Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1860-01-19

hopeless.
On the opposite side are three girls-all
young and beautiful, but with the cold hand
If death already upon them
Many others were there who alone would
excite the sympathy of those who saw them
A large room On one corner Of the hall had
been set apart as depository for the bodies
of the dead, and this was literally covered
with mangled corpses. Young men, and
those past the meridian of life, women and
young girls. lay there-a ghastly sight to be
hold
They lay as they had been recovered from
the ruIns-some covered with blood, and 9TH
ers completely disfgured Another room be-
low also contained number of bodies, and
others were removed as their friends claimed
them.
A committee of twenty-five are canvassing
the boarding houses Of the city to ascertai!l
the number and the names of all who are
missing. At the latest accounts dead bodies
were continually taken from the smoking ru,
ins.
Previous to the FIRE, two sisters were toceth.
er and comparatively unhurt. They would
have been rescued. Hearing the roar of the
flames they exclaimed, "Oh God we have
got to die"
Another woman shrieked out piteously that
the tre was burning her hair, but the flames
soon sieRccd her
MF. Palmer, an overseer, cut his throat lest
he SHOULD he burned alive Mr. Branch told
ms friends who were digging for him, that he
should resort to the same means to escape
the tortnres of the fire. lie was persuaded
to desist and fortunately was rescued.
The awful death of which some died by tIne
lire was tearfully attested by their baked and
blackened forms when taken out--not in any.
thing like those of human beings,
INcIGENrs.
Among the many painful incidents of this
dreadful hight, is the following, related by
one Of the fire engineers When the fire
was beginning to rage, and before it had sti-
fed the cries and grcans of those in the ru-
ins, he, with others forced his way against
the smoke and flame to try and rescue some
OF those whose voices he could hear
Suddenly he caught a glimpse of three per
sons, imprisoned by a crumbled PARTITION
two men and a woman. lie even caught one
OF the men by the hand, and hoped to draw
him out, but the cracking of the flames,
around him, and the warning voice of an of
hcer lmpelled him reluctantly to desist, and
by tmel Y retreat to save his own life Nei-
ther OF the three persons appeared injured at
all, and they must have literally roasted alive
AS a relief to this saddening narrative,
may be mentioned the fortunate escape of one
et the female operatives by GOODNESS which
done her Infinite credit. She was in the 5th
story, IN part of the building. when, hay
ing but moments warning of the fall of the
building, she sprang to the elevator.
She claspcd firmly hold of one of the hoist
ing ropes and slid rapidly and safely down its
length, through five stories, emerging from
the building just in season to escape destruc-
ton. Her name is Olive Bridges, and she
halls from Calais, Ne.
Through the whole night she was at the
City Hall, passing like an angel of mercy
among the couches of the sufferers, anticipa-
ting every want, relieving pain as far as she
was able to do so, and breathing words of
consolation and comfort to the wounded and
dying.
Among the numerous recorded cases of
suffering, 1t may not be amiss to mention one
OF different character. In one of tn board
ing houses, opposite to the mills, a family
were collected, mourning the loss of a lady
who worked in the mills, when she made her
appearance, shouting, Il am alivo" She
was but slightly injured
Singular to relate, it was currently repor
ted and generally believed, that n man was
rescued from the ruins at IL O'Clock this fore
noon, only slightly injured If this were so.
1t was most miraculous preservation.
FURTHER PARTICULARS.
LAWRENCE. Jan. 13.-An immense crowd
of people still surround the scene of the late
disaster, and the work Of clearing away the
ruins still 90 on. But three or four bodies
have been taken frem the ruins since yester-
day, though it is positively known that there
are still more beneath the pile of rubbish
All the bodies recovered, with the exception
of four or five, have been recognized and ia
ken away by friends. The funerals of some
of them will take place to day. Those bod
les which are still remaining at the City Hall,
will be kept as long as possible for identifica-
tion. The greatest attention is paid to the
wounded, and number of physicians and
nurses from the neighboring cities have ar.
rived to relieve those who have been on duty
since the falling of the building. The ladies'
OF this city are uncoaslng in their attentions
TO the wounded, and whenever assistance is
needed, some one of them is to be found.
Efforts were made to throw down the remain.
der of tho wall, which is still standing. and
which threatens to fall at any moment.
Great numbers of the operatives who
were in the mills at the time of the accident
fed on the first alarm, and so escaped un
harmed, their safety not being known until
the city was canvassed which accounts for
the difference between the number first re-
ported as among the sufferers and the actual
number.
The number of people from other places
visiting the ruins cannot be less than thirty
thousand. 1t is reported that many thieves
and pckpockets are mixed in the crowd and
some of them have already been at work upon
the pockets of spectators. Quite a number
of policemen from other cities have rendered
valuable service in watching these customers.
Among the visitors were some turbulent char
aeters, with less susceptibility than brutes,
who were unaffected by the scenes in which
the dead and mutilated of their own species
were conspicuous. These professional row.
dies came to crafty their morbid curiosity,
and then to have q time
A large majority of the operatives employ,