The semi-weekly messenger., 1905-08-11


haiir"ads DO Valiant Work All Day
I" Disenangle the Mass-rl,c Loss
u The Company is Estimated ut Be-
tween 100000 and $500. 900
Albany, n. Y. August 8.-The mid
die section of the big department store
of John G. Myers Company, in North
Pear street, collapsed early today. car
rying down witt, it over cne hundred
persons.
Caught in cnaos Of brick, plaster
and wooden beams, between 20 and 80
men, women and children met death
Twelve hours fraltic work On the part
OF rescuers disenl"ngled 80 people, six
Of them dead AMI many of the rest bal
ly injured. Three bodies were in sight
at late hour tonight, but many hours
work will be required to get them out
Anything like :; complete list of the
killed and injured will be unobtaina-
bic until the workers have made their
>
Of the wreckage With few exceptions
those caught in The ruin were employ
ees, large majority Of them girls.
The catastrophe occurred shortly at
ter the opening hour when barely a
score of shoppers were in the store A
clock found in The debris had stopped
at II minutes before nine, showing
when the crash came.
The best account of the event lnat
probably caused the ruin is given by
the head of the crockery, glass and
drug department which occupies the
basement
The workmen were saving at a
wooden floor beam," said he, which
runs underneath one of the central pill
lars in the middle of the store. Exca
vation for the cellar was going On
about the base Of this pillar, and | Le-
lieve that Earring of the beam beneath
it displaced the foundation of the pill
lar The first thing | knew, two of the
counters near the place where the men
were working began to sag and several
pieces of glassware slid off onto the
floor with crash.
Il yelled to my clerks to run for the
front of the store. The words Were
not out of my mouth when there came
a creaking noise and everything around
us began to fall The wreck came
slowly, however, and l think every one
in my department escaped, as we'll as
the workmen'
The pillar which drew away support
ed the ends of two giant girders, AID
when it fell, the main support OF he
central part of the building was gone.
With a noise tnat could be heard
blocks away, and which shook the at
joining buildings, nearly half the great
structure, from cellar to roof, and tx-
tending from one side wall to the 9th
er came grinding down. Into this cav
ern fell scores Of employees who were
working on the four floors above, ana
lacked the warning which enabled
those in the basement to escape. Some.
however, were aoprised of the danger
by falling plaster and saved themselves
by rushing to the front Of the store or
to the fire escape in the rear. CLOUDS
Of dust which shot out of the front en-
trance caused those outside to Del1eVe
that the store was afire, and ire
alarm was Immediately turned N
When the department arrived they had
plenty to do in rescuing those Wnc
were pinned under the top Wrecka2e
They were joined by scores Of volua-
teer rescuers and Within an hour 10
or 90 persons were carried out, none.
Of them fatally injured.
In a short tima the city's entire nos
pital and ambulance force was on the
scene, aided by half hundred doctors
from all parts of the city.
The volunteer rescuers and the Ira-
men continued The work until exhaust
ed, when their places were taken oy 4
wrecking force numbering 800 men
from the New York Central and De-a-
ware and Hudson railroads. These
delved IN the rims all night, but the
work of rescue progressed slowy.
When darkness came, it was estimated
that nearly so person remained
that nearly so persons still rename!
in the ruins, and that not more than
half of these could survive the weight
pressing upon tlcm. Fortunately the
wreckage did not take fire. Some 100
nersons are still unaccOunted for, but
so of these are cash boys of which the
firm has no recorj, and the loss OF tie
payroll makes it difficult to get any
thing like complete list of many 9TH
ers. In all the company has 400 en-
= ployees, but so cs these are away on
vacations.
The building which collapsed stands
in the heard of the shopping district
at numbers 80 and Al North Peal
street. 1t is owEed party by the coni-
pany and partly by the estate OF the
late David Orr.
The loss to the company is estimated
at between 100000 and 100000. The
building was very old one,. but until
now considered perfectly sound. Ex-