Show CoSI apse of a big j m albany f new brings disaster to many men aard girss rescuers laboring to reach them 1 A albany N Y aug 8 over a hundred persons a large majority of them girls were buried beneath a smother of brick wood and plaster this morning when the central portion of the large de apartment part ment store of the john Q meyers company collapsed from root to cellar the wrecked portion in eluded nearly one half of the store scores ot rescuers searching among the ruins up to had brought out only 25 injured three of these died after reaching the hospitals at that time were unaccounted tor and it is certain that at least half of these are still beneath the mound of debris about persons are on the firms payroll but some 60 of these on their vacations albany N Y aug 8 three hundred persons employed in the large department store of the john G mey ers estate at nos sa 41 orth peal treet had just gone to work this morning when the whole center of the building collapsed from root to cellar nearly a hundred men girls and children were carried down in tho wreck the first estimate placed th e number of billed and injured at 40 up to 1030 there had been taken from the ruins 76 persons halt of whom were seriously injured the manager of the store at that time made the statement that there were BO more underneath the ruins up to U clock one dead body had been removed there Is no doubt that when the rescuers reach the bottom of the heap ot debris they will find a number bf dead the catastrophe which Is the worst foff tn the cites history oo 00 burred shortly before 9 the slayers estate had been making extensive repairs on its building this morning gang of italian workmen i started to remove an iron pillar that I 1 supported the data floor evidently 1 they tad tailed to brace the floor properly for scarcely had they loosened the post when down came all three upper floore within a radius of fifty feet from the fatal pillars the wreck crashed through to the cellar burying the workmen and carrying down thosa who happened to be working in that portion of the building the alra department wari called out and the work of rescue began at once the nature of the accident the number of persons who escaped with only slight injuries Is remark rable the scene which followed the col elapse i indescribable most ot those injured were young women the collapse occurred at without warning telephone communication was sent to the various hospitals and doctors throughout the city and in halt an hour 25 doctors and four i ambulances were on the scene the various stores in abe neighborhood were turned into emergency and mattresses were brought from various department stores tor the care of the victims the work of digging the victims out was conducted bj the members of the fire and police departments and city laborers the scenes about the building were as pitiable as those within several hundred relatives of employed emp loyes were there and their supplications ions as to the welfare of the loved ones were heartrending it Is believed at this hour that hob ert M chalmers a member of the fannis missing A clerk with whom he was the crash came and who escaped said he was at my side and then there was the crash and I saw him no more there is now absolutely no way to get tidings of those in the building it will take several hours to dig out all the victims edward J coraine Ho raine one of tho clerks atthe at the mens furnishing counters was among the fortunate ones to get out without a scratch he assist ed in removing about 30 girls toa neighboring store it happened all in a minute said he iwas engaged la getting my stock in shape and there were not a half dozen customers in the store within my vision a that time 1 I heard a roaring and a tearing sound then the crash came the shrieks that followed drowned cut every other sound many of the girls sank behind counters and had to be dragged out in a ta inting condition thal work of rescue was soon b gaia firemen and laborers worked with clerks and business and professional men who had heard the crash on their way to their offices avei contractor who bad men employed iu the city suspended work and offered assistance and within an hour after the building fell the laborers were arriving by tho wagon load in the rear ot the store on james street a score of employed emp loyes were found imprisoned in the cellar whore they had been thrown from the floors above most of them recovered con ness and several directed the work of rescue thus far only one has been taken out of ohp ruins who is not an employed emp loye was mrs richard 0 bassett wife of an attorney her injuries are serious her husband whose Is near the store had been working among tho rescuers tor an hour when aho was found the dead are nellie burns bertha cunningham and miss mcavery Mc Every rob ert B cemena Cemen 3 a member of the firm was caught on the upper floors and went down with the debris he was dug out beneath a mass of plaster beams and broken timbers hla right leg atis broken and ho was badly bruised up to 3 the only identified dead was ailes bertha cunningham j the number of deaths is now generally estimated at from 20 to 30 the body of minnie T westfall has just been discovered two other bodies are in sight |