The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-05-17 00:00:00

FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT AT Tur WESTMINSTER
PALACE CoMPANY'S HOTEL WORKS.

GREAT LO DI or uric AND NIVEIAL ?LIMNS
IXACEIND.

On Friday coon lug last, about haltpaat 6 o'clock, an
accident of • moat deplorable nature, attended
with the sacrifice of five human beings, and serious
if not fatal cum.equeuces to eight other per-
sons; happened at the works connected with the con-
struction of the great hotel, situate at the curlier of New
Victoria-street, Westminster. Thin iuulnenne structure,
which was being built with all possible dispatch, be-
longed to the Went aaa i l ister Palace Company. (Limited.)
The building had been cas ried up, from external ap-
pearances, between 80 and 90 feet, with a quadrangle
in the centre, and in order to proceed with the work on
the out,ide of this department it was found necessary
to have a number of adages erected for the men to stand
. . . .

-.At-6
o'clock Friday morning the men went to their
work at the usual places allotted to them, amongst whom
were 13 bricklayenand labourenieuiployed on the upper
stage. About half-amliour afterwards, quite on a sud-
den, owing to the accumulation of bricks and mortar,
and the weight of the men, the stage snapped asunder
about the middle, and the whole of the 13 men were
hurled to the bottom, a distance of 70 feet at least, fall-
ing upon each other, and covered with bricks and rub-
bish. An alarm was immediately given, and men from
all harts of the building came to rescue their unfortu-
nate companions. The whole thirteen were rescued in
a very short time, and conveyed to the Westminster
Hospital, when a fearful sight hiresented itself. Not one
had escaped from being fearfully mangled; some had
broken heads, fractured legs, broken faces, dislocated
necks, and other injuries too frightful to particularise.
The unfortunate persons were at once seen and attended
to by Drs. Hillman and 0 Dare, who directly declared
four of the partied to be dead, anal another died about
three hours afterwards; and they held out no hopes of
any of the other aufferers recovering.
The following is a list of the dead ; Edward Sullivan,
John MCmimmglm, Cornelius Buckley, Peter Forbes, and
John Carroll.

tieriou.ly (supposed fatally) injured : Michael
Grogan, Joules Caton, Iliebael Carron, Dennis Cartey,
Edward Newman, Ifiehrel Irving, Jana* Mack, and •
luau named Cakill.

Mr. Inspector Humphries and a strong body of the B
division of police are at the present time busily em•
',hoed in keeping nany thousand spectators and friends
of the sufferers out of danger—a work of no small
difficulty.
LITER PARTICULAR/I.—lt would be inipossible to de-
scribe the same of distress in the vicinity of tl o build.
hip and the Westminster Hospital. Women slid chil-
dren, who hare not seen their husbands and fathers
return home to dinner, apprehensive that they have
perished, have completely surrounded the hospital, taken
possession of the steps, 61, that it has been absolutely
necessary to have • reinforcement of police to keep the
poor cre.Xures back. Mr. Slyer,' the contractor has
given instructions that every attention shall be paid to
the bereaved, but as moat of the deceased were Irish,
their friends are loud and clamorous iii their entreaties
In he allowed to enter the huspitsl to "wake them."
!Such • proaseiling, however, cannot for one moment be
entertained. The eight remaining sufferers are described
to be in an extremely dangerous condition, and three, if
not four in a state of art wale snort U.