Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-06-14
Great Mass Of Steel and Water
Without Warning Drops Into
Crowded Newspaper Building
in Montreal
FLAMES FOLLOW CRASH
IN DOOMED BUILDING
Little Heroine Rescqes Dozen
Girls Twice Her Size from
Wrecked Bindey and FaintS
When Deed Is Accomplished,



Montreal. Que. June i8.--Between
twenty ana thirty 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 80 tons. went crashing to the
basement The list of missing com
piled by the police totals twenty-seven
persons.
Fire broke out Immediately Fire
men displayed splendid heroism in
rescuing scores Of people from peril
Gus positions within the tottering
walls. some of which had to come
down before the work of recovering
the bodies could be safely attempted.
II Was not until after + o'clock this
evening that the first body was
brought out.
MI those who escaped agree that
the first warming OF the impending
disaster passed almost unnouccd
Some survivors, tell ,of falling one and
two floors, and rawling through the
dust to q place Of safety The major
itv sought safety by rushing To the
front of the building. All the floors
held for about thirty feet back from
the front wall and 70 this Is due the
fact that the death list did not run
into the hundreds
When the first hook and ladder
company reached the scene, the fire
men found the windows OF tho upl- 2
floors crowded with people and the
crowd on the sidewalk urging them
not to jump. Not one jumped. Lad
ders were quickly placed in position
ana those in danger were brought to
the ground.
one ladder was hoistcd, reaching to
The fourth floor on which the binderN
was located Il came between two
windows. From one of these a little
girl crept along the coping until she
could reoch the ladder. Grasping a.
ruug with one hand, and placing her
Coot on another, she lent "a helping
hand to eight or ten other girls twice
her size When all the girls had
reached the ladder and had been
brought down. she came down alone.
By this time fire started ana smoke
was rNring from the front windowst
The little girl tainted when she reach-
ed the bottom of the ladder
A dozen injured people were brought
from the ruins hy the firemen, many
of them with broken limbs, or the
rcscues that Of Fred vidal a stero-
typer, was the most daring
Half an hour after The fircmcn
reaching the building Vidal was held
by q airder from which he could not
be dislodged. Although flames were
creeping near, three firemen began
to cut the girder away. In the crowd
outside was Father Martin. When he
heard of the fight against death he
went into the building and admins
tered the last sacrament to the man
Finally, however the beam was cut
through and vidal was released not
a moment too soon. Both legs aud
several ribs were broken.
The fire started from the stereotype
ing department, the Goals from the
furnaces evidently being distributed
on the different floors through which
the pots passed ON their way to the
basement. for the fire appeared To
start simultaneously on all the lnwer
floors
The building was valued at Sl5O.00O
and was owned by the Herald COM
panv. while the valuation of the plant
is placed at S300. 600.
The Herald appeared this evening
as an eight page paper. arrangements
having been made with the Gazette
to continue publication until new
quarters can be secured.