly Kuhn In %; Pete Legree in
q. officer Eugene Shea IN Is Mrs.
]. J. Holland in %: John Steele in %
Joe Lambert in 30; Mr.. and Mrs. Gle
ments in 81. Howard Rockefeller.
James A. Canty, S. @. Garfield and Col.
=. b. Dolman were the four in the
building. All have been accounted for.
When the hrst crash came David Moi
fat, a clerk II Paxson & Rockefeller's
drug store which formerly occupied one
OF the old stores or the wrecked build
ing and which moved directly across
Park street when the remodelIing com
menced, was waiting on a customer IN
the front part Of the store. He was
startled by the unearthly crash and
looked out. He saw the building falling.
and 10 his horror saw two little girls.
one abOu IL years old and the other
4 or ). standing in front Of the building.
They were passing and a pile Of debris
coming down with the first crash threw
the little one down and partly covered
her up. Mr.. Moffat saw the larger girl
stoop down and try TO pick the sister up.
Quick as thought he dashed across the
street. followed by Lorin Paxson, who
ran out when he heard the noise, and
saw the danger the children were in
about the same time as Mr.. M8ffat. By
h time they reached the children the
second crash anne but they succeeded
in reaching the little girls and carried