New-York tribune., 1920-12-02

at F1tty-second street and Seventh
Avenue, was glancing from his windo,
at the time Paralyzed by the sight,
ne stood motiQpless while the windows
If his own establishment crashed about
him.
1t looked as though the entire Strath-
more Building top9led. collapsed and
slid into Fifty second Street, he said
The dust Of bricks and mortar hung
over the scene like q smoke cloud, OBJ
scuring His view almost immediately,
but he said that at the moment OF q
crash several persons were passing
the building on the sidewalk
When the cloud of dust cleared the
sidewalk was buried six feet deep in
wreckage, and the pile extended almost
all the way across Fifty-second Street
As soon rs he recovered from the
shock Mr.. O'Gorman ran to a fire
alatm box and sent IN an alarm. Then
ne telephoned for the police By the
time he returned to his Office men and
women, covered with dust and some Of
them bleeding from cuts. were clam
berlng over the heap of debris.
They had bs9n in the office of the
Sidney Rowman Automobile Company,
and at the first jarring rumble which
cracHcd the giass IN their show win
dows had jumped through the glass.
landing srrawling 50 close to the wall
OF the building that they received some
protection from the shower of bricks
that came cascading into the street
he thirty or more workmcn en-
pioyed on the Alteration had stopped
work TWO or three minutes before the /
crash. Some Of them are thought to /
have left the building. Others were
on the second floor where their locker /
loom was. changing their clothes and .
putting away their tools
Saw Smith Buried
Among the latter were Smith, the
man believed to be dead. Wacchtei
and Lynch. The three were talking TO-
gether as they prepared to go home.
IT was like the bottom OF the earth
Hropped out, said Waechter later
We quit work at 4:25 o'clock and
smith, Lynch And | were on the Broad
way side putting away our tools and
citing into our street clothes when
there was a loud roar and rumble
then came deafening crash. which
was followed by cloud of dust and
Ealing bricks.
"Lynch and stood stiff. too
rirh.caed to move saw Smith with
- awful look on his face run toward
ire atalrs. which were on the Fifty
second Street side He shouted back
% MS: The buildings falling!
"Nh hen he reached the stairs a
shower Of bricks end mortar buried
~, That's the last saw of him.
inch md jumped through a
IN their leap Wacchter and Lynch
ecaNo oncanc.ed in canvas sign over
ne aut mobile salesroom and dangled
for ~, mcNt.- head down, halfway be-
tween the second floor and the street
with an effort, they twisted themselves
Upward Until they coul1 grasp the can
'ss Wiz their hands. after which they
reed their legs anG dropped to the
Down i'll the salesroom Of the Sidney
Bown an Automobile Company not all
sc occupants had got out Mn. Spangler
.llcf manager of the place. was at q
..l1'luC fountain under staircase
wien the crash came.
Girl Directs Her Rescue
Il would have been choked to DEATH
he 5.1.ci~islsss.'st, hadn't put my sleeve
over MY H7sse Sana- br4athed that way"J
Srangler, Though. hemmed in by
aller brickg and rirders, had escaped
being knocked down and overwhelmed
s7G WIS tee frs victim sighted by the
're'Nen who cdlve from all directions.
= HE hey We're at work dismantling
-he Hile cf bricks which imprisoned
him enc OF the tiremer saw the face OF
9sr4s szailag ct him above another
heap Of bricks.
Il was Miss Kline, Spangler's stenog-
raphtr seventeen years old. She had
been busied up 70 her chin as she sat at
ne- d-sS. As the f-emen began to pull
dcwn the - lwarks about her she di-
IL.
heavier girders mign. not be released
sudder.y and crush her.
~t.ren t ycu nar-!' demanded one
= the toling dremen Of the smiling
sri.
We'll, In not comfortable" she re-
Piled- My feet a~e doubled up under
lac. hu- ! CO st-aishten them out all
right il you get no out Of this"
:. W G-o51c2 also was dug out of
1he ruins q the automobile salesroorn
a7d the firenea were looking about for
othe- viclsna when there was ar
.~,-airoUs c-acSiag and Deputy Chief
A:ag ordered them back. Bricks had
colapse-som sometimes CARLOAD of
thr,, a onre. bat Chief King recog-
nized this as something different.
Il va. Scarcely had the 6remen
withdrawn when more OF the building
INC crashing down.
NJ BowDa1, president Of the auto
mobile sales pany, arrived about
tI.S time a--d took =. cansus Of his
employees, which showed that all Of
men al least had been accounted for
" tnesSes SAID that a man VINO jumped
from the second floor was buried under
me debris OF the sidewalk, but, if go.
as case ~2a judged 20 be hopeless. and
Iniel kea.0a, who took command of the
:.renen, ordered his men to risk their
iiyes no further a. present
Before they abandoned the building
'or tne night rne Nremel penetrated TO
ne worSmen's locker room and there
discovered, they reported, three suits
ot street clothes. This discovery led
Nom 70 believe that at least three men
besides Smith. who had changed his
clothes, perished inside the building.
Darkness added to the confusion
when the hremcn first reached the
scene. Il. s. Fuid, motion picture
man, Who 9r@spe1 the situation and IT'S
posF' hlAHes quickly, relieved them of
ihi9 f4nd!cap, however. He telcphoned
10 the Sunlight Arc Corporation, of 218
"est F4rtieth Street, which supplies
1000 agnts 20 motion picture com
paries ~ nlght. and in few minutes
notDi tr4cI carrying two food lights
oi l9J.ooy candle power each drove up