| Show FORTYFIVE LIVES LOST I Ull 18 t I C bl D EaV Terrible Disaster Occurs at Zacatecas Mexico t MARKETHOUSE COLLAPSES Firo Had Broken Out in the Big Building and While the Populace Were linking nn Effort to Stay the Progress of the Flames the Structure Struc-ture Collapsed Burying Many Persons Per-sons in the Euins Number of These Were Cremated Alive Unable Un-able to Get Out of Wreckage San Antonio Texas Dec 22Forty five lives were lost and over a score of persons Injured several oC them so badly that they cannot recover In a lire In Zacatecas Mcx which broke out In the markQtliousc and caused a collapse of the structure Fifteen bodies were taken from the ruins and a large force Is at work clearing away the debris In order to recover others though there Is no hope that any of those caught In time collapse of the big structure ivlll bo found alive Jt Is Impossible at this time to learn tho names of the victims Among those caught In the collapse were several of the minor ofllclals charged with the management of the building LARGEST BUILDING IX CITY The markethouse was one of the largest buildings In Zucatccaa and was owned by the city Its lover portion por-tion was composed ohlelly of cold storage cellars In which local merchants mer-chants stored their perishable goods and It was in he basement section that the fire originated The llamas had gained such headway when discovered dis-covered that the entire building vas sqen to be doomed and the efforts of the llremen and citizens were directed to saving goods from the storage compartments com-partments In the basement and on the first iloor STRUCTURE COLLAPSED Hundreds of men formed Into gangs and were busily engaged In the work of saving goods when the entire superstructure super-structure weakened by the rapidly spreading lames collapsed without a moments warning crushing and burying dozens of those engaged In the work of salvage Those who escaped es-caped uninjured from the bhizlni ruins were HO panic stricken that It was some time before an organized at tempt at rescue could be made 5 BEGGED TO JtE KILLED Meantime the jnoang and cries of those who had not been killed outright could be heard Manof them begged to be killed before the lire could reach them an they saw there was no hope of rescue The fire department Is poorly equipped and the supply of water inadequate so that no effective resistance could be offered to prevent the spreading of the fire which Jlnally burned itself out leaving many unfortunates un-fortunates burled beneath tons of wreckage S RESCUERS DRIVEN BACK As soon as possible an effort was made to get out the bodies of the dead but the heat drove back the rescuers for hours and only fifteen of those who were nearest the outer walls of the building could be removed re-moved Exactly how many have been killed cannot he known until the ruins are completely cleared away and this work with the primitive methods in use will occupy days BUILDING A HANDSOME ONE The markethouse was ono of the hamlsomnst buildings in the city and was erected only a few years ago by the municipality to meet the demands of growing business It coat over 150000 and in Jt were stored stocks of merchandise and provisions valued at several thousand dollars more It was one of the chief sources of revenue reve-nue for the city of Zacatecas The Insurance In-surance on It was light and it Is doubtful if it will be rebuilt |
