The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-09-28

ters long before midnight.
Weakened by the excavation for the
new building of the Virginia Building
Corporation, next door, the southeas ST.
! ern corner and about one-third OF tho
eastern wall OF the First National
Bank Building fell In at 7:45 o'clock
last night. The entire corner of the
structure tumbled across the street.
blocking the sidewalk. and for hall
an hour delaying street car traffic.
AT the time of the crash there were
no clerks In the buildixg and very
few people IN the sidewalk. so, for
tunately. no one was hurt j. r..
Farrar. watcnman for the bank and
for the Merchants National Bank, just
across the street, narrowly escaped In
jury. More than ten minutes before
the structure caved in he heard the
cracking of the walls and went In to
investigate.
Escaped Without Scratch.
Before he realized what was really
happening the corner of the building
was totterng and by the time hs
reached the street the crash came. He
was positive that there was no one
nearby and that none was injured by
the falling brick and mortar.
Besides Mr.. Farrar. Two members
OF the police force were on the block
at the time. They Immediately tele-
phoned to police and fire departments
and officers OF the bank. The danger
zone was roped off and the street car
track cleared of debris.
Chief of Police Werner, Chief Joynes.
Of the Fire Department. and Building
Inspector Beck took charge, and In
short while everything was just the
same as before. except that there was
a gaping hole in the building and
huge crowd looking on. One electric
wire was broken. but employees OF the
Virginia Railway and Power Company
soon had 1t up and in service.
Ready for business To-day.
of1cials of the bank took in the sltu-
alton at once Negotiations were
opened with President William M Hab-
liston. of the National Bank of Virginia,
for the use of the building on the cor
nor of Main and Eleventh Streets, re-
Gently vacated. so the First National
will be opened for business at o'clock
this morning. just as though no acct
dent had happened. President John b.
Purcell made the arrangements. First
Vice President John NJ Miller being on
his way to Los Angeles to attend the
annual meeting of the American Bank
ers' Association. There will be abso-
lutely no delay in business. AS only
the front of the building Is damaged.
nothing whatever was lost, In fact,
1t is said that with the exception of
the front office and the walls around
the eastern corner. there Is no damage.
Three Distinct Crashes.
There were three distinct crashes.
First. a portion of the wall fell into
the excavations; then the corner fell
Htf,tt ttxNSf
later a large section of the waHl along
with the ceiling. tuinbled into the hole
below. Each was accompanied by
roar that could be heard for blocks
and the dust was so dense that many
thought 1t was a fire. The Police and
Fire Departments We're called to the
scene BY the police hashllght at the cor
ner of Seventh and Broad Streets.
Quito crowd had gathered by the
time the wall settled for the last time
and was able to sec the joists of the
second floor fall in and block the hole
caused by the gulf in the wall
II was in the building ten minutes
before it fell In" said Watchman Far
rar, "and could then hear the walls
but did not ttinh of the
cause l thought a storm was coming
up. and the noise was the windows up
stairs rattllng, 1 ran up and let them
lOWn. Wnen tne cracking continued u I4l
realized what was the matter and
made for the front dror. which fortu-
nately had left open, l barely reached
the street when the crash came, Inn
! went to the Merchants
National Bank building and telephoned
he officials what had happened,
No One WAS Hurt.
Although the pile of debris Is large
md one might Imagine that bodies are
'uried under It, am positive that no
me was hurt. When I came out OF
he building and hastily glanced at the
orner to see what was wrong, there
vas one man Just above the bank, who
heard tho noise and looked
n that direction, as | did. He moved
N. however, and was nearly q block
way when the wall began to glvo way.
later saw him return with the crowd
For wonder, there was not a single
Jerk In the bank at the time. | don't
NOW that this has been the case for M
ONE time except on Sunday nights.
Generally there are several of them
ere until rather late In the night HAD
his happened In tho day, there Is 10
elling howgmany employees of the banles
esides those walking along tho street
night have hecn killed"
After looking SNer the ground
INSPECTOR Beck said that
here could betno doubt that tho aeci.
lent was caused by the excavation