Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-08-02

Main Street. two doors west Of the
failroad Y. NJ. c. A. collapsed. Tho
whole OF the building, with the cxcep-
ton OF the rear wall and a bit OF tho
roof fell in. and bricks and mortar
were hung TO the middle OF the street.
Shockoe Creek runs directly beneath
tho building. It's overflow had under
mined the foundations. and tho building
collapsed In n second
WILD SCENES OF ALARM
AS BUILDING COLLAPSES
People living on the opposite side OF
tho street rushed out of their homes as
~ there had been an earthquake.
White faced mothers, with babies
hanging to their necks. ran out into the
rain and stood shivering on the side
walk until policemen thrust them into
the shelter of awnings. Men came out
hatless and coatle3s. The crowd in
creased.
II was thought that Jacobini, who
had rented the ground floor of the
building for u confectionery shop and
pooiroom, had been caught in the ruin.
Friends found him later. He was the
last man TO leave the building, and he
had been gone but a moment when tho
collapse came. He had just spent $500
in fitting and eouipping the shop.
Within another hour the building
plctc. An insecure building remained
standing between the pile OF fallen
mortar and brick and the Railroad Y.
NJ. c. a.. and the police ordered every
man to leave the association rooms.
Building Inspector Butler and all his
assistants were called to the scene 1t
was too late for them to com pletc the
demolition OF tho first building which
caved in, and street car service was
stopped and the danger zone roped off.
Police were detailed TO stand watch
through the night.
BUILDINGS WRECKED
BY RUSHING WATERS
The rear 1vall OF Baldwin e Browns
warehouse in the alley running east
and west in the rear Of Main stree.
also cavcd in, and further damage was
done. The front of Scotts drugstore,
1917 East Franklin Street, was wreck ed.
and the sidewalk on both sides WAS
torn up as If tho wreckagc had been
purposcly wrought. Here again the tide
had risen several feet above the side
walk level and a large amount Of stock
was damaged. The grocery story Of l..
Ii. Mundin, 1908 East Franklin Street,
suffered damage in like manner and IN
equal degree
Reports OF havoc wrought by the
storm In other portions Of the city
dribbled in to police and fire headquar-
ters throughout the night. The bleach
crs in the Broad Street baseball park
were blown from their supports and
flung into the field like kindling wood.
In the West End there was hail. and
windows that were not blown in were
smashed by the stones OF ice. Awnings
were ripped like paper from iron stands.
Roof signs were blown down and show
cases and board signs were smashed
as the gale flung them together.
r.
rising from the plant OF the Jacob Dold
Packing Company. 3oI-3ll North
Seventeenth street. and shattered 1t
Ike china. The wind picked up the
loosened bricks and dropped them in
front OF the First Police Station,
square away. Three mon saw the bricks
hurting through the air and lodged in
time. They sought refuge in the police
station, and remained there until the
danger was gone.
SERVICE
SUSPENDS FOR ONE HOUR
Telephone and telegraph companies
were seriously interrupted in their SER
vice, and several hundred men VIII be
put TO work to-day to repair the dam
age.
Manager A S Tanner. OF the Chcsa-
peake and Potomac Telephone Com
pany. said that 1000 phones had been
put out of commission by the storm.
and that lightning had struck and rem
dered useless fifteen large overhead
cables. Both the Westhampton and
the Northside cables were put out OF
service. All OF the long distance lines
were temporarily disarrangcd, and last
night the lines between Richmond and
Petersburg, Norfolk and Ashland were
still down. More than 100 poles were
blown down by the gale. and in many
places uprooted trees arc resting
against the wires. Mr. Tanner said
that II would take until tomorrow
night TO repair the damage He put $50
men out last night and will keep them
at work until all the lines are in SER
vice again.
At 1870 o'clock, when the storm was
and gashed with livid flashes Of light
ming. the whole telephone service was
suspended. The atmosphere was SO
surcharged with electricity that 1t was
too dangerous to keep Il switch open.
The service remained suspended for an
hour, and then was resumed slowly
and only by degrees
WIRES Down
IN MANY DIRECTIONS
The Western Union Telegraph Com
pany reported that its wires along the
southern Railway and the Atlantic
Coast Line were down. and that three
poles at Granite had been broken like
reeds The wires between Richmond
ana Lynchburg and Charlotte were
down, and twenty-five wires and five
poles between here and Quantico. on
the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Po-
tomac Railroad, were torn away. The
damage was not localized, for poles in