Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-03-23
A MIRACULOUS
ESCAPE BY GIRL
At B|DDEF0RD
Bookkeeper in Farmers Store
Uninjured when Floor
Collapses

Biddeford. Me-, March ea.-Miss Ag-
mes NJ. Donahue. bookkeeper in the
Farmers Store on Upper Main street.
owned by Andrews & Horigan, mirac-
ulously escaped instant death when the
| third floor of the big three story struc-
ture collapsed onto the second floor and
| carried away portion Of the first floor
about $50 Monday afternoon, burying
Miss Donahue in the debris, crushing
the chair in which she was seated like
paper mache, but only slightly bruis-
ing her.
Tons Of Grain Dumped
From $4,000 to $4,000 tone of grain
and salt together with a big grain
! cleaning machine We're dumped onto the
first floor and SO great was the sud-
den and complete pressure that the
sides of the building bulged outward
eight inches
John 7. Garside. a fireman off duty.
was one of the first on the scene and
, he dug feverishly with his bare hands
! to liberate the imprisoned young Wo-
man. He tore his fingers until they
bled and finally after piece three feet
square had been sawed out of the side
of the building he crawled through and
brought out the bookkeeper.
Two Narrow Escapes
The accident was just after Sidney
Harris and Edward Nalliere had turn
ed in their cash slips to Miss Don
ahue. They had just left the office
and were at the outer door of the store
ly,-1,n
manned they would have been killed
The floors went down with thun-
der that could be heard several blocks
away and called big crowd instantly
to the scene.
Miss Donahue was in the Office a
short distance from the door and when
the thousands of tons Of debris piled
up on the floor a space just big enough
for her was left. The debris piled up
around her and her legs were buried
in the grain, floor timbers and salt and
she was in utter darkness.
Crow bars were brought into play,
but it was impossible to effect an en-
trance big enough to get her with
such tools and an entrance had to be
sawed in the building
Safe Door Torn OF
A lighted gas stove was in the office
with Miss Donahue, but, strange to
say, the pipes were not broken and
Ernest Horigan. son Of Hon. Cornelius
Horigan, managed to get in and turn
off the gas. A big safe was standing
near by with its door opened and the
door was torn from it's iron hinges.
No one expected Miss Donahue was
alive until she treasured her little
brother Bud" who was crying bitter
ly while men worked feverishly to get
the young woman out, by saying:
Don't cry Bud, amt hurt" DR.. l..
A. Struthers of Trull hospital had
been hurriedly summoned and as soon
as the imprisoned woman was brought
out he made an examination and
found no bones broken and with only
Slight bruises on her face and limbs.
Heard An Explosion
Some of the neighbors claim they
heard an explosion before the crash
came. but this is somewhat doubted.
1t is impossible to place the cause as
yet. The firm was carrying less than
their usual amount of grain and the
building which had been erected some
years was stout Of beam and of good
architecture, believed to be strong and
durable for many tons more than went
through the floors.
The building is three stories high OF
wood with fiat roof. Grain and sal
we're on the two floors. The third floor
was 90 feet high and the second 10
feet high.
A big crew Of men will start work
tomorrow to clear the place up anu
mt the building in shape for the con-
tinuation of business.