The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-08-17
Department Store Collapsed Causing
Heavy Loss of Life
20 TO 80 KILLED; MANY DOOMED
Large Albany Establishments Entire
Middle Section Crashes Downward
and Inward, Casting Scores Of Its
Employees on Its Four Floors Into
the Midst of the Flying Wreckage
of Brick and Stone and Timber.

Albany, N. Y, Special-The middle
section OF the big department store of
the John G. Myers Company, on North
Pearl street, collapsed early Tuesday
carrying down with it over one hundred
persons.
Caught in a chaos OF brick, plaster
and wood beams, between 20 and 80
men. women and children met death.
Twelve hours frantic work on the part
Of the rescuers disentangled fifty peo-
Pile, six Of them dead and many of the
rest badly injured. Three bodies were
in sight at a late hour. but many hours
work will be required to get them out
Anything like complete list OF the
killed and injured will be unobtainable
until the workers have made their way
tojt the very bottom Of the mass o.
Veckage. With few exceptions, those
Taught in the ruin were employees, a
large majority OF them girls.
The catastrophe occurred shortly af-
ter the opening hour, when barely
score OF shoppers were in the store
A clock found in the derbis had stop
ped at 12 minutes before 9, showing
when the CRASH came.
The best account OF the event that
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-
cavation for the cellar was going on
about the base of the pillar, and l
believe that jarring Of the beam be-
meath it displaced the foundation Of the
pillar. The first thing know two
of the counters near the place where
the men were working began to sag,
several pieces OF glassware slid of on
to the floor with crash.
81 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 and everything around US
began to fall. The wreck came slowly,
however, and think every one in my
department escaped, as well as the
workmen"
The pillar which drew away support
ed the ends of two giant girders, and
when it fell, the main support OF the
central part of the building was gone.
With noise that could be heard blocks
away and. which shook the adjoining
buildings, nearly half the great struc-
ture, from cellar to roof, and extending
from one side wall to the other, came
grinding down. Into this cavern fell
scores of employees who were working
on the four floors above and lacked the
warning which enabled those in the
basement to escape. Some. however,
were apprized Of the danger by falling
plaster and saved themselves by rush
ing to the front Of the store or to the
fire escape in the rear.
Clouds OF dust which shot out Of the
front entrance caused those outside to
believe that the store was afre, and
a fire alarm was Immediately xurned
in. When the fire department dyed
they had plenty to do in rescuingMos
who were pinned under the top wreck
age. They were joined by scores OF
volunteer rescuers, and within an hour
Is or 20 persons were carried out, none
of them fatally injured.
The volunteer rescuers and the fire.
men continued the work until exhaust
ed, when their places were taken by a
wrecking force numbering 300 men
from the New York Central and Della
ware & Hudson Railroads. These delved
in the ruins all night. but the work OF
rescue progressed slowly. When dark
ness came it was estimated that nearly
50 persons still remained in the ruins
and that not more than half Of these
could survice the weight pressing upon
them. Fortunately the wreckage did not
take fire. Some one hundred persons
are still unaccounted for. but so OF
these are cash boys. of which the firm
has no record. and the loss Of the
pay roll makes it difficult to get any
thing like a complete list Of many
others. In all the company has 400 en-
p.oyes. but so OF these are away on
vacations.
LOSS 100000 TO 100000.
The building which collapsed stands
in the heart of the shopping district at
Nos. 80 and Al North Pearl street. 1t
is owned partly by the company and
partly by the estate of the late Da-
vid Orr. The loss to the company is
estimated at between 5000, 900 and
$500, 900.
st. Thomas Church Consumed.