The Northern star, and constitutionalist. [volume] (Warren, R.I.) 1834-1837, 1835-06-06


subloined in the following extract OF Il
letter, dated
New ORLEANS, May Is, 1885.
This morning about three o'clock was
aroused by sudden and tremendous
crash, which ! supposed at first to bo an
earthquake but upon venturing out l
discovered that the Merchants & Planters
Hotel in canal street had fallen in
Great exertions have been made during
the dav to remove the rubbish and save
the lives of the inmates. Twenty had
been got out--4 dead and many others
badly bruised. 1t is still supposed that
there are many bodies under the rubbish,
as there were 60 dodgers on the register,
aud many are unaccounted for. Our
part of the city has been covered With
spectators during the day, and conse-
quently little business doing
New ORLEANS, MAY IS.
'Tho three story brick building on the
southslde of Canal street, between Camp
and Magazine streets, occupied as the
Planters Hotel, and kept by Charles
Armstrong, iel! to the earth at about half
past two o'clock. Repairs had lately
been making in the lower story, and it is
presumed that too much OF the support
had been incautiousy cut away
The hocl was occupied as an eating
and lodging house, and, it is calculated,
contained, ut the moment Of the dreadful
accident, between sixty aud seventy in
mates. The billiard room, which had
been very hull til late ut night, had closed
only a short tmo before. A young gen.
tlrman who left it but few minutes be-
fore the ia of the building states that he
passed to the opposite side OF the street,
to his boarding house, went to the gallery
in front, where he heard three distinct and
loud cracks, resembling the discharge OF
small cannon, then sound like an earth
quake, as the mass fell, and Tor u moment
after, one, and onI y one, appalling cry, as
if by thesunited voices Of the sufferers !!
The alarm was directly gwen to the citi-
zens, the bells rung and engine companies
turned out
Number Q distinguished herself ,gain
in the cause Of humanity. Dr Cambell
was immediately on the spot rendering
surgical and medical aid AT half past 8
o clock about fifteen of the sufferers had
been rescued from the rubbish and saved.
The voices of many could be heard under
the crushed mass, and when we left to
make this brief notice, hundreds Of clti-
zens were exerting themselves to eXtri-
cate the mangled and bruised bodies Of
the victims Of this awful casualty.
MAY Is. We understand that there
we're about fifty persons in the planters
Hotel at the time Of its fall. In the
course Of the day there were taken out
the dead body of gentleman from Yellow
r3aGas, Ky, Of the name Of Hanna, a
.Iawyer of much responsibility tho body
Of NJ. Mooney, tho suporinte' dent of tho
tnbis.iof the Hotel, and the body of Mr..
Hopkins who had been during the past
so son attached to the Circus Company
playing here.
1t is thougt .ha. there is still several,
,Sfsur ur FIVE, buried in the ruins. More
than forty havd escaped with life some
wholly free from hurt some slightly in
jured, but many shockingly mangled all
Of whom, however, il is believed, will sur
vivc.
We are informed that none Of the prop
er supports ofthe house had been dimish-
eb during the process Of repair, but that
the accident can only he attributed to the
age, defects, and deficiency Of one of the
walls.