The Washington herald., 1913-07-31
BUILDINGBL0WN
down; z KILLED
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.

He then rushed back to the wrecked
building and risked his life time and
| again in efforts to rescue the injured.
Alone he dragged three injured men from
under the debris. Policeman Freewalt
dragged out two men and a woman.
! Katherine McMahan.
In the work of rescue the police were
| aided by two truck companies and an
engine company under direction of Chief
Wagner which responded to an alarm
sounded by the first police to reach the
scene. b. F. Saul, president of the real
estate company which occupied the
building and also president Of the Home
Savings Bank, was attending a board
meeting at the bank when he received
word OF the crash. He at once hurried
to the scene, in the meanwhile having
a big gang of laborers ordered out to
clear away the wreckage.
AmbuInnces on the Scene.
The ffremen. augmented by about fifty
labOrers, made quick work of the debris.
Ambulances from two hospitals and pa
troll wagons from three precincts were
pressed into use to hurry the injured
10 hospitals. Thomas Fealy was taken
from under the piled-up bricks on the
pavement dead. but the body was rushed
to Homeopathic Hospital as last hope.
Walter f. Hilton next was taken from
the wreckage, a spark of life still burn.
ing. He was dead before the ambu-
lance reached Casualty Hospital. Mrs
Hilton, who has been seriously i'll at her
home, 140l Delafield Place, for several
months, when she heard of the accident
TO her husband, despite all that nurses
and relatives could do to dissuade her.
hurried to the hospital in an automobile.
She found her husband dead. She is IN
:; state of collapse and may die.
Only half an hour before he lost his
life Mr.. Hilton had stopped at an F
Street florists and sent a huge bunch
OF roses to his wife. with Idpe. from
Walter" he had written on the carl.
! The roses arrived at the stricken home
AS the hysterical wife returned from her
trip to the hospital.
Rear Wall Ordered Down.
Even after all the employees of the COM
pany. who were known to be in the
building at the time, had been accounted
for, the firemen and laborers continued
their work of excavation, fearing that
some persons may have run in out of
the storm and been caught in the COL
lapse. When it was definitely deter
mined. after o'clock. that such was not
the case. Fire Chief Wagner ordered the
rear wall, which alone had remained
standing. to be torn down. in order to
prevent danger during the night.
The Saul Building was one of the old
est structures in the city 1t was about
fifty years old. and belonged to the Nor
man estate. 1t was three stories high.
with a basement, and was constructed of
red brick.
Among the first of those not IN the I'm
mediate neignborhood to reach the
scene of the disaster were three Catholic
priests. They were Rev. Eugene ]. Con-
nelly, of the Immaculate Conception
Church; Rev. Ignatius Fealy, Of St
Joseph's Church, and Rev. Frank
Bishoff, of the Church of the Nativity.
The three clergymen were allowed to
pass the lines of the police and fire de-
partment, and gave aid in the work OF
rescue. A pathetic incident was the
fact that the young clergyman from st.
Joseph's Church, who had rushed to the
scene in an automobile in order to give
aid to the injured, found that his own
father, Thomas Fealy, Of 81 New York
Avenue Northwest, was among the
killed.
Prompt Action by Doctor.
Prompt action on the part Of DR.. Will
lam Kelly, of Casualty Hospital, who
was the first physician on the ground.
probably saved many lives. Jumping
from his ambulance, he rushed down
into the cellar of the building, almost
into the jaws of death. Above him were
the ruins of the building, liable to fall
in. The sights that confronted him were
narrowing.
in one place I saw a mans leg tutting
out" said DIR. Kelly. Il realized that the
only thing to do in order to save the
mans life was to administer an opiate.
Casting aside the debris. finally reached
him. He was taken above in the ele-
vator."
Miss Catherine Brean, who was work.
ing on the first floor when the crash
came, fell through to the cellar when the
flooring gave way. She was one Of the
first to be rescued by DIR. Kelly. She
was placed IN the Casualty Hospital am
bulance. Her condition is not considered
critical, her chief suffering being due to
shock.
William Behrens, who lives In the
vicinity Of Seventh and L Streets North
west, was in the real estate office until
a few minutes before the crash. His
decision to leave, in order to close his
windows, only about two minutes before
the disaster, saved his life.
Fell Through to Cellar.
ct was standing at the window near
Mr. Hilton when the storm broke" stated
Neal Hough at Casualty Hospital last
night. ''The first sign OF the coming dis
aster was a few falling bricks. There
was q wild scramble. Some one whizzed
through the door. I started to follow
him, but was struck just as was about
to pass through the doorway. There was
a mighty crash and I fell through to
the cellar Soon after DR.. Kelly grabbed
me and found myself in an ambulance
on the way to the hospital"
Walter Z. Hilton was about thirty-fv
years old. He was well known among
real estate dealers Of Washington as an
authority on property in the Capital.
He was a member Of the Chamber Of
Commerce.
He lad been connected with Mr.. SaurJ
firm for the last ten years He IL sur
vived by his wife, who was formerly
Miss Miriam Bangs; his mother. and
two brothers, one of them lives in WASH
ington. and the other in the West
Thomas Fealy was well known in
Catholic circles. and for many years had