Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-03-07
WEDNESDAY
March z, 1917
RUINS BURY GIRL
( ASFACTORY FALLS
Firemen Rescue Y oun G
Bookkeeper After Maca-
roni Building Collapses
S2 MEN FLEE TO SAFETY

The macaroni factory of Luigi verna, a
thIee-story brick and frame building at
1021-23-25 South Ninth street, collapsed to-
day. falling into a mass of wreckage about
twenty-five feet high and burying Verna's
siehteen-year-od bookkeeper, Ida Cppola,
Of 1881 Morris street
For an hour and half the girl lay moan
ing beneath the ruins while scores of fire
men, encouraged by 5000 persons, tunneled
lifted and bored their way to her.
Once, when it seemed that there would
be n further collapse of the ruins Father
Mundi of St Pauls Catholic Church. Tenth
and Christian streets, crawled in and ad-
minstered the last rites of the Church
20 the girl through several feet of lumber.
Al 1880 she was taken out and hurried
to the Pennsylvania Hospital She is suf-
ferring from cuts, bruises and shock.
REASON NOT KNOWN
No reason is known for the failure Of
the building but the authorities are inves-
tigating John Esposo, the engineer of the
plant noticed that the building shook and
rocked in curious manner. He jumped to
his lever, shut off the power and then made
up the stairs for the street. calling out
warning as he did So
Thirty-two men We're at work in the sec
ond and third stories of the place. They
tumbled over one another down the stairs,
some of them actually falling. and ran out
on Ninth street The proprietor ran from
his Office near the front Of the building and
behind him came the cashier, Filomena
Flacco, eighteen years old.
With a rumble and roar that could be
heard for n mile the old building fell in,
raising a great cloud Of dust and send
ing the people shriek!ng from nelghboring
houses Some one turned in firm alarm.
The police at the Seventh and Carpenter
streets station leaped for their coats and
twenty of them ran up to the scene of the
accident. Soon the fire bells changed along.
II At first there was 50 much confusion
that nothing could be heard and it re-
ported that score had been buried. Then
series of prolonged screams came up from
under the wreckage and the iiremen went
TO work
ITS me-" cried the girl. Ida C'ppola.
I'm down here--down this way"
And aided by her directions the fremen
finally found her about twenty-five feet from
liberty Carefully they started TO tunnel.
working easily this way and that, building
up braces while taking out the debris lest
q further collapse result
CROWD CHEERS FIREMEN
At this time the crowd surged up shout
ing and cheering the 1remen on. The po-
lice had to fight them back. At last 1t
was found the girl could be touched, but
she was pinoned against the radiator in
what had been the office. Doctors and
priests had come, hearing that many had
been killed
Or. ~. =. Levitt was able to get hold Of
the girls arm and give her several morphine
injections to relieve her pain. Still, how
ever, she was moaning with pain
Send word to the folks" she pleaded
with those around the building. Tell them
I'm not dead tell them not to bother, I'll
soon be out"
II x,.ns Saen that cha moe 0rv,I,. fogtopoI
and priest went i'm to her. Shortly after
that the fremen succeeded in releasing her.
They had tunneled nearly thirty feet. AS
she was borne out IN a stretcher the
people began to cheer and shout in Italian
rs she dead? Is she dcad?" At the Penn
sylvania Hospital it was said that she was
suffering merely from bruises. cuts and
shock, Heavy timber had miracuously
formed a kind Of arch over her and kept
her from serious injury
Shortly after the girl arrived at the hos
pital her mother, Mrs Vincenza Cippoa.
was brought In, suffering from hystera The
suspense of waiting while her daughter was
released from the ruins had proved too
much for the mother. who had started to
tear her hair and run screaming about the
streets.
Ten-year-old Molly Riccardi. 9lO Kim
ball street whose mother Keeps fruit
stand in the shadow of the factory at Ninth
and Kimball streets, ran into the office of
the plant ard rescued her mother who had
tainted as she heard the shouts of the
men and felt the building begin to settle.
The vreckage of the building is of
nearly the same height as was the factory
before il collapsed. Many persons were
passing on both Ninth apd Kmball streets.
but comparatively little of the wreck fell
in those streets. The hui ding. which was
an old one. just seemed to settle in the mid
die and collapse upon itself.