The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-08-16
A Big STORE WRECKED
Many Persons Are Killed By the
Falling Walls.
FORTY PERSONS ARE MISSING.
There Were Over -Four Hundred 10 the Build
ing-0f These Over One Hundred Are
Known 10 Be More or Less Seriously 10.
iured-five Bodies Have Thus Far Been
Taken from the Wreck.

--------
Albany, N. Y. (SpeciaD Death and
destruction followed the collapse of the
central section of the fve-story building
occupied by the department store Of the
John G. Myers Company, on North
Pearl street, shortly before Q o'clock in
the morning OF the 400 employees on
the payroll, three-quarters of whom are
women and young girls and cash boys,
nearly hundred were temporarily or
permanently buried in the debris
1t was next to impossible to get any
where near correct list OF the dead
and missing. The offices and books of
the corporation were carried down in
the wreckage, including the list of em-
ployes. OF the 400 employees on the
payroll so were on a vacation and OF
the remainder the names of $50 were Sc
cured OF this $50 40 were missing or
unaccounted for. OF the other hun
dred so were cash boys of whom there
is no list and so were men and women
clerks, whose names could not be learned.
Robert NJ. Chalmers, one OF the mem
bcrs OF the firm, was cut out of the
wreckage, but luckily was not serious
ly injured 1t was estimated that there
| the ruins, but this was pure guess-work,
| though considered conservative.
The employees who were figuring up
the missing at o'clock said that Is
employees were unaccounted for, but this
number grew gradually less as the night
| advanced
The building is in the center of the
block on Pearl street, and runs
| fbrpttnt, tn aud ,c IA fppt
wide and 200 feet deep Alterations
have been going on for the past two
months, and under the central section of
the building excavation was going on
in order to construct a subcelar IL feet
deep.
The main support of this central sec
ton on the basement floor were steel
girders resting on a pillar in the center
of the building, which was continued on
up to the roof In the morning work.
men cut through the floor on each side
Of this pillar for the purpose of snoring
it up from the excavation below. This
work, however, was delayed too long,
for, while the work was progressing and
without warning, the pillar which rested
on stone foundation standing on a
clay bottom, slipped, and in less time
than it takes to tell it, all four floors of
the central section of the building
buckled downward in the center, TO be
followed few minutes afterward by
the roof.
I..ere was hardly moments warning
to he great mass of employees of the
impending catastrophe Those in the
danger zone had but few moments
notice. They were in the basement,
where the main pillar to be shored up
was located, and while this was going
on the counters were noticed to slant.
The head of this department at once
warned everyone off the floor, and all
The clerks under him escaped none too
soon. So did the 81 men working for
The contractors in that section.
1t was on the upper floors or main
business sections of the building where
the employees were taken unawares, and
that so many escaped even with slight
injuries is nothing short of miracle.
Within three minutes after the FIRST cries
of alarm were heard section OF the
building from cellar TO roof, o. by 100
feet, had collapsed, and all four floors,
heavily laden with goods, and the roof
had plunged into the basement
The scenes which followed were har-
rowing Many thought the building had
been blown up by an explosion. Num-
bers of employees were too stunned by
Iihe shock to move. They had to be
lforced out of the building. Those who
kept their presence OF mind quickly
:hoked the back fre-escape and the front
entrances. Many found themselves out
on the street, not knowing how they
got there or why they were there. Then
quickly came realizing sense of the
disaster and death which had followed
IN the wake of the shock.
Within half an hour corps of rs
physicians was on the scene, and the
hospitals promptly dispatched the nee
cssary nurses and ambulances.