NEW BUILDING COLLAPSES

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 38, 29 September 1911, Page 4

NEW BUILDING COLLAPSES

CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE

For the past month or so Mr N. J. King lias been engaged in the election of a new two-storey wood and iron premises on the corner of Broadway and Regan Street for Mr S. H. James, and up to yesterday good piogress had been made, tlie outside walls and the second floor 'mug in position and :'.e rv-f in a 10-vird state. But last night and early this morning there acre a n,.mlo' of sudden and severe wina squalls. .vi.ieli strained the balding confide,..'3y, which is not !o l,« woad-re! rt in view of the fact that a dead wall 90ft. by 30ft was presented almost in the face of the prevailing wind. The straining culminated at 7.30 o’clock this morning, when the whole structure crashed over towards the railway line. The near line was obstructed, but a gang of men quickly cleared the track. The building fell on the railway tanks, but beyond u ladder torn off there does not apjvmr to be any further damage in Ihia direction. Mr King was to have finished his work in three weeks’ time. All the material in the building has been considerably damaged, but at present Mr King is not prepared to estimate how much the collapse will cost. Apparently the only consolation in the circumstances is that the accident happened when it did, and not later—if it had happened after work had started for the day, it voukl have been almost impossible for anybody inside the building to escape death.