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Submitted: 9/8/16 • Approved: 9/9/16 • Last Updated: 3/25/18 • R109946-G0-S3
Austin 1902 - 1936
Born in Ellis County, Texas and
died in Amarillo, Potter County, Texas
Son of George Mitchell Williams and Georgia Ann Bates Williams. They are buried in Thornton Cemetery, Thornton, Limestone County, Texas He was a child of 9 children.
Killed in the Line of DutyWhile employed by the Amarillo Fire Dept. Austin was killed by a falling brick wall. He tried to save his engine from the falling bricks but did not get out of the way in time.
-Anonymous
*Obituary
Amarillo Daily News
Published June 13, 1973
Austin M. Williams was the first to die in the line of duty [with the Amarillo Fire Department] at almost the same time on the same day of the week back in 1936.
Williams was killed when he was crushed beneath a wall of collapsed brick at 2:30 a.m. Friday, May 7, 1936.
Williams and two other firemen, Frank Taggert and Tom Spencer, were pouring water on flames at a loading dock of Bishop's Warehouse in the 500 block of S. Grant.
Williams was 33 years old at the time and had been with the force 10 years.
He and the two other firemen had been on the loading dock trying to extinguish the blaze before it spread to surrounding buildings. They heard the main wall beginning to collapse on top of them.
While they were scrambling away from the building, the wall of the warehouse collapsed.
Williams was almost directly under the plunging two-story wall.
Spencer recalled later, "Those bricks were terribly hot. I know they must have burned their hands (when trying to save Williams), but they didn't stop for anything until they had recovered the body."
Firemen never determined the cause of the blaze that killed Williams, who left a wife and two small children.
The newspapers of the day recorded it, "Flames Take One Life and Toll of $500,000."
Obituary provided by Edith.
Violet 1905 - 1986
Married (1) Austin McCollugh Williams
(2) Robert F Ziegler
Plot: R10 28
Contributed on 9/8/16
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Record #: 109946