, 1869-01-11
AWFUL CALAMITY.
Falling or Floor nurlrE 4 School
FsattvAD-flEhG Fefaous Kt.Ien zAa
&i.,y Rs dIy ". unden-fIe Ie arSrendins
rc~b"s aud 1ncidenth-tsFaPhtc De.

FEum tnc hocncstef IN. ~ Uemotr2&, Jan T.
An Incident more destructive In results
pened last night at the German School OF st.
Peter aud et. Paul, on Ea Maple street,
where thc EcEool children had net TOR the
Epiphany f.st,val. 1hc party was On the
second foor of the new school building at
very large, and the school.room, large hall
divided Into three compartments By TWO
glass loldirg doors, Was lcnkely packed by
little people enjoying the music. a. shout
o'clock greater humber crowded to the
front compartment where the sale t&htrs
we're, as Is customary in FESTIVALS and fairs.
There was no unusual movement to cause
excitement. aud the crowd eagerly listening
to nclodcon, was tn one instant, without
breath OF ~arnng, compressed Into one
struggling, shF1eklnt mass OF humanity. As
ohscuring the view OF those in the adjoIninE
compartments, who were expecting the
whole building to silk, 50 fearful vas the
noite hnd confusion. The front compartment,
lc, 1t bc understood, was the only one that
1ull, the 1our falling conycxly, or as funnel,
column served IS = support to the floor
above, the floor which lell belag supported
by q similar column, AID the lower door
also, oy one which rested on brick ahut-
Hleut. Here Eeens To- have t'ccu t1c cause of
the disaster, rs the column which supported
tAG LIZ - AQVLY OA n HILL - 00h u 4C" pCV-
pie, Crushed out the mason work aud the
second floor 1oos{n1 is central support, fell
with he weight Of several hundred people
upon It. 4 scene Of appalling agony followed
the catastrophe, those @ho we're III the up.
per psrt Of lhe ecauol where the floor re-
Inainrd intact made d irautIc plunge Tor The
stairway, women shtleklnS AID aoutlng for
the ltttIc Ques, and distracted fathers search
Ing wIldly for missing children. Many were
crushed in the tutnultnous paseagc, aud
Others rendered desparatc bs, toc ag-
onizirg suppiica,ions OF Il leuds and relatives,
threw themselves from the windows In q
mad endcayor to gtt ut the shrieks, and man
glcd forms In the vortex, 60 TO speak, o! the
crushed 1oor. At this time the bell raDg the
alarm ,and Sr. George G. Gooptr OF the Onion.
quarter of mile oil, heard qnlte distinctly
the hoarse murmur OF i fright aud terror.
With the aid and that cf the police, the
work Of rescue began. and Il series vi sights
that froze the very manhood In tho velns Of
the strongest followed. those who wcrc Of
the party were 50 paralyzed with terror, that
t4cy were unfit to teLder the slightest as.
sistance, siIc those attracted to he SC ne Of
woe, were the only ones capable Of aiding,
systematically, tho uniottunates: By The
aid Of the dYofkeePer' Jacob Dian f.ank, the
centrr, we're slowly extracted aod ldeutillcd.
And then was seen the woeiul and dfstia $.
ing sight. Barnard Bonner young GeFulan
1ay With his vile claspfng hun, both In the
rigid agony Of death, crushed and manglsd,
but rccog. liable. In Ihla sp:t lay iu a mud
died mass under the mclodeou and support
Ing column, twenty-five crushed bodies,
eieht stark nnd dead. ahc hands Of the
strongest Irelnb!ed, md the groan5 Of strong
zen rent the air, while women o1 the out
side clnmc1ed and walled for their little ones.
Sluwl II the dead and wounded we're taken to
the priests house aud TO tho church, but a
step from the ia1nl spot. escAch body was
carried from the hpot, terrified l.qu,rers
would rush and tear their way to see II
kindred or friends were thu sufferers.
There ncrc thus carried out dead, eight
| bodies
barnard Bonner and bis wife Sophia.
George Propp, an old man o4er SIX !:
Lives on Orange street.
tmma Beers adopted daughter of Charles
| Beers.
! Mrs. Barbara Rinck, wife Of George Rtnck,
NJ old lauy about elxly. Jar street.
MappIc Weiss, a girl about thirteen.
kDtc Lawrence.
Many others we're wounded, but the OK
cfttment wns 80 intense md uncomfortable
that VIC could not find either the sufferers
or ary one who could tclt with sufficient Ger
tainty the na mrs Ut those VT failed 10 sec.
| Atthe earliest noment prac icablc, th
crushed forms were placed udrrly In th
chamber o. the priest, and IN the contignou
huu.cs, Wtlerc thu kndcst attention and 20
licitude were shown By the occupants TIL
report by this tine had suroad rapidly, AM
eager crowds, WITH pail.d faces and bloodies
lips. pressed hurrl-dty TO the couchs
of thc sufferers, drcaaiug lrsl q nj.
and tdcar oue might Lie stretched
mnnc'trd he.ple. snrss: So uunerslng v,
The sceno that the police were, nut Of ve,
t,ndintea, forced 10 refuse admittancc
the dist, acted throng. Shricks and wailit
were henru ofi MI Aides, As little ones souE!
: for mfssiuG parents, and parents sony
dnzcd'y ior The Children known to hO III !!
l fntal building. II, tl,u priests l,ocsc U
: scenes were crnclly tnuchi,ax. Uu ono tall
r ghnetly nnd rl&id, lay the ,orns Of tw" dcl
4 ~u1nun, Mrs. itnck mud kntto Lawrence, u
I, omc nearly three. ecnrn md tho . licr nj
!. tl,rrt, With lrnas crushed md l,lnody nj
= iaces elolted will their uwn Eorr, awt
c visions Of Hndlcn aud in,,1nu"ura
!. wtcct1y jlu,p. md not H. ho
o IN Tic tndy rrinalhs uncru-,,cd. In |
Il ntxl tno,n lay Mr. David Z Way, wto @
Il hardly rtonscr, erred for kindly by conf
:. rrra,urc Iay g,nnnlng md rnhb'nu with
it b. oxen nrlu.. EvcTr attention possfhlc y
II btiLg rnlo 1llc.c unhappy HuilrTcrs, In Al
- nno,ilcr room M old ma',, tlco. pupc', my
,hc ilooi. no relatives 10 IN urn care
ii iltn. INT over hiin aat u had teurtnl wu,n'
l
wnn her lotacr. Ills facc WAS rcac' lni. Il
tnyr ttr baraaHr which upheld his Jaw I
" would nuye l,ungLncd lin, sleeping. IHyu
- him ou the floor wa the III
pathetic Of nil Tho nlsht's bloody wo
D. a 1nt1c rirl, with nl,9dy swollen
T., WHO Ind struggled Tor llsc. black pur
n. ssrraks dI.neu.ca tht lacr and thu mo.
III WIS compycs.ed In unuttc n1le nvony.
~ hrud covered With t'axrn cnr!s WAS daht
rr. with her own li'o iD"od, md hrr hands =
dy retained a clottcl mat or hslr pulled Ir
hr death. THIS was the g1rl Maggie wi
ne shn lny ,ic,olntcly lu The cor cT. un,no1,r
'..c n d u,luotlc, d snvc by thc c,tr,nu*. sud!e
m, II Girtinh tirurr Cs1h i adnsl! and ~
W. ing ttc,xie.'ly to tho lltilr drnd form, gs!'
aI M irrsl, GsIlu The dead ios.n. kls'
il Tho cold bloody lits. and ~Ai!'nE
iii wIl1 our father say! What will he say
nu tho sane tine caressl' & the lll'le blu
ar i.Im. At last, rxhauh'cd by her Tut
he grief, the fronzh little QUO sunk INTO
he ns collapse, II, d rocked und sotbed con
.tvely, III even this statc was su:crcle
ii. SIT ut ktupur. In the chamt.cr up1ye
IT. Mrs. Fuchs. . lady venerable wlth vrtr-.
leu ". uadcd llgh unto death, both limbs b'
~, baker, q, d IN arm riher brohs. III |.
tlc lyzed. Tuerr5 "erc, II wii &c i
yas iour deud b. dies In the priests ho
nut and three either mertaliy or scrio
get wounded In the church, viii
tic ,hrnwn open. al, aeitatel ullss Sayed. 6
llc to see with awful iotebodlngs, nthers to
to NnA mclas ehuly cus iolty. 1-a.ing in
ol, seat, still closely beside each other. as ID
as crash OF destruction. lay the shattered Is
auy OF purna1d Bonner aud wife. The !.cc
nd i ihougauulat- oi Kindly spectators haaa
,re cred the Ehastt3 nakedne !. the bodies
!cw inG lcen entirely denuded OF cl thing.
Fith bocic- were manEled frl.httity, dccJ e
rest we're pl"wca in hfoudy furr~* *s across
)aTe face, rendering recognition next to i'm
with BE. The saddc>t OF this scene is that y
imp opcus Gu the afflicted home There four
It il children lay In thur beds, awaiting the
eral tncs who should 1cycr again cane.
hut in the night the two forms were taken
: d. The church. aud betore this the t'tu
rise, have learned their grievnns loss. tm'
ntrs at.ly opposite the school. at Mr. Tan
his lay the bodies OF Miss hlnna Bccrs aud
the Catha1ine Spairl. The former. II nj
sun, thuteen, the adopted daughter OF Char
lsht Beers, was taken tu tho festival by Ser
wto Wa quite badly wounded also
her, Beers lay stark ind rigid. her iaee
be and r1deed with scars, - though !
the by plt,lcss thongs. Mr.. Beers
lu.a- from lawn. aud nu one seemed tn
saw sent for The m,'ther OIL the uu
were Late child. In room adjoining II.
ia. Inst Of Il c victims, Mrs. Spar1. wh*s.
lmd baud, curious to say, was barely saye.1
er Of q similar accident hy the falling oi bu
will 10 town. The gray hair Of the wo1na'
i. In thtr, blnody clot, about her forehes
peacefully closed eyes, with teaF'ul
'nt's ness and pathos tr.ifs for the strong
see without teafs.
1t OF So much for the dosd they are b
1t In even our sympathy hut thrro arc 5
he ar 1nainlrg the uufortutates who were
slge. enough, or unhappy, pei haps. to escap
eceir bFt ken limbs aud fearful Commissions