The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1913-01-30
CAUGHT IN FALLING BUILDING.
Eight Killed and Fifteen Hurt in COL
lapse of Department Store.

lapse Oh lI0pdfLI1cuC StOrc.
Mckinney, Tex, Jan. 23.-The
| work of clearing away the wreckage
of the Cheeves Brothers department
store, which collapsed late to-day,
was abandoned at midnight, the
searchers being convinced there were
no more bodies in the ruins. Mayor
| H. A. Finch gave out statement
placing the dead at eight.
Fifteen injured were recovered, six
of whom were seriously hurt. The
others were only slightly injured.
The store had been crowded during
the day by citizens and nearby faml-
lies of farmers attending a bargain
sale. According to Vernie Graves,
the only person known to have es-
capped uninjured from the falling
ruins, there were fully fifty people in
the building at the time of the catas-
trophe.
Without Warning.
Cracking of timbers and sWaylng
of the building were quickly follow
ed by the collapse. Excitement at
tending the accident was increased
by the falling of two-story building
adjoining the department store.
Rescue work was impeded by the
lack of mechanical facilities, and
practically the entire male popula-
ton of Mckinney joined in fighting
the fire and searching the shoulder
ing ruins. News of the disaster
spread quickly and incoming interur-
ban lines brought scores of farmers
who joined in the work.
Cries Spur Rescuers.
Many of those in the ill-fated
building when the collapse came
were women and children. Their
cries spurred the rescue workers ID
their efforts to tetar away the burn
ed and splintered timbers, behind
which the inmates of the building
were pinioned.
Two persons reached by the rescu-
ers lived only a few minutes after
they we're taken from the ruins. An
emergency hospital was hastily con-
structed in nearby building and
physicians from all parts of the town
rushed to the scene to render medl-
cal aid.
Dead and Injured.
The dead: Rose Welch, Miss katle
Milligan, Miss Bessie Wade, Russell
Hight, four years old; N. R. Presley
clerk; Mrs. Mary Stiff, clerk; Miss
Eva searcy, clerk; Leslie Bush, Al
len, Tex.
Seriously injured: Miss Annie Cur
tis, Mrs. Mort Shirley, Mrs. Jennie
Barnett, John Thomas, Mrs. hugh
Kistler. Mrs. Belle. McWilllams'
clerk: Anna Graves Kistler, Miss
lydia Moreland, Miss Lula Searcy,
clerk: Miss Stella Russell; Miss Cas-
sic seay, Miss Wick Graves.
Two of the dead were taken from
the debris alive, but died within an
hour at a sanitarium. One OF these'
Mrs. Mary Stiff, pleaded with the
iremen working in the tangled mass
above her to kill her as the fre was
rapidly reaching her. She was
brought out barely alive. N. R. Pres
lev talked with the fremen as they
tore away the wreck, directed by the
sound of his voice. He was dead
when they reached him.
L. W. Busch, a capitalist, OF Nc
Kinney. is believed to be among those
still pinioned beneath the wreckage'
Presley told those endeavoring to
rescue him that Bush was on the op-
posite side of the counter from MIN
when the building fell.
Another Building Collapses.
The building adjoining the Chee-
YES Brothers establishment was occu-
pied by a farm implement concern.
The collapse of wall in the lmple-
ment house threw it's weight against
the corner building, and, with a noise
that Jared the town to its founda-
tions. both sank into ruins.
At the harsh cracking of timbers'
clerks and customers alike broke for
the streets. Pressed outward by the
weight of the heavy stock, the wall
of the implement store swayed, sag
eed and burst through into the de-
partment store, and in an instant
hundreds of tons of merchandise and
the wrecked and shattered building
material rained in heap into the
deppartment store, flying thlrty-hve
feet in the air. Jagged timber stuck
from the mass.
After a moment of stunned actlvl-
ty, hundreds of rescuers pitched INTO