Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-09
THIRTEEN ARE DEAD
BELIEVED DEATHS WILL BE LESS
THAN FIRST FEARED.
It is Hoped Not More Than a Half
Dozen Bodies Are Still
in the Wreck.


but one of the women employed in the de-
partment store of the John G. Myers Com
pany which collapsed yesterday, are ac-
counted for.
About thirty cash boys out of seventy-fve
have not yet reported, but it 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 considerably
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.
ALBANY N V August 9.-This morning
found two hundred men still toilng over the
wreckage of the John G. Myers Company
department store, where twenty-four hours
ago occurred the saddest catastrophe In the
history of old Albany. Eleven dead bodies,
many of them mangled almost beyond rec
ognition, have been taken from the ruins
thus far. and one woman died after being
carried to the hospital. The known death
list, which last night numbered only five,
has been more than doubled by the addition
of the following all employees:
Mary McAvoy, died at hospital; Anna
eastman. Theresa Spannbauer, Eta
Sprinks Grace B. Erner, Helen Malone and
John E. Powers, cash boy.
In addition to these 1t Is almost certain
that fifteen or twenty bodies still remain in
the twisted mass OF beams, wires plaster,
brick and laths that was once the main
portion of one of the city's largest stores
wrecking crews of the New York Central
and Delaware and Hudson railroads has re-
suited in removing barely half the debris.
Twelfth Body Found.
Shortly after daybreak the searchers
found the twelfth body. 1t was that of
Miss Helen Malone. a young girl, who
shared the cashiers gallery on the main
floor with Anna Whitbeck Minnie BulIman
and Alice Sharp. and was crushed beneath
the same iron girders that killed her three
companions Others in the above list were
carried out of the ruins between the hours
of and o'clock this morning.
The injured in the hospitals are doing well
with two exceptions Miss Ella ]. Don
ahue, who was one of the first survivors to
be taken out of the wreck, has several of
her vertebrae fractured and 1t Is said can
not live. Mrs. William Berst of Window,
Mimi, who was one of the few shoppers
injured. is also reported to be in a criti-
cal condition. She has been visiting Mrs.
Richard w. Brass wife of a well-known
attorney, and the two ladies were out on
an early shopping tour.
Mrs. Brass also was injured, but after be-
ing in the wreckage several hours, was re-
moved without serious wounds. The only
addition to the list of injured is Thomas
Rogers. a fireman, who was painfully,
though not seriously bruised and cut while
al the work of rescue.
Fifty Employees Unaccounted For.
Fifty women employees are still unac-
counted for, and as the firm has a COM
plete list of these grave fears are expressed
for the safety of the majHity. large
percentage of those in the central portion
OF the building. which collapsed were
women.
The number of men unaccounted for Is
about the same, but the loss of the firm s
books makes anything like complete rec
ord of the male employees inaccessible. 1t
is thought that nine-tenths of the bodies
remaining In the ruins are those or women.
Now that the first shock of the horror
is past, the people of Albany have begun
10 ask who IS responsible. Mayor Gaus,
Chief Higgins of the hre department and
Commissioner Cantne of the depactment of
public safety believe that the accident was
caused directly by workmen excavating be-
meath the basement floor, who undermined
one of the key brick piers in the center of
the building and their belief is generally
shared. Mayor Gaus said today:
Strict Inquiry to Be Made.
'If any person has been guilty OF neglt-
gence to which this accident is due, he
will be punished. Every guilty person Will
be prosecuted as soon we have placed
the responsibility for this disaster, which
Is the worst of its kind that has ever be-
fallen the city
An investigation VIII be begun as soon as
the work of rescue is over.
The work under way when the building
collapsed was in charge of Contractor John
Dyer, jr. OF the thirty men employed
by him on the building every one escaped.
In view OF the fact that nearly all OF them
were in or under the basement in the very
center of the structure, their escape Is al
most mira culous. Stories OF the Survivors,
however show that those on the basement
floor. where the underpinuing of the build
ing first gave way, received warning whicn
enabled all but one or two of them TO reach
place OF safety before the four upper
floors came crashing at their heels.
Shortly after 10 O'Clock the thirteenth
body was found and identified that OF
Miss Winifred klick by her father. who
had watched by the wreckage all night.
y Contractors Statement.
Contractor John Dyer. tr, today made
the following statement:
II had the contract for the work that was
being done at the Myers store. We were
enlarging the basement and the building
lockers and cloak room for the use of the
employees. 1 have had about thirty carpen-
ters and laborers at work for the past two
months or over. Some excavation work was
done. but none that / know OF that would
weaken the walls. The store consisted OF
old buildings that have been remodeled
from time to time.
&c. L. Daegett one OF the most compe-
tent men in the state, was supervising the
work for me. He was on the floor that is
on level with James street when the
building collapsed. He hemmed in by
failing debris. but escaped with a few
scratches L feel sure that it viii be shown
latCr that il was through no fault OF
mine the accident occurred"
The calamity at Myers Is just what
might have been expected" said Marcus
L. Reynolds. an architect who has de-
signed removal of the citys largest build
fngs. North Pearl street. for the most
part, is lined with old ramshackie buildings
. that have been remodeled, altered and their
walls made 20 bear weights they were never
offended to support"