The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1905-08-09
In Mass of Wreckage We're 100
Men Women and Children
When Big Store o'laps d
VICTIMS COVERED UP
BY TONS OF BRICK AND TiMBERs
AND THE DEATH LIST WILL BE
LoNG-WoRK OF RESCUE
SAVES MANY LIVES
FROM CHAOS.

Alhany NJ Y, Aug sThe middle
section OF John G. Meyers company's
big department store in North Pearl
street collapsed today. carrying down
with II over one hundred persons.
Saught in the chaos of brick, plas-
ter and wooden beams. between 20
and 80 men. women and children met
death. Twelve hours work on the part
Of an army Of rescners dsentangiel
fifty persons, six OF them dead aud
many of the rest badly injured.
Three bodies were in sight al late
hour tonight, bus many hours work
viii be required 70 get them ont
Anyth ng like complete Hist of the
killed and injured will he unohtaina-
Bile until the workers have made their
way 20 the very bottom OF the mass
Of wreekage.
| With few exceptions those caught
n the ruin weee employees, d large
majority Of them girls. There we're
few shoppers in the store at tae time
Extensive repairs were being made
to the building. and when the col
lapse came the worsmen were saw
ny wooden floor beam which runs
4 under pillar in the middle OF the
building.
The excavation fer a cellar was GO.
| ing on ahout this pillar and 1t ID be-.
lIevcd that the jarring of the beam
i displaced the foundation Of the pillar
The pillar which gave way supported
the ends Of two giant girders. and
when il fell, the main support Of the
central part Of the building was gone
Nith noise thar could be- heard
!. blocks away, ana d shock which shook
adiolnn buildings, nearly half of the
! great structure. from cellar to roof,
and extending from one side wall to
The other. came grinding down
/ Into this cavGrn slid scores of EN-.
\ 9loyea who We're working cn the four
| floors above and who lacked the warn.
/ ng which enabled those in the base
/. 'nenr to escape Sonta, however. were
apprised Of their danger hy falling
plaster, and saved themselves by rllsh-
7 ing To the front Of the store Or I'd the
! fire escapes in the rear
An alarm Of fire was turned In ana
! when the fire department arrived they
{ had plenty to do in rescuing those
who We're pinned under the wreckage
They were joined by scores of volun
/ teers and within an hour Is or %
persons were carried out, and none
Of them fatally injured.
When darkness came, It was esti
4 mated tnat nearly fifty persons still
J, remained in the rains and thar no
more than half of these could sur
I, yiye the weight prAssing upon them
u Fortunately the wreckage did not take
i FIRE. Some 100 persons are still I'M
4 accounted for but fifty or these arr
/ cash boys of which the firm has nt
record, and the loss OF the pay rol
i makes It difficult TO get anything liz,
e complete list of many others.
II The dead thus far removed frou
n .he ruins
u MICHAEL FITZGERALD.
I FRANK LEONARD.
r MISS ANNA e. WHITBECK.
MISS KITT1E BULLARD.
MISS ALICE l.. SHARP.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN.
Misses Whitbeck, Bullard and shar
,e were crushed OUT Of shape by an irol
sirder and Identified by their clott
ing and jewelry,
u. A list Of the injured compiled tc
A night shows 30 employees injured. thre
u. seriously, Besides these tive shor
10 oers were injured, among them Mrs
4 William Borst, Of Window, Mimi.