Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1864-09-16

Fearful Aceident-Fatling Of the Baptist
Church, ono Han hilled-Narro1 Escapes.
On Wednesday morning last, between. II
and - o'clock, the frame of the Baptist
Church cell to the, ground with fearful
crash. At the time of the accident, the con.
tractor, Mr.. II. WALLACE, OF Independence
and Mr.. HENRY BoGART, of this place, were
at work on the cupola, between sixty and
seventy feet above the ground. Mr.. WAL
LACE heard the timbers crack at the west
end of the building, and looking in that d.
rection saw the studding come together. He
immediately shouted to his companion, Bo-
CART, We arc gone ~ and kept his seat on'the
scaffoldng, and was carried over by the fall
ing frame. Itappcars he kept his place on
the frame until within some ten or fifteen
feet of the ground, when he jumped o #, and
struck the ground just outside Of the ruins,
and was not seriously hurt. He received
some slight bruises, but was able to get upon
his feet and walk away. How a man could
be thrown from that dizzy height and escape
with his life seems a miracle. Mr.. BoGARr
was less fortunate. As soon as he saw the
frame was going down, he jumped inside the
cupola, probably with the intention Of trying
to get down before it fell but be lost his
foothold and fell head first, striking on the
sidewalk before the frame reached the ground
He was picked up and carried into the Gait
House, and it was supposed at that time that
there was life in him, as he had strong
pulse for some fifteen minutes after he was
taken from the ruins but all Efforts to re.
store him to consciousness were Gnavailing.
subsequent examination disclosed that his
neck was broken. Aside from this, his head
was terribly cut and bruised, two of his ribs
were broken, and ore of his arms twisted
and broken above the elbow. The lower
part of his body suffered no injury. These
two were the only persons injured. though
several others had narrow escapes. Mr. JAS.
V. BIRD was on the belfry just before the
accident,-in fact had just got off Of the
building when it fell. Mr.. WIN. p. OvERMAN
was driving his team along the street just in
front of the frame at the time, and one Of
the falling timbers struck the hind end OF his
wagon. But the narrowest escape was that
of lady and little child. The woman was
passing along the sidewalk drawing baby
in little wagon, when the structure came
down, scattering the tilnbers all around them
One piece struck the wagon, tipping it over
and throwing the child out, but happily not
injuring it, nor was the lady hurt in the
least, though Of course very badly frighten.
ed. The building is mass Of ruins, the
timbers being broken and splintered SO as to
be almost valueless. The building was 3S
by 20 feet on the ground, and 20 feet to the
ceiling, with tower running up some sixty
feet. The frame was considered by ma ny
to be an unsafe one in the condition it was,
there not being single stay lath on the
whole structure. The contractor had re.
peated warnings, but neglected to use the
ordinary precautions which would have pre-
vented this terrible and fatal accident. Quite
number Of mechanics refused to work on
the building at all until it should be properly
stayed, and Mr.. BoGARr himself did not con /.
slider it sale, and told his wife so on the very
morning Of his death, and she tried to per.
suade him not to 60 on the frame again. At
the time the frame fell there was quite a
breeze blowing, but nothing approaching a
0olo op6 u,a do nnf c<nc;dor that thu go;