The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-07-19
THREE BURIED IN WRECK
Foreman Crushed to Death in New
York City Apartment House.
Windows Smashed, Treee Uprooted ana
Streets Flooded - Brick
Fells Boy.

New York City.-A rainstorm which
hurtlrd across from New Jersey like a
,razy windmill struck Harlem, deiug-
ng the streets with 4 downpour from
Is inky clouds, turning mid-afternoon
TO twilight. ripping off chimueys and
signs and blowing in windows.
In this wind and rain storm two1iVe-
story apartment houses in course of
construction at One Hundred and
rhirty-sixth street and Riverside
Drive collapsed. Three worklnen were
buried in the ruins. Two Of them were
rescued alive after being buried under
the fallen walls for almost three hours.
while the third, the foreman .of the
job. died Just as lie was reached. Ihe
dead man was Thomas Labor, thirty
eight years old, Of 425 East Seventy
seventh street. and the injured. both
b%ricklayers, are: Alexis Salvatiuo, thir-
ty-ive years old. Of 610 Fifth street.
! and YaconelI Savois. forty years old,
| Of 221 East One Hundred n Twelfth
street. Both were removed to the D.
| Hood Wright Hospital, suffering from
internal injuries.
The groans and shouts of the buried
| men were heard for hours before the
men were reached by the squads OF
fremeu and policemen who stroVe 10
dig them ont, and that any II was
taken out alive surprised the crowd OF
,escuers and watchers.
When the storm broke there were
about twenty wOrkmen on the scar
fold of the fourth floor. They saw
the storm sweeping toward them and
FASTENED to reach the. street. Lator
called several of them back, and to-
gether they started putting Il heavy
beam against the westerly wall,
which lacked the floor beams to sup
port it. They had Just completed the
placing Of this brace when the first
blast of wind struck the westerly wall
with tornadollke force. At the same
time a small shanty in front of the
building, in which the donkey engine
was housed, blew down, carrying the
smokestack Of the engine with it.
For IN instant the west wall Of the
building withstood the force of the
wind, and then began to waver. Some
Of the workmen, who had gathered
in the street.-shouted a warning to
Labor and his men, but it came too
late. The high wall toppIed over,
swapping the brace rs it fell. and
burying the men under great masses
of brick and mortar This entire
weight landed with Il crash on the
beams of the third floor, which gave
way. and from there the entire mass
fell to the cellar, increasing in weight
crumbling of the big structure con-
tinued, the men in the street became
terror-stricken, ard fearing that they
were about TO be engulfed, ran. calling
loudly for help. The downpour Of rain
quickly drowned the clouds Of mortar
that arose from the ruins. and then it
was seen that half Of the westerly
building had fallen to the second
| story, and that the men who had been
Oh the scaffold were buried under the
mass in the cellar. A hurry call was
sent for ambulances, the police and
the fremen.
The storm did much damage in other
parts Of Harlem, and also in the
Bronx. A large plate glass window
in tine Offices Of The Legal Aid Society,
in the Hamilton Building. Park avenue
and 125th street, was blown in. and
the papers of; the office scattered
broadcast.
The vino got under the roof Of the
home Of .T'ohn Kelly, Il b%ookbindcr. ar
1887 East 10th street, and lifted it
bodily. T. carried the roof for q block,
dashing it against Il lamDpost, which
was demolished. The Kelly house
was soaked,
Thomas Mermody, five Years old. of
2tS East Ninety-ninth street, was play
ing ball in front Of his home when
the storm broke. The Wind tore ser
eral bricks from the coping Of the
house, and one OF them struck the boy
Oh the head, f%racturing mis- skull.