A tragic Friday the 13th as downtown Elmira walkway collapsed in 1930
The Star-Gazette reported some bad news. It was Friday the 13th, June 1930. Rush hour traffic was heavy downtown when a roar echoed through the streets at 4:55 p.m. A wooden walkway on Main Street between the Gorton Coy building and Iszard’s department store collapsed into a 15-foot hole. The crashing walkway took with it 24 pedestrians. A child died instantly: Maria Smolka, age 11, of Elmira Heights. Other people suffered broken legs, arms, skulls, collarbones, fractured ribs, and many lacerations, abrasions, contusions, concussions, sprains, shock and lots of blood. Screaming and suffe...
Source: stargazette.com