The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1855-08-10
From the Cincinnati Commercial, sth.I
FEARFUL CALAMITY.
EIGHT MEN KILLED.


About half past one o'clock yesterday af-
ternoon, portion of the heavy stone cor
nice OF the splendid building being erected
for the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Com
pany, on the South West side of Main and
Third streets, gave way while the workmen
we're in the act of hosting stone, and fell
upon the sidewalk with an awful crash. The
building is five lofty stories high. and the
mass OF masonry which gave way was about
sixty feet in length, and imInqe heavy,
being more than two-thirds of the cornice
on the Third street front.
"A suffocating cloud of dust rolled IN from
the rubbish, of the fatal cornice, the massive
md graceful appearance of which had been
universally admired, and in few minutes a
large crowd collected, and the mangled re-
mains of six men quite dead, two gssping in
their last agonies, and two others badly in
jured, were speedily taken from the ruins.
The following persons were. killed, as we
learn by the Commercial: H. B. Curtiss, the
building contractor. He was awfullyT mnniuiitilat-
ed. Robert Cameron, master builder, an old
citizen. Baker Walden, Of the firm of Wal
den & Vance, Fulton. John s. Chambers,
boss carpenter. Michael Donheen, Irish la
bOrer. Jas. Gillian, do. VIM. Crawson,
stone cutter. Henry Tynman. Several
persons were slightly wounded, and two dan
gereusly. The Commercial says: !.
Mr. Altering, of the firm of Altering 4
Drummer, made very narrow ESCAPE, and
in the confusion lost his bank book, with
which he was proceedings to make deposit
Curtis Cameron and Walden, were, cons
versing on the sidewalk at the moment they
met their death. Donheen and Gillian. was
passing along the sidewalk. A brother of c on
been was on the opposite side of Third street
and saw his relativ and fri md, Gillen, crush
ed. They saw the mass of stone descending
and strove to make their escape, butthe ruin
was too swift. Tynmann, who died at the
Hospital, was engaged on the cornice, and
was the only person who fell with the wreck.
The two men engaged at the derrick, planted
on the joice, escaped by falling back. Mr..
Cameron fell into the cellar. He lived for
half an hour after the catastrophe, but was
insensible, and did not speak. All of the
dead, with the exception of Cameron and
Tynmann, were instantly killed; so sudden
was this calamity that they could not have
had the slightest consciousness of its COM
ing.
Tie noise and shock Of the masonry when
! 1t fell was tremendous. The broad heavy
stones we're shivered into hundreds of frag-
ments each; and there was not any portion
of the corLice; However small, but hat wa,
broken.
| As the bodies Of the massacred men were
dragged from the debris, they presented q
most fearful and sickening spectacle, severa
OF them resembling shapeless heaps of dusty
rags. through which blood, brains; enlrailt
and broken bones oozed and protruded. Dur.
ing the afternoon a large stone was to be
seen in front OF the buiIdidg smeared with
brains which was partially yelled by duan.
tity of hair. Cameron and Walden were but
slightly mutilated in the face, but the head:
of two or three were crushed out of all man
ner III shape: