The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1860-01-18

flood OF water poured In on II and blinded
him, and he rushed from the place, wsrRed
by the engineer and barely escaped with he
life.
1t is related BY gentleman who was early
on the spot that at one point Of the ruins hO
distinguished q female voice crying in dis
tress, and soon another voice answered, ale
that you, Lizzie Are you hurt :" The 70.
ply was smother groan, and an appeal 70
Gods mercy 10 her behalf. Both Of thOsO
girls were afterwards rescued.
A young girl was released just before the
flames burst forth; and in answer to ques.
ton, stated that she was unhurt. Il after.
wards appeared that her right arm was badly
broken near the wrist; but, 10 the excite.
ment OF the moment and 10 the Joy Of dsliv.
ersnce from dreadful death, she had not
noticed the hurt.
One woman was found with her head ian.
med between two heavy beams, and pressed
so that 1t was not thicker than the thickness
Of hand. It was a sickening sight.
One young girl, confined in narrow hole
surrounded by broken machinery aud ragged
timber and boards, succeeded In crawling
out into the open air, but when she emerged
from the ruins she had scarcely an article Of
clothing on her person.
Shortly before the fire broke out, and
while there were thousands Of persons ex.
erting themselves to the utmost to save hu.
man life and extricate the dead, a little girl
was discovered by party at work in one
part Of the ruins. She lay upon her back.
large bar of iron, one Of the iron columns,
was so thrown over ber that it was impossi.
BILE for her to move; besides she had her
arms pinioned by some Of tho machinery
that had got wound around them. Her fsco
was badly lacerated, and the humane indi.
viduals saddened by the sight around them,
proceeded to extricate the supposed corpse.
After repeated trials at the bar Of iron, with.
out being able to move it off, stalwsrt man
in passing by, stopped and easily lifting the
bar. laid it one side. The surprise OF the
party on finding the girl alive and not fatally
injured, may be imagined but not described.
She had laid between some Of the bricks
and rubbish SO that but little OF the floor and
falling iron had come upon her.
A husband was seen anxiousy searching
the promiscuous wreck for his wife. Tho
search was long and untiring. Every little
NOOK was carefully examined and finally tho
lost one was found. In turning over some
of the roofing, iu pile of rubbish, she was
discovered closely imbedded among brick,
iron, splinters of wood, &c. It required
some time to clear it away, and when once
it was found the husband took the supposed
lifeless body away. Before he reached home
the lady recovered consciousness with the
exception Of a few slight injuries, is proba.
bly, as we'll as ever.
Of the five overseers Of the different Dc.
partments OF the mill, but one, Mr.. Branch,
was killed. The othtr four-Messrs. Tat.
terson, NLvins, Glover and Shove-wero
fortunate in escaping uninjured. But few
moments before the falling, Mr.. Chase, tho
Agent of the Company Mr.. Clarke, tho
Clerk, and several of the overseers, wero
together in the WeHve.room. Mr.. Chase all
et once noticed something unusal end heurd
a cracking sound, when. almost instructive.
ly, he started from the door, the only avsii.
able mode Of esress. THIS door, which il
Mad been the practice of keeping fastened,
was opened by o boy just as Mr.. Chase ard
his companions reoched il, and the p3rty had
jus: time to get half dozen feet from tho
vail when it fell.
Shortly alter tn 3, little girl appeared in
the window Of the northwest corner of the
building which was standing, and jumped
out. She Was csught by some gentlemen,
and sustained no injury.
A brother and sister Robert and Mary
in the weave. room, were
buried in the falling mass. They say the
whole affair passed off so quickly tina, they
hardly knew what hud happened. The first
lntimntion that they had Of it was d crash
overhead, and then trembling Of the bull.
ding. lnstinctively they both laid fiat upon
the floor, and both came out of the ruins safo
q nd sound.
SCENE AT THE CITY HALL.
The City Hall was made the depository
of the wounded, the dying and the dead
The scenes here were agon'zing beyond do.
scription. Stretched upon muttrass in one
part OF the hall was some poor mortsl 10 the
last agonies of death, his ceuntenunce blscke
ened with smoke, with broken limbs, burned
garments, and giving utterance to piercing
groans. In another place was q woman
with fractured limbs, q broken head, and
with body mutilated in the most shocking
manner. At one time there were twenty.
eight men and women thus lying in tho
most exquisite torture. Some were heroic
even in death, exhibiting the most unlnch.
ing courage while surgical operations Of the
most painful nature were performed in tho
vain hope that wsniDg life might be resto.
red. Others, entirely conscious that they
were counting their last sands Of life. wero
and displayed repose and valoy
a lmost sublime. Of this noble stamp were
Two or three women.
Near the platform was poor German,
suffering excrutiating pain. He could not
talk English, and no one from the "Father.
land" had found him.
On the opposite side were three girls. all
young and beautiful, but with the cold hand
of death already on them.
On one pallet lay q little girl, with Q
beautiful, pale coHnteRance, knit with tho
suffering she could not conceal. yet unmur.
nuring. She was watched over by weep.
ing friend, apparently her father, whose
heart was rejoiced at the announcement BY
The physician that she wos not dangerously,
though severely, wounded.
An ante room leading from the hall waS
used as a depository for the dead bodies,
which were brought from the scene Of the
calamity as soon as discovered. During
forenoon, the foor was literally covered with
oorpses OF the young, the middle.aged, and
q few past the latter period /; it was Q most
shocking spectacle. Some OF the bodies
" ere burned to blackness, but little flesh
remaining, and entirely beyond recognition.
Of the horrible sgoDy Of their deaths. Some
were iright;aIy mutilated, with heads crush.
ed in, the charred brains being exposed to
view. The limbs Of others were gone
burned off in one case, and torn off In 9th.