M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1860-03-08
From the Cincinnati Commercial, March 2.
Casualty at Cincinnati

Shocking Casualty at Cincinnati
Fall Of the North Wall Of Church-Th
LabOrers buried in ths Ruins THirteer
CRUSHED in the Ruins Touching Incl
denis.
A fearful accident occurred yester,
day morning, by which thirteen be.
ings were sacrificed, either through
carelessness or incompetence, and
which, ifeither, or both, we hope will
be thoroughly brought 10 light before
the investigation ofthe Coroner now
pending.
The particulars of this direful cat.
astrophe, as we have by diligent in.
vestigation ascertained them, are as
follows AS most OF our readers are
aware, the old st. Xavier's Church
has been condemned, to make room
for a more stately building, ani it has
been for several days past undergoing
a process Of demolition. Yesterday
morning, at about half past eight
O'Clock, while fourteen Of the laborers
were engaged in undermining the
north wall-aprocess which was deem.
ed the most expeditions in razing it
the mass, ranging some thirty feet in
length, and from twenty to thirty in
hight, weakened by tie late heavy
rains, tottered and fell, and of the
fourteen unfortunate people, only one,
John Marmion, escaped with his life.
1t is by the merest accident that this
solitary individual escaped the fate oil
his companions. He had passed from
the outside Of the wall through an ap
erture to the interior when he heard
the premonitary symptom Of the fabric
giving way, and darting into the base.
ment, he succeeded in saving his life.
Another, Stephen, Clarkcn, was not
SO fortunate, be was upon the outside,
when he perceived the wall giving
way, and he Immediately ran from the
falling ruins, Unfortunately the poor
fellow thought, too soon, that he was
beyond tue reach of danger, Tor
turning around to view the extent
of the disaster, a mass of the rubbish
struck him upon the head and abdo.
men, and he was felled to the ground.
lie was removed to his residence on
Sixth street, East OF Broadway, where
he fingered for some hours in agony,
and then breatheI his last.
SCENE OF THE DISASTER.
In short time hundreds Of persons
upon the spot, and volunteers were not
wanting to aid with picks and other
implements in the speedy endeavor to
extricate the victims, but alas the man.
gled condition Of the poor fellows, as
they exhumed from the tombs OF brick
and morter--destroyed all hope that
might have been entertained.
1t was remarked that they had fal.
len within a short space Of each other,
their feet appearing almost to form the
centre OF circle. One by one, as
they were recognized by their wives,
for unfortunately nearly all were mar
ried, and were fathers, the scene
was replete with agony. The poor
people mostly resided in the vicinity,
and hence it was that intelligence Of
the disaster reached them immediate.
ly. AS with the despair OF bereave-
ment they hung over the scarcely dis.
cernable forms OF those whom they
had so lately seen in the vigor OF
health. q more heart.rending picture
of hopeless misery can hardly be con,
ceived.
INCIDENTS.
We have heard of several heart
touching scenes connected with this
melancholy event. The intelligence
Of the disaster spread with the proven
bal alacrity of i'll news, and in an al
most incredible short time a crowd Of
the relatives and friends of the unior,
tunate meE who were crushed in the
ruin, were upon the spot. One young
woman with an infant in her arms,
and q child, apparently about two
years old, tugging at the skirt Of her
dress, with hair disheveled, and coun.
tenance. upon every lineament of
which, despair and horror were da.
guerreotyped, burst through the sur.
rounding crowd, which instinctively
opened to afford a passage to one
whose appearance too sorely proclaim.
ed her right to explore the scene Of
misery. With the first sight Of the
mass Of ruins, her eye drank in the
full extent Of her loss; she was a wild
ow, and her little ones were fatherless.
The strength which had thus far sup
ported her, gave way, and but for
some sympathizing by-standers, she
would have fallen to the gronnd.
"Oh John, John," said she, and
those who heard the despairing ac-
cents will not readily forget the scene,
"and l parted from you this morning
with an unkind word upon my tongue"
We heard atterward that the hus.
band Of the poor woman was among
fhoce who were most tearfnIIy mon