The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-18

| sltIIdllOH, dS II was btlirNtu III d
time a terrible calamity had happened.
There were IS people in the building
and ii fell to the earth. a mass of
wreckage. yet as by a miracle. no one
was killed and not a person seriously
injured.
The accident came at the busiest time
of the day and thousands of people
flocked to the scene, congesting Park
street in the vicinity of the building
till traffic was impossible. Undertake
ers' wagons and hospital ambuiances
drove hurriedly to the spot, and for a
couple OF hours, till II was known def
initely everyone who had been in the
place had escaped or been rescued. the
excitement was intense. for no one who
gazed upon the ruins could believe any
/ stroke of providence could have been
so merciful that none should have been
killed. The excitement was so intense
that the widest stories found currency
throughout the city. 1t was said so
people had been buried and all had
doubtless been killed.
other reports had the number of fa-
talities anywhere from 20 to 80, but
| none less than 90, and the exaggerated
accounts created an intense awe among
the populace, which was immensely re-
lieved when the truth, which seemed
too miraculous, too good to be true,
was finally learned
The building, as stated. was a three
story brick structure. 40 feet wide. The
ground floor had formerly been occu-
pied as two stores and the upper floors
as a lodging house. Some time ago the
building was purchased by j. r. OPP
penheimer and the ground floor was
being remodelled and converted into
one large store room for the occupancy
Of the Symons Dry Goods company.
while the upper floors remained the
same as before. The center wall had
been taken out and a girder supported
by iron columns put in, which run the
length of the building. The accident
occurred by something in connection
with this girder or it's supports giving
way, causing the building TO collapse
AMI fall into the center. II came down
so fiat that the whole three stories
after the fall did not reach a height
of more than one story.
At the time the building fell 16 per-
sons were in the lodging house, five of
whom were in bed asleep; 13 more were
at work in the building in the various
floors and at least our others were
in the building for various reasons.
There were. besides. two little girls on
the walk in front, making a total of
at least 35 who are known to have
been within range of the falling struc-
ture. How they all escaped death no
one will ever be able to understand.
no more why 10 one was not MANNED
for life.
OF the 50 persons but two are in the
hospitals and one other in bed from
the result of injuries sustained. A
broken collar bone for one and a badly
bruised body for another are the only
cases in which the injuries can be
said to be serious, and the condition of
these is not critical.
The people in the building escaped in
all manners imaginable and many owe
their lives to the naTrowest margins of
good fortune. Some got out by run
ming for their lives, some by climbing
down fire escapes, some by jumping to
the roofs of adjoining buildings and
some escaped into the windows Of the
Maule block adjoining On the west.
Those who were imprisoned and were
unable to crawl out Of their perilOus
positions. were rescued by willing
hands and brave hearts who risked
their lives by going into the
| wrecked building n dragging the I'M.
ortunates to safety. Among these,
the members of the fire department.
who hurried to the spot, shone conspic-
uously and many brave deeds were re-
corded to their credit. Mayor a
rington was early on the ground and
in the absence of anyone in authority
put a big force of men at work clear
ing away the wreckage and searching
for any possible victims and the work
men did great execution. BY noon il
a been conclusively proven that no
one remained in the building and 1t
was seen that the sum total of the
result of the disaster was a dozen per-
sons more or less injured. most of
them very slightly, and a loss Of per-
haps 10000 to the owners of the build
ing, and a loss of from 2 1000 10 So, 900
TO the proprietors of the lodging house.
AS stated, the building was being re-
constructed. the ground floor, basement
and endorsement for the Symons Dry
Goods ompany 1t was TO be a NAM
moth store room, 40 feet wide by 210
feet deep. The old building ran back
TO the alley. which was arched over, and
the main store room continued on back.
This part had been built new up 10 the
floor of the second story of the build
ing. In rebuilding the Park street floor
OF the old building TO make one room of
II, a girder IL by IA, placed on 6-inch
iron pillars, Is feet apart, took the place
OF the old center wall. On either side
Of the girder a . by 6 had been nailed,
called a ledge. on which the joist run
ming crosswise Of the building rested. At
the front steel i beams ran across from
wall 10 wall, on which the brick wall
at the front rested. This work had all
been completed and the wOrkmen We're
engaged in knocking gu the temporary
supports put in to hold up the building
while the construction of the permanent
supports was in progress, when the
crash came. Andrew Johnson and
James Crowley, carpenters, and Frank
Wager. a laborer, were the men thus
employed. They commenced in front,
working one each side and the other in
the middle. As Crowley knocked out
the temporary support which had
served till the center column was erect
ed there was a great crash. and looking
up he saw the building settling in the
center. With a cry OF alarm he ran for
his life. wager sprang away also and
both succeeded in reaching the street,
but Johnson was less fortunate and
was buried in the debris. BY great good
fortune the falling timbers left him a
hole just large enough for his body. and
he crawlsd out almost without a
scratch.