The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-06-14
Twenty or More Lives Are Lost When Tank Brushes
 Into the Building
FIRE BREAKS OUT AND
 DESTROYS HELPLESS ONES
Montreal Herald Building Is Ruined and Many of the Employees Are Caught By Falling Timbers
 and Crushed to Death

Montreal, June 13-Between 20 and 30 people lost their lives today when the supports of the sprinkler system tank on the roof of the Herald building gave way and the great mass of metal and water, weighing 35 tons, went crashing to the basement.
 Fire broke out immediately, adding it's horrors to the disaster The firemen dis played splendid heroism in rescuing scores of people from perilous positions in the tottering walls.
 Some of the walls had to come down before the work of recovering the bodies could be safely attempted and it was not until after o'clock this evening that the first body, charred and mangled be- yond recognition, was brought out.
 All of those escaping agree that the first warning of the impending disaster passed almost unnoticed. There was a what more pronounced, but it was not until the ceiling plaster began to fall that rush for the stairway began, they say.
 Before anyone reached the stairs there occurred a final deafening crash and then came chaos.
 Several survivors tell of falling one and two floors before the awful crash died away and then they found them selves able to crawl through the dense, suffocating dust to a place of safety.
 The majority of the victims sought safety by rushing to the front of the building facing on Victoria square.
 Fortunately all the floors held for about 30 feet back from the front wall, and to this is due the fact that the death list does not run into the hundreds for there were nearly aO0 people in the building at the time, it Is said. Windows Are Crowded
 When the first hook and ladder conn psny reached the scene the firemen found the windows of the upper floors crowded with people and the crowd on the side walk urging them not to jump. No one jumped. Ladders were quickly placed in position and those in danger brought to the ground quickly.
 One ladder was hoisted reaching to the fourth floor on which the bindery was located. It came between two windows. From one of these a little girl crept along the coping until she could reach the lad der. Grasping a rung with one hand and placing a foot on another she lent helping hand to eight other girls twice her size. When all the girls had reached the ladder and had been brought down to safety she came down alone.
 RV fhtq ho Aro ho1 rto smoke was pouring from the front win dows.
 The little girl fainted when she reached the bottom of the ladder.
 A dozen injured people were brought from the ruins by the firemen, many of them with broken limbs. Of these rescues that of Fred Vidal a stereo- hour after the fremen reached the building Vidal was heard grooming and was located under a girder from which he could not be dslodged.
 Despite the fact that the flames were creeping perilously near. three fire men began to cut 1t away and stuck to their task. In the crowd outside was the Rev Martin. When he heard of the fight against death he there adminis- tered the last rites of the Catholic church to the semi-conscious man. Fi- nally. however, the beam was cut through and Vidal was released not a moment too soon. Both of his legs and some of his ribs were broken.
 Buried Under Timbers
 When the crash came bindery girls and linotype men fell through the huge gap in the floors of the building and were quickly buried under machinery outside the burning building could plainly hear the cries of the dying in- side, while the flames were slowly trav- cling toward them; but practically nothing could be done to save them. All the members of the editorial de- partment escaped uninJured. the dead and dying being confined to the em- ployes of the bindery and composing rooms.
 The flames were at first confined to the upper floors of the building, but, although all the available fire appa- ratus turned out. 1t was impossible to control the fire, which was famed by a strong wind.
 Inspector McMahon of the police force called upon those around him to or- ganixe a rescue party, but wall of flames suddenly arising from the base ment made it impossible to enter the building.
 Many met death in slow torture, the flames creeping slowly upon them as
 
 was lighting nearby to penetrate the building. The huge water tank plung- cd from roof to cellar. Almost Instant ly there was an explosion of gas from severed pipes which hung about the sides of the immense jagged hole.
 Flames, famed by a stiff wind. were soon sweeping the upper. floors of tha building. Scores of persons in the edi- torial and, other departments had to fight for their lives through smoke and wreck age. The firemen. though promptly on hand, could make little impression on the increasing flames.
 Cries of the Victims
 Cries of the buried victims rose ove' the shouts of the firemen and the crowd which quickly gathered. Although the flames were steadily gaining, 1t appeared for a time as if some who had been hurled to the basement might be res- cued. The police, headed by volunteer party, which, protected by water cur tain formed by streams from fire hose. tried to enter the building. With tho opening of the doors, the groans and cries of those pinned in the ruins be- came more distinct. But just within ' massive wall of flames suddenly arose driving back the rescuers. Gradually the cries died out. All attempts at res- cue soon had to be abandoned.
 When the 10,00o-gallon water tank