American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1859-03-17
Fearful Calamity at o.weso, N. Y.

The most awful calamity occurred last
evening about fifteen minutes after seven
O'Clock, at St. Mary's Catholie1 Church,
that has ever trAnspired in this city.
A Mission was opend at the Church on
Sunday last byMissioners belonging to the
order Of Redemptorits, and the cougrega-
tion have been immense every evening
since. every seat being crowded, and the
isles also, with interested listners of ell
classes Of sinners. Last evening, another
overwhelming audience had assembled q
listen TO discourse on the subject of 1.-THE
List Judgement. The Church was litet-
ally packed with people. The exercises
Of the evening had Just commenced, o.
were about 70 commence. when about one
third Of the floor. Immediately lin front o
the Altar, gave way from the immense
weight, and fell to the basement. precipi-
tating about one-third Of the audience in on
indiscriminate mass into the abyss below
Those who were uppermost 10 the pre-.
Icipitated mass, strugg ed TO escape by
climbing up and over each other, tramp
ling under foot those beneath. A terrific
rush was made by those on that part oI
the floor not fallen, to escape from the
house and shrieks aud groaus of those be-
ing trampled under foot. The bells were
rung, supposing tito be FIRE, and the fire.
men all turned out. ff
Many women were taken ont Of the
Church insensibls, some with broken limbs
some dead. One man. Lawrence Mulry,
brother'in law Of Luke Rhigan, member
Of the 0swego Guard. was taken out dead I:
also Mrs. Mary Carlin and Mrs. Bridget
Langdon, who were conveyed to the house
of r. H. Martin. Esq, opposite. where
both soon. expired. Another woman, Mrs.
Margret Hennessy, was taken to'lhe resi-.
dencOr OF Mr.. Kane where she also expired
In y short time. s st
News of the calamity rapidly spread,
and thousands of, people speedily assem-.
blsd AT hs ssene Of disaster, and hundreds
were eagerly andranxiously inquiring and
looking for their friends, relatives. children,
wives, husbands. sist ers, brothers. cot. the
excitement and grief was universal. and
general gloom preveded the city wherever
the intelligence Of the melancholy disastel
reached. As We proceeded to the scene,
we met numerous groops bearing thei
female iIiebds in their arms, who we're be
wildrsd, fainting and weeping from frigh
or injury, and lamentations were to b.
heard on every hand in the vicinity.
The furnace was under the floor, an,
water had to be brought to extinguish Ih,
fire to prevent conflagrAtion. The mel
then raised up the ruins so as to clear then
from the furnace. The body of the churcl
was covered with the broken pews ant
ruins lha: had been taken out and piled up
In Mr.. 0uardet's residence, immediate
ly adjoining the church, were two female
who lay unconscious. and friends and ply
sicians applying restoratives.
Ioquesis we're held upon the bodies o
Mrs. Carlin and Mrs. Lang Ion, at tn,
house OF r. H. Martin; another on th
body Of Murry in the vestry of the Church
and another on the body Of Mrs. Henessy
at tha house of the Sisters OF Charity. Tn,
verdict ia 4ach case wa, that they wcr,
tramplei to death.
Pee jury made personal aud carsfdl ex
animation Of the locality aud origin of th'
calamity. Tt was found that portion o
the large cross beam near the Altar wa
very much deoayed in the centre, by DR.,
rot. tut to all appea externally wa
perfectly sound. This beam broke off un
dor the excessive weight, thus causiog tn
disaster