Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-11-02
A BIG building Falls.
Sudden Collapse Of a Six Story
Structure in the Heart of
Chicago.
Six Smaller Buildings Are Crushed
Into Ruins by the Falling
Walls.
Three Persons Known to Have Been
Killed Others Missing Loss
Is Heavy.

Chicago. Nov. 2.-The big six-story
brick building at 1879 and 141 West Lake
street split in halves yesterday after
noon and crashed down upon six frame
structures to the east and west of it.
Big buildings and little buildings alike
We're broken into splinters. Fire came
to add terror to the scene, and in a
few minutes almost half block that
an hour before had been busy with
buying and selling and manufacturing
looked as if a cyclone had swept over
lit.
/ What caused the accident no one can
! prove. The big brick structure, which
was owned by C. 7. Boal. of 7S2 Mich
igan boulevard and occupied by the s.
| f. Leonard Seed Company, was thought
/ by some to have broken under the
weight of the seeds stored in it or
/ through faults in its construction. 1t
1 was rumored that it had been con-
1 demned by the city a short time ago.
/ althongh it is only TWO years since it
was built. Its fall proved il TO have
4 been but a shell OF a building.
Others thought that it was wrecked
4 by an explosion which is said to have
taken place a few minutes before in the
mill or feed store of the New England
4 Milling Company, two doors 10 the
west. Circumstantial accounts of the
explosion or of a series of explosions
fare given by witnesses of the catastro-
phe. but other Witnesses are just as
positive in their denials that any eX-
Il plosions occurred.
All of the buildings We're occupied al
the time of the collapse which hap
pened shortly before 5 o'clock in the
/ afternoon, and there We're many thrill
I ing incidents in the rush for safety
That dozens of people We're not killed
was the wonder. AS it was three men
lwere buried in the ruins and three per
Esons We're reported missing last evening
\ by the police.
The first indication that the occu-
pants OF the brick building had that
Ethey We're in danger was a rumbling
noise and slight shaking of one of the
A wallis. Mr.. Leonard was sitting at his
l.desk on the first floor attending to his
correspondence He jumped to his feet
land gave an alarm. Already the forty
h 81 lily men ailu M9iilsii eili9ioseu
z StooNe hao peeii IIlsiitel.eu ana Wele
SEEING TO escape my rushed ~ az
sitiselioils' a,iu iilos y siieiii isAt tise
& pullalhs at lle rear.
IN me ieea store N front o. me prlck
mill OF the New England Mining COM
!, pahS' Where several ilNss We're iost' the
: warning tnat came Was, accoraing g
I ltsl'ol's' seis s,tli.,a. ~ nature rut y
ehe.I low frame oulidlns lt did not sesh
2 ssflous ana was NOT heeaed-
MI Hanson Win ms ook1keeper ~
: linton, ana othef empioyes We're a
work on the upper hoof. a stranger
A. e. IaNior, WAS with mem 70 maks
some purchase, and he ran out the back
may. me Others dld not heed MS cal
tnd renamed 70 their destruction
Iile seed eornpanyss building Is be.
tween Union and Desplaines streets 10
the east of ii We're TWO low frame build
irigs one occupied by kelso Brothers
dealers IN paper stock, and the other b!
o.. O. Meyers, who had pickle factory
10 the west was first a two-story franz
binding. with a blacksmith and car
riage repair shop. owned by Nichola
;, I2eck, on the first floor, and a. tin sfol
e run by j. z. Iemmer on the secont
q floor. Next came the -four and fee,
q store Of the New England Milling Com