The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-08-10
IT IS TO BE
 INVESTIGATED Inquiry Into Fatal Store
 Collapse. "A SPECIAL COMMITTEE Mayor of Albany, N. r., Takes
 Action. Thirteen Met Death in Accident and That More Did Not Suffer is Due
 to Stability of Brick

Albany. N. T., Aug. 9.-The collapse of the John G. Myers Co. department sore which resulted in the death of thirteen persons and probably the fa- tai injury of two others. will be inves- tigated by a special committee. This afternoon when the searchers an- nounced their belief that no more bod les were In the ruins, Mayor Gaus call ed a meeting of the heads of city de- partmepts and decided to appoint three non-residents. two building contractors and one civil engineer or architect to inquire into the cause of the disaster and report where to place the blame.
 To avoid the possibility of a preju- diced inquiry Mayor Gaus decided that all the Investigators shall be out of town men. They are Wm. A. Cattelle. civil engineer. of New York: William F. Hanrahan, contractor and builder. of Schenectady. N. Y., and John M. Gill. mason and contractor, of Troy. The commission will begin work to- morrow and report directly to the MayoH
 Of those now in the hospital. Helen Donahue Is believed to be near tho point of death. and Mrs. William Borst of Windoma, Minn. a shopper, has only an even chance of recovery.
 The small number of deaths. small when 1t Is considered that nearly 100 persons went down with the wreck, is accounted for by the fact that scarcely any of the brick walls fell and the de- bris consisted mostly of wooden tim- bers and plaster, with only an occa- sionai iron girder. One of these iron young girls. A Thorough Search.
 A thorough search carried on since early morning has revealed the fact that all the men and all but one of the women employed in the department store of the John c. Myers Company, which collapsed yesterday. are account cd for About thirty cash boys out of seventy-five have not yet reported, but 1t is thought scarcely possible that many of them are in the ruins. for the proportion of boys thus far known to be killed and injured Is. small.
 These facts lead to the belief that the number of deaths will prove consider ably less than was feared. The dead found thus far number thirteen, and there is hope that not more than half a dozen bodies are still in the wreck.
 Thirteen bodies. many of them man. gled almost beyond recognition, have been taken from the ruins of the de- partment store of the John G. Myers Company. which collapsed yesterday. The known death list, which last night numDeTeO only uNt, Has beeH uOuDlcu by the addition of the following, all em- ployes:
 Mary McAver. died at hospital; Anna Cashman, Theresa Spannhauer, w. A. Springs, Grace B. Erned, Helen Malone and John F. Powers, cash boy.
 In addition to these 1t is almost cer- tain that fifteen or twenty bodies still remain in the twisted mass of beams. wires. plaster. brick and laths that was nnrfInn nf 0f the citys largest stores.
 A days work by skilled hands from the wrecking crews of the New York Central and Delaware and Hudson Rail- roads has resulted in removing barely half the debris.
 The injured in the hospitals are doing well, with two exceptions Miss first survivors to be taken out of the wreck has several of her vertebrae fractured, and 1t is said cannot live. Mrs William Borst, of Windhem. Minn. who. was one of the few shoppers injured, is also reported to be in critical condition.
 It is thought scarcely possible that any one of those now imprisoned in the debris can be alive. Since mid night only dishgured corpses have been taken out.
 Fifty women employees are still un- accounted for. and as the firm has complete list of these. grave fears are expressed for the safety of the majority. A large percentage of those in the central portion of the building which collapsed were women.
 The thirteenth body was found this afternoon and identified as that of Miss Winefred Kelly py her father. who had watched by the wreckage all night.