New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-06-14
OVER A SCORE KILLED
Water Tank Crashes Through
Montreal Building.
FIRE ADDS TO HORRORS
Heroism of Firemcn and a
Young Girl Features of
the Disaster.

! OF The Herald building gave way and
the great mass Of metal ard water, weigh
ing thirty-1ve tons. went crashing down
ward to the Easement
Fire broke out Immediately. adding its
| horror 70 The disaster The frer71en dis
played splendid heroism IN rescuing scores
or people from perilous positions in the
jagged and lettering walls. Some OF the
/ walls had to come down before the work of
recovering he bodies could be safely at
tempted. and II was net until after :
clock this evening that the first body
cnarred and ulsngled beyond recognition
was brought out
All or those who escaped agree that the
nrst warning of the impending disaster
passed almost unnoticed There was :
slight creaktng: then little more. some
what more pronounced but 1t was nor until
the ceiling plaster began 70 fall that rush
! Tor the stairway began. Before any one
reached it there occurred final desfen,ne
crash, and then chaos
Some survivors tell of falling one and two
roors before the awful crash died avav
and they found themselves able to crawl
/ throush the dense dust TO place of safety.
ne majority sought safety by rushing 10
the front building, facing on Victoria
square Fortunately, all the floors held for
about thirty 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 three hundred people in
the building II the time
When the first hook and ladder company
reached the scene the ffreu1er found the
windows of The upper floors crowded win,
people, and the crowd on the sidewalk
urging them not TO jump Not one did
jump. Ladders were quickly placed in 20
s1tion, and these In danger brought to the
ground.
Young Girl Heroine.
One ladder was hoisted. reaching TO the
fourth floor. on which the binderv was To-
Gated II came between two windows. From,
one Of these little girl crept along the
coping until she could reach the ladder
Grasping a rung with one hand and placing
her foot on another. she lent 4 helping
hand 10 eight or ten girls twice her size
When all the girls had reached the ladder
and had been brought down to safety she
came down alone BY this time the fire
had started and smoke was pouring from
the front windows. The little girl tainted
when she reached the bottom of the ladder
dozen injured persons were brought from
the ruins by the f1reren, many of them
with broken limbs. OF these rescues. that
OF Frederick Vidal a stereotyper. was the
most daring.
Half an hour after the f1remen reached
the building Vidal was heard groaning and
was found under a girder. from which he
could not be dislodEeG. Despite the fact
that the flames were creeping perilousIy
near, three fremen began 10 cut it away,
and stuck to their task. In the crowd out
side was Father Martin. When he heard
of the fight against death ne went into the
building and administered the last rites of
the Church TO the semi-conscious man
Finally. however the beam was cut
through and Vidal released not moment
too soon Both his legs and some OF his
ribs were broken.
Some Narrow Escapez
Every member or the editorial staff es-
capped unframed, their quarters being in
the front OF the building. John c. Walsh
the editor OF the paper, and the members
of his staff were rescued from the windows
by the firemen.
Frederick Maloney, z linotype operator,
had machine placed at a point most dis
tant from the Victoria Square windows.
He arose from his chair in alarm, and rs
he did so the machine on which he had
been working disappeared through the floor.
The edge of the preak came just in front
of his chair.
James Coady, pressnan. who worked on
the second floor, fell through the crevice. |
He thinks the press fell with him. He
landed on the next floor and found himself
next TO the glass partition separating the
main lob pressroom from the business Of
fee. Through this he broke his way and
esca ped by the front door.
The fire started in tho stereotyping de- |
uartnent the Goals from the furnaces evil |
IDENTIFY being distributed on the different
floors through which the pots passed on |
their way to the basement. for the fire ap-
peared to start almost simultaneously on |
all the lower floors. Later il broke out in !
the front of the building. presumably from |
the ignition of the gas supply of the limo
type machines which went through the /
floors.
The cause of the disaster was the break |
ing OF the supports of the tank of the /
sprinkler system. This tank was located I
about the centre Of the building and 4 little I
70 the rear The building has frontage OF .
about sixty feet and was an old structure, /
remodelled for the purposes Of the news
naper and it's JOB department.. Originally !
two stores heavy stone wall ran through /
me centre. from front to rear. From this
rlElQl0S Wal ~ tic ridV wan S'cVi eAi
had been planted, and upon these the tank
rested As the tank was found on the
other side Of the wall from that OF which
il was placed the suppcsition is that this
centre wall gave way.
The building inspector stated that he had
examined the building when some changes
we're made year ago, and found every
thing all right The architects also certi-
fed that il was safe.
The building was valued at $4,000 and
mas owned by the Herald Company while
the valuation Of the plant is placed at
,2nn M About half the linotype battery re
n7ajned in position, and il is believed that
the two newspaper presses located in the
Losen,Ant near the Victoria Square front
sze we're not seriously damaged. The re-
-,ainde- of the plant il hopelessly wrecked
The insurance on the building and plant
ar,o,,nted TO 81, 900. 1t IS estimated that
the Insurance liability will reach about 50
nor cent Of this amount
THE Herald" appeared this evening as
an eigl1t-page paper, arrangements having
80, made with THE Gazette" TO continue
I,e publication until new quarters can be
zac,,red This is the sixth time in the last
+t,ir-z--two years in which The Herald"
has been burned out
MAN KNrW WHAT tn M