The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1908-08-14

every building in the city. 1t was
built by Hickson w. Bond on the cor
ner OF Platte avenue and T street, a
locality which only a year ago had
been an almost valueless suburb.
given over TO corn and potato patches.
But real western boom had since in
spired the town. The building was
finished early in October, with great
flourish OF trumpets from the city
press, proud of its new skyscraper.
1t was constructed, as usual, of steel
Orders covered with a thin shell of
masonry, and was handsomely fitted
up with marble and mosaic, with cleo
trio elevators, and mail chutes, and
complicated heating apparatus. IL
was almost filled with tenants as soon
as its Offices were opened for rent
The Central National bank established
itself upon the ground floor, and, at
the prevailing rates of rent, Bond
forsaw golden harvest.
All went very we'll for time. Bonds
rents began to come in. and he was
elected a member of the board of
trade. Then, no one seemed to know
how, a report began to go about that
the Platte building was unsafe.
Late in the afternoon of the 18th
Of December, several of the occu-
pants OF the upper floors of the Platte
building noticed a faint tremor of
the framework as II from the jar of
heavy traffic outside. 1t was extreme
ly slight, however, and at five or six
o'clock almost every one left the build
ing without having given the phenom-
non a moments thought
Several business men returned to
the building after dinner that evening,
to deal with the unusual work Incl
dental TO the end of the year. These,
when they arrived, found the watch
man of the bank in animated CONVEX
sation with two policemen in the outer
hall.
The whole building was vibrating
with Earring tremor. There was moth
ing to account for the disturbance, and
none of the neighboring buildings APP
peared to be affected in the least.
There was no heavy traffic on the
street at that hour, and there was no
wind.
Gradually the oscillation of the
building became greater. 1t wavered
exactly as a bridge does at the pass
age of a heavy train. The news had
spread rapidly through the city and
mob of a thousand persons very soon
filed the street. Among these were
most of the tenants of the Platte
building Offices, but few dared to go
inside.
Presently some one raised the cry
that the building was rocking, and the
crowd, which now extended for sew
eral blocks, surged wildly back. 1t was
true. Almost, imperceptibly, but GER
tainly, the dark top of the skyscraper
was swaying against the starry sky.
The swaying motion increased, but
very gradually, while the humming
note of its vibrations rose to a sound
of tremendous volume. Gently and
slowly TO and fro it rocked, and a
shade further at each oscillation. In
a few minutes the shell of masonry
and stucco began to peel off and fall.
in Jumps at first, and afterwards in
great sheets. The whole immense
crowd fell silent. and there was no
more noise or shouting. The magni-
tude and mystery of the event over
awed them.
Just inside the fire lines stood Bond.
&c ole In, q.
cts, impotently peering from under his
hat brim at his tottering fortunes.
They were all locked up in that un.
stable frame of steel So far as any
theory of the catastrophe was con.
cerned, his mind was blank. Only he
felt convinced that an enemy had done
this, and, being western bred. he was
not disheartened-only wrathful and
perplexed.
When the gray dawn came I'D over
the prairie the skyscraper was still
standing, though it swayed now like
a flagstaff in high wind, and ii was
very evident that its collapse was at
hand. All the glass was broken from
the windows, a great part of the ma
BULLY hou anu IL looked ike
the Quilted ruins from a fire. AS IL
reeled from side to side with terrific
rush and swing the creak of the draw
ing rivets could be heard through the
humming of its tense framework.
Bonds only hope now was that II
might not destroy too much other prom.
erty in its fall He had been furious
ly busy in helping to clear the ad.
joining buildings. He had been ON
his feet all night, but he did not feel
either cold or fatigue. Only he de.
cided at this stage to telephone to his
wife. who must be in a state OF ex.
treme anxiety, for she had sent two or
three messenger boys to find him dur
ing the night.
The nearest telephone happened to
be in the store OF a piano dealer in
the next block. The proprietor, like
most of his neighbors. had remained
down town all night. and was just sit
ting down to a tray from restaurant
when Bond entered.