The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-10-22
ST0n{H0u'E C0IlAPSEs
bURy|HG DURHAM ALIVE
Maeo Milling Company's Grain Ware
house, Overloaded, Falls
Into Street.

Into Street.
Saggins under the weight OF nun
sireds of thousands 81 pounds OF grain
the floors Of the stofehouse OF the
MAYO Milling Company at Tenth and
Byrd Streets yesterday morning gave
way and the building, a four story
brick structure, collapsed, Great
clouds at duSt arose into the alr
and out from under the mass came
the cries Of Joe Durham. zl0s Ed
wards STREET South kichmon fore
man, who had been buried alVe IN
the wreck. Twenty minutes later he
was dug out hY firemen and hut-
riesl away In the city ambulance to
tho Virginia Hospital. where, last
night, his condition was reported az
promising early recovery
The structure will he alnaSt total
loss Contractors " no started 10 wofk
I YESTERDAY afternoon razing the re-
rnainder of the walls Will work IA large
fore, Of men today ia clearing up
VI the wreck The grain. which was
some Of that saved from the recent
elevator fire in Newport News. viii
2 be- A partts, loss Ii was all insured.
fire Insurance having been carried, but
i. was stated laat night that 1t is
doubtful whether the policies VIII be
paid, the loss not being due 10 IRE
There was about 40 900 bushels OF
grain in the building and how much
OF II can he saved If problemaucHt.
Fire Was Feared.
II Beca hSe OF the danger that the IRE
might break ont some apparatus Was
kept al the scene through the day
some Of the grain had been wet IN
the Newport News fire and WIS III ii
I state Of fermentation Much of IL
was much overloaded rs u result
That the building was III danger OF
collaps.ne became apparent Nednes-
II dy afternoon before the force OF
4 seventeen employed in the storehouse
had quit work for the day. 1t -
said that there was "a cracking ana
grooming Of tlmbers and a cracking OF
the walls.
Having had tina, warning the force
went to work cautiously Yesterday
morning shortly afte- ! o'clock AL
hut two left the building Joe Dur
ham who was sewing some grain
sacks, fingered in that portion OF the
frs, floor used all ONCE. Peyton
Banks r3lored an employe stood
near. taking Ia Durham, when the
crash came aud though he escaped
serious injury when the building fen
he was struck by failing brick.
Heard Voice Through Debris.
Durham waa buried completely, No
iATS q! mas iDAN EBHti tN SI'A HA''
fears that he had been crushed to
death moved his brother. Jack Dur
ham. also an employe OF the Mayo
Mllisng Company. to break through
safety lines which had been quickly
thrown around the building by fire
mon and call for help in digging him
out. The rescuers found the work %
removing the debris most difficult
They knew Durham was alive They
- u
finally brought 20 the open air, after
a havv timber beam " hich had laid
across the room, over the body of tn"
mar in such d way as 10 form ii shit Id
against the weight If flooring, grain
and briek--had been sawed IN two
When he was taken cat from under
the wreck his throat was filled with
dust, his head was cut, his collar
hone broken ard his body badly
bruised. The ambulance hurriedly
carried him To the hospital.
The negro. Peyton Banks, slightly
hnrt was treated by physician AT
the scene AN seat 10 his home. 522
Brook Avenue.
When the other employees left the
building moment before the col
larse they gathered nearby. They
were stiil grouped when foreman
OF the company. appearing short
ssme later with payroll list checked
them of as they answered to their
names II was in that way learned
that no one else had been hurt.
sounded Like Explosion.
The falling building gave out roar
not unlike ar explosion and within a
faw minutes a vast crowd had gath
erNd But the firemen, under Chief
Jpynes. and the police under Captain
r. g. 4EoNeii were already theIe. Fire
lines were esta blished around the
MAS OF wreckage and the crowd was
kept al distance. Several fire com
GAMES responded TO call Immediate
II after the collapse and the aremen
did heroic work In clearing away The
debris about the Office in which MIR.
Durham was almost smothered.
Among those who reached the scene
shortly after the collapse was build~
INT Inspector Butler Mr.. Butter said
yeste Sday afternoon that the structure
Appeared III have been solid enough
10 support weigh up to 1850 to the
foot, for which capacity il had been
tested about two years ago. The tim
hers appeared 10 be IA as good CON
ditien yesterday All when the inspec-
lior was made. Tine building in
spectors optrfon was that the build
Ing had hen avertaxed by the ioad-
ine Of '.ae sslvaged gram,
The building was boat fifteen wears
old. lit was formerly occupied by !
~. Vaughan AS tobacco factory
II was iAtsT used for the ga me pur-
pose by T.. w. spicer Some thine
later the Mayo Milling Company
leased 1t as q storage place for grain.
During the sast few weeks shipments
* grain from Newror. News were
sxored IN IL. 1t WAS this grain that
overloaded the floors and caused the
huiidinS 20 weaken and fall