Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1860-03-09
AppaIIinz Catastrophe.


The city of Cincinnati was thrown into {
state of great excitement yesterday, in conse
quence of an appalling catastrophe which oc-
CURED about eight o'clock in the morning, at
| the St. Xavier Church, on Sycamore street be
| tween Sixth and Seventh. The Church has
lately been undergoing demolition, preparato-
ry to the erection of a new and more comme-
dious one, and is at the present time more
than half torn away. Some thirty or forty
la borers, mostly Irish were engaged in the
process Of razng, thirteen of whom at the
time of The accident were at work on one of
the northern walls, arranging to tumble it down
but OF sudden it tottered, and without a
moments warning to the unfortunate work
men it fell inwardly, burying all Of the thir-
teen beneath the ruins. The news of the sad
calamity, so unusual and so terrible ill its de-
tails, spread through the length and breadth
of our city like wildGre, and scarce half hour
had elapsed before there was drawn to the
spot fully fifteen thousand spectators Hun
dreds Of people with picks and spades lent
their might, and quickly the bodies Of the
men were exhumed, exhibiting in their mang-
led appearance most horrible and revolving
spectacle. Brains, pieces Of skulls, &c. were
scattered about here ard there, and the bodies
generally were so mashed and dishgured as TO
preclude immediate identiications. Fathers,
mothers, wives, sisters, and brothers, Of those
known to be employed at the church, fockCd d
to the ground and by their piteous wailings,
mingled cries and prayers, frantic cjacuations,
and, in some cases the most terrible suspense,
all formed pageant of sorrow and desoiation
that We hope never again to witness.
The bodies were removed fast as the work
of disenterring proceeded, to subterlanean
apartment of the st. Xavier school, building
adjoining. The first one taken from out OF
the crumblin9 mass Of brick and morter. was
identified by woman close at hand as being
that of her husband. As it was borne away
she threw herself upon the corpse and clung
to it with the greasest tenacity, the whole time
giving vent to the most unbounded grief that
must have touched the sympathies Of those
around. To disengage her from the body re-
qured force. She led away, but needed
not the caressing kindness OF friends a ghastly
smile was perceptible about her lip, and her
eye was lusterless, and wandered in frenzy from
object to object. She uttered incoherent sen
tences, and ever and anon would pause and
fold her hands to Heaven, as if in prayer. AT
dusk last evening she a0aS maniac-the aw
full reality of the day was too much for her.
One of the killed. young man from Brown
county. Ohio, had just been empoyed-searce
an hour had elapsed from the time of his set
ting to work before his death. He came to
this city for the purpose of studying book
keeping, and completed coures Of instruction
at one of the colleges last week being with
out friends and without money, he avaied him
self of an opportunity of going to work as a
laborer.
With the exception Of the above mentioned, |
all the parties were married and leave families,
who are in the most abject circumstances, de- |
pending upon the meagre pittance Of dollar
day for subsistence.
With much commendableness, the Society
and Church of Jesus (Jesuits) have determined
upon aiding and caring for the families Of the
deceased. At all the different Catholic
churches of the city there will also be taken
up, next Sunday, collection for the same pur-
pose.-C Cincinnati Gazette.