The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-07
Bement-Darling Co.'s Fine Seven
story Structure Is Badly
Wrecked.
Several Carloads Of Sugar Stored on
Sixth Floor Fall Through
to Basement.
Massive Walls Bulge and Mill Con-
struction Is Knocked Askew-
No One Injured.

Nearly a hundred tons OF salt and sugar
crashed through six floors Of the magnif-
cent new Demonstrating implement and
vehicle warehouse, Third street between
Sixth and Seventh avenues S, this morn
ing about 10 o'clock. Large sections Of
the floors below the sixth were carried
away by the shock and their contents and
the debris constantly added to the avail
anche descending to the basement where
the heating plant was demolished. The
collapse was so sudden that the force Of
the compressed air on the ground floor
simply burst the large double doors Of the
main entrance from their casing and shat
tered the heavy plate glass In them into
tiny fragments, carrying some Of the
pieces into the middle Of the street.
The shock left the entire inner con-
struction Of the building Keeling and stag
gering and the massive walls bullying.
The immense timbers Of the mill con-
struction were started everywhere in the
building. They were sprung from their
places in the west wall an inch and half
or two inches owing to the bullying Of the
wall. On the heads Of the pillars they
were drawn apart like distance, and It
looked though the complete collapse
of the building might come at any mo-
ment. ..-. Fl
The occupants of the building we're
terrified, and fed with all speed. When
heads were counted after the first panic
it was found that all were safe. Though
there were fifteen persons in the build
ing at the time and the space broken
through by the avalanche of sugar was
22x70 feet, miraculously no one received
more than few bruises. One OF tho
young ladies in the rear part Of the Of
flee, however, was knocked down.
A PanIcky Time.
The terror following the shock caused
by the collapse, and the quaking Of the
ground due to it, spread to the surround
ing buildings, especially to the building
of the ]. I. Case Implement company,
which the DEMONSTRATING building ad-
Joins. The J. I. Case employees fed, and
soon afterward, when a 30 r n man
entered. no one was there to guard the
premises. All had thought, discretion de-
manded that the building be vacated at
least until the city building inspector
could determine the extent of the dam
age and the risk in longer occupying the
building -. - ,.,....g-.. > - 49,
| Captain Osborne Of the fire depart
ment's engine company Mol less than
a block away, fastened to the scene, and
finding that no one had been killed or
injured, proceeded to investigate the ex-
tent Of the damages, first having taken
the precaution to post pickets to warn
those passing on the street of danger IN
too near approach.
! The Demonstrating company was just
moving into the building, which had only
| recently been completed. There was no
reason to think that the building was
| weak as it Is built the same massive
plan as that of the J. 1. Case Implement
company adjoining, Of which 1t is
| duplicate except for size. AS all OF the
space in the building was not to be taken
for implements Immediately, the sixth
floor was used for storing sugar hve
carloads of which are said to have been
placed in the building. Only yesterday
one of the architects was called in to
BASS upon the safety Of storing the sugar
as planned, and had given his consent.
AS a. result, not the least timidity WaS
felt and the collapse came without warm
ing.
The building was but recently COM
Melted and is owned by A. w. Wright OF
| Alma. Mich w. H. Eustis Is the local
manager The Bement Darling company
took possession Of the building about two
weeks ago.
Tho Loss-Causes.
AS the building stands since the acci-
| dent it is almost impossible to estimate
the loss. Tons of sugar and salt nun
dreds of pieces of farm machinery, pug
eies. wagons and other implements, lie In
. heap in the basement, while six floors
have been torn out, and the walls OF the
building badly damaged by the shock. 1t
is thought, however, that the loss to the
} building will not exceed $40. 900, while the
Bement- Darling company will surfer loss
of from $40, 900 to $4,000 on stock. Fur
ther Investigation may materially change
these estimates.
The catastrophe was caused by the CIV
: ing away of the iron saddles that holy the
beams of the sixth floor against the walls
| of the J. I. Case building. Inc anchor Oh
one Of these saddles broke and the shock
caused several others to break. The
. sugar, which was piled on that floor. was
l precipitated to the floor below. which
. in turn gave away and the goods did not
stop until it all landed in heap on top
of the heating plant in the basement.
John Duffield, who was foreman OF con-
struction for the H. N. Leighton company.
said that the iron saddle which was used
was guaranteed to stand a tension OF 6o,-
900 pounds to the square inch. Whether
| the load upon the floor put greater pres
! sure upon the saddle than that Is not
known, but it is said that the average
weight per square foot on the sixth floor
was sixty five pounds less than the archi-
tect estimated the building would hold.
James G. Houghton, building inspector,
visited the building shortly after the
= catastrophe and said that it appeared as
If the building was overloaded. He had
4 not had sufficient time to investigate the
a matter thoroughly and was not ready to
r fix the blame for the accident. He was
. undecided as to whether the entire build
= ing should be condemned.
Miss Lyman's Close Call.
g Miss Louise Lyman. stenographer fo
: the Bement Darling company. and II. E
Blair, one Of the office employees. had .
: narrow escape from dea TIL in the fall Of thu
: floor They were both employed in. tn,
: rear office when they heard the crasl
e overhead Mr.. Blair started for the doc
S but turned to see where Miss Lyman was
r She, too, had started to leave the office
9 but was not able to reach the door whel
: the ceiling gave way and she was knocke,
! upon her knees. Mr.. Blair caught her b.
: the hand and dragged her from the office
e which was fortunately not blocked by tn
falling of the ceiling. Miss Lyman was no
If injured in the least but was badly fright
o ened.
Is Mr.. Bement president of the company
e and Mr.. Darling, general manager, were ol
X the fifth floor at the time OF the acciden
and were within five feet of the section
of the floor which fell. They were GOV
cred with dust and debris but were no
,r injured.
ID William Sharp. one of the employees 0
y the house, had been engaged all morning
=, in setting up sample machinery on tn
- first floor directly under the section which
- / hut mt fo fho ird