The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1832-05-08

"~'N ~A"nhhcu Wy III OHIToU. lie mus
have remained under the ruins more thar
two hours, and remarked that during ,ha
time he considered himself in effect,
dend man. His horse, which was stand
ing before the store, was nearly kile.
and the cart crushed to pieces.
The bodies of Mr.. Goddard and Mr.
Stokes have been discovered among the
ruins, but'as yet Il o'clock morning) i,
has been impossible to rescue them on
account Of the superintendent timbers
Mr.Stokes was found with silver pencil
in or near his fingers, with which he had
been writing. The body ofMr. Seymour
has not yet been seen, but there is nu
doubt he shared the melancholy fate ol
Messrs. Goddard and Stokes. A color
ed man, Zone Of the three mentioned at
the beginning Of this articIe) is still a.
live under the ruins, and his groans are
heard at intervals-the more piercing to
those who hear them, because unable to
relieve him from his horrible situation.
He has now lain in this state nearly seven
hours. The efforts Of the 6remen and
others are still continued. To facilitate
their labor amid the darkness ofthe night,
the windows of the peighboring buildings
are lighted up with numerous lamps and
candles.
The two partners ofthe firm were pro-
videntially absent when the building fell;
Mr.. Peck being out Of the city. and Mr..
Phelps having left his counting room a
bout ten minutes previous, TO attend a
meeting of the Public School Society.
1t is worthy Of remark that meeting
of a number of our most respectable Cit
izers, which was to have been held at
MIR. Phelps counting-room, commencing
about half an hour previous to the dis
aster, failed of being held in consequences
gentlemen invited. Had it been held as
appointed, it would probably have con-
tinued until the fall Of the building.
The building, as mentioned above, was
six stories high, and abont fifty feet
square. 1t was erected last fall, and
rested, on two sides. upon granite pillars.
The immense weight of the structure it.
self, increased by hundreds of bales of
cotton, and other henvy goods with which
it was filed, seems to have crushed these
pillars or pressed them aside, Letting
down the whole mass IN an almost per-
pendicnlar decent, and presentinga scene
Of confusion and ruin which beggars de-
scription.
Postscript, 2 o'cIock.-The black man
whom we have mentioned as being still
alive under the ruins, was taken out n
bout half an hour since, and carried to
MIR. Samuel B. Harper's, Cliff street,
where he is attended by Drs. VIM. Smith,
Carroll, and M'Clay.
The number Of deaths already ascer-
tanned by this affecting disaster, is six.
Two other persons are dangerously
wounded, and two others still, less seri-
ously injured; Total sufferers. so far as
apprehension that this melancholy cata-
logue will be further increased.
The body ola negro man, dend, was
taken out this morning, about ten o'clock.
The bodies of Stokes and Goddard are
not yet (half past ii o'clcck) rescued
from the ruins. A report is quite current
that two females were passing the store
at the time, and have not since been seen
or heard of.
Quarter before One. I'VE have just re-
turned from the ruins. The body of the
unfortunate Goddard, horribly mashed
and mutilatcd, was taken out at 40 mi
nutes past twelve. His spectacles, found
at little distance from him, were much
broken and twisted, and were covered
with blood. Il.
The bodies of two black men, one Of
them named David Foreman. were ex-.
treated from the ruins at half past IL
Four more bodies are in sight. The
band and arm of the confidential. clerk,
Mr.. Stokes, are still seen beneath an im-
mense mass Of timber, bricks, and bales
of cotton. His neck appears to be
crushed and nearly seperate by an en-
ormous timber which lies across il.
The Captain of a Charlestown pack
ct (name not ascertained) is known to
have been in the building very few
minutes before the disaster, and has not
since been heard of. Great apprehen-
sions are entertained that he is among
the killed.
| The rumour that two ladies are bur-
led beneath the ruins in Cliff street gains
strength.
No one can look at the wreck, and re-
main in doubt of the cause Of this most
melancholy disaster. The building was
entirely too slight for its size and the
purposes to which il was applied.
We cannot say, as the newspapers
commonly do on such occasions---no
blame can attach to any one. Deep
and serions censure must fall somewhere.