The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-08-30
SCORES BURIED. in DEBR1
Department Store Of John G. MYe|
Co, Of Albany, NY. Collapses.]
OVER 200 IN THE BUlLDIh

Actual Number of Dead and Injured o
Known - Work OF Rescue Progresss
Rapidly immediately After the Acc
dent-Twenty five Doctors Kept BuJ
Relieving the sunerings OF tho Hurt
Albany. N. Y.-The roof and foj
floors of the big department. store
the John G. Myers Company fell Wi
a crash at 9.45 o'clock in the inorniny
three-quarters of an hour after tl
store opened forEbus:ness, and burid
scores Of employees in the ruins.
The store had been undergoing alto
ations. Following short, fierce raj
the whole centre and back of the roS
and all floors above the ground fOS
fell y lth crash, carrying. eyerythiI
in tteir descent and leaving the 81
for d roof. &
Those employees who were in the firJ
seventy-feet of the store on the fro}
on Pearl street escaped, as the rod
and floors In that section Of the b
building did not collapse. The destru
ton was swift and fearful and O
CURED in section Of the buildIf
where there were scores Of employed
Some Of the male employees receire
severe injuries because they rushe
down the fire escapes and deserted Il
girls pinned in the wreckage witho@
making any attempt at rescue. Thi
was not true Of all the male clerk
by any means, and several of thet
worked gailahtly to. he1p& their ulfoX
tunate sisters. Nevertheless. one :
the fioorwalkers said: swell, I hal
q fine opinion Of some Of the men ed
ployed in this place."
Robert III. Chalmers, one Of the merl
bers Of the firm, was caught on one Z
the upper floors and carried down Wi
the debris. His position was disco
cred carly and wnen rescued 1t W.
found he had escaped with q broke
leg and a bruised body.
The police had serious difficulty J.
handling the crowds, and the work
rescue was materially interfered wit
in consequence. The whole city seemd
to have fiocked to. the scene Of the di
aster, and business generally was su
pended. Twenty-Five doctors and Il
four ambulances which the city boas
of were taxed to their utmost. an
trucks and cots from nearby furnituj
stores were freely offered in the ,Woi
IF rescue.
Rumors of all sorts regarding II
number OF deld were current.
The employees who escaped were +
scattered that nowhere near defnit
idea could be secured as to the numb
buried under the fallen walls. 1t wa
variously estimated.
Those who were pinned beneath ii
iebris and who could be seen by I'll
;escuers evinced brave spirits.
One Of the girls said after the rel
,uers had sawed 4 large beam Whid
.ested on her stomach: Sim all righ
never mind me; there are others
there: get them out. can talk. Tho
,an't." Many got out Of the place
The James street fire escapes.
All Of the stores on the Jock wei
turned into emergency hospitals, wheI
the injured awaited transportation
the hospitals. v
AS usual in department stores, tw
thirds CT the 250 employees are wome1
The news of the disaster spTed
through the city rapidly, and the sce1
If the catastrophe was quickly swarI
ne with anxious fathers, mother
brothers and sisters having relatiy|
working IN the store. The police LIND
oowever, were rigidly enforced, az
Ill efforts were devoted to carrying
iebris off the back main floor to
streets, in order that those caught
the wreck might be saved alive.
A. score of clergymen fastened to Il
scene and every one had willing hani
% aid in the work Of rescue.
The whole centre and James stree
side of the big building from the roi
% the main floor is wreck.
The Pearl street or former main buI
ing seemed to have escaped the q
apse. The Pearl street building NJ
Been widened and deepened as
business of the concern grew, and
would appear as though the back adj
tions had collapsed.
There were few customers In I
store. owing to the early hour.
The weak underpinning of the foo
which were put in while the alteratio
were going on was responsible for
collapse.
When the searchers announced tn
belief that no more bodies were in t
ruins. Mayor Gaus called meeting
the heads of the city departments,
the following committee was select
to inquire into the cause of the disas1
and report where 10 place the blan
William A. Cattell, civil engineer.
New York City; William T. Hanrahd
contractor and builder, Of Schenectad
and John Magill, mason and contra
or. of Troy.
The dead are: Miss Minnie G. B
man, Miss Katherine NJ. Cashma
Miss Grace B. Elmer, Michael J-Fi
gerald, Miss Winnifred Kelly, Fran
P. Leonard, Miss Helen Malone, N
Mary MAvoy. John E. Powers. NJ
Alice L. Sharp. Miss Theresa Spa3
bauer. Miss Eta L. Sprinks and NJ
Anna Whitbeck, all Of Albany.
Archbishop Succumbs to Fever.