The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-21
FATAL FALL OF WALL
ErGHT KILLED BY BUILDINGS UN-
 TIMELY COLLAPSE.
wss Ouly Structure ou Block Left stand hg After Disastreus Fire of Last \ Week.--Some Interesting
 IncfdenfR.

was 0sAy Structure on Block Left stand- hg After Dissstreus Fire of Last Week.--Some Interesting Incidents.
 Minneapolis. Minn., Dec. 20.--A few min utes after o'clock this morning. the side wall of the o. H. Peck building on Fifth . street.. South, which was left standing by the great fire of last Tuesday night, toppied over in . high gale. falling on to the crocker Hotel. .a, three-story structure adjoining Tons of brick and nectar crashed complete floors and ali in mass of debris into the basement. There was no warning of the disaster and fourteen persons. who were sieeping were caught in the crushed struc- ture. Eight of them were killed.
 Hans Anderson. employed at HonAsrs iiv-
 James Hamilton. employed at Honnsrs livery.
 c. N. Kenyon. foreman Lanisrs Lansesd oil Mill.
 wnIiam Lillyblads. employed Dsnisrs Lin seed Oil Mill.
 Mrs Maggie Lee Claire. cook
 william Emmsfson. iaborsr.
 william Braa, contractor. Joseph Violet. ccachmAn-
 The injured.
 Mrs. Carrie Beycs, cut about face and body bruised.
 W. J. crocker. badly praised ana suffering from exposure.
 Mrs. Jennie Aureray. chest injured.
 Mrs. Evelyn Williams. face cut and badly bruised a@
 Mrs. Anna McNevins. chin cut ant badly bruised #
 Some of those injured wers h the Bell mont Hotel. adjoining the croeker. and A. &L~k A walls separating the two buiidinss. Mrs W. J. crocker. wife of the proprietor of the Crocker House, Hannah Crocker, her 15- year old daughter. Win Crocker. her Swear. old son. baby William, four months old. her granddaughter, and Mrs. May Ritchie escaped without injury. These escapes | seem little less than miraculous, since there is nothing left of the crushed structure but the four outer walls and the mass of wreck age in tho basement. Mrs. Anna McNevins had C. wonderful escape. She was on the | second floor ip bed when the crash came The firemen took her out of bed in the base | nient.
 The debris arched over her in such . way as to preserve her from serious injury. Andcrson's Tragic Death. | Hans Anderson. who the second floor. was pinned down on the lower floor He pleaded pite ousIy for help. The firemen worked desperately through the wreckage, l some beam upon him. It was like playing jackstraws with death. But they could not reach him. His cries became fainter and with less the note of pain in them. Then | he began to sing faintly the songs of his old Sweden. At last his voice was stiled and the workers knew their efforts had been in vain. W. J. Crocker. the proprietor was found pinioncd beneath a radiator. He | will recover.
 The responsibility for the accident viii be the subject of thorough investigation J. G. Houghton. the building inspector. had made an inspection of the standing walls only yesterday, but had given no orders con cerning them. He had earlier ordered the raging of other parts of walls that seemed ] to threaten to fall. The inmates of the I hotel had at first been much worried by the proximity of the Peck wall and had moved elsewhere. But as nearly week had passed and the walls stood apparently firm they had gone back. The terrific northwest gale that blew last night was the cause of the fall and 1t exerted greater pressure than the building inspector h si looked for while the wall was less firm than hs | thought
 Total loss Is nearly sis.5oo. nearly GOV. | cred by insurance. There is question whether the insurance companies are liabia for the loss, but as it was indirectly caused by the fire. 1t is supposed they are. l Curious Premonitlon. Il c. L. Smith. a hack driver. one of the roomers, had a curious premoniton that saved his life He was nervous and could not sleep Twice he arose, dressed and went outside to see what the wind was do- ing. The second time. he told a poiiceman he thought the wall unsafe. The officer laughed at the idea. and the words had scarcely left his lips when the wall fell.