Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1870-05-20
The Richmond Disaster.

THE bells had just tolled the hour Of
| II, and death like silence reigned, as Mr.
Starke, the Clerk, entered and placed his
books on the table. Judge Joynes was
in his seat. Mr. Starke, leaning over the
railing, was talking with him, while the
rest of the judges were in the conference
room, not quite prepared to enter upon
their days duty. The counsel for Mayor
Ellyson, Messrs Neeson and Meredith,
had taken their seats and were ready to
proceed to business. Ex-Governor Wells
| and L. H.. Chandler, ESQ.,, were also in
their places, and the reporters of the
Enquirer, Dispatch, Wing, and State Jour-
nal were at the desks set apart for their
use and accommodation. The moments
were spent in pleasant conversation by
the spectators present. r Various were the
Ispeculations as osthe final result, when,
all at once, panel piece OF ceiling fell,
and then the girder, which is represented
| by the line of partition between the
| Clerks office and the courtroom, gave
way with an awful crash, and precipitated
| the spectators who were in the gallery OF
the court room to the main floor, and the
additional weight in one single moments
time crushing the courtroom floor
through. The mass of human beings who
were in attendance were sent, mingled
with the bricks, mortar, splinters, beams,
iron bars, desks, and chairs, to the floor
of the House of Delegates, and in
second more over fifty souls were
launched into eternity The whole at
mosphere was thick with dense cloud OF
dust from the plastering, and the human
beings sent up groan which will ring
forever in the ears upon which it fell In
a moment, few survivors clinging to the
windows and fragments of hanging tim
Der, and the bare and torn walls, were all
that remained to mark the place where,
only moment before there was a scene
of life, vigor and hope.
The scene about the Capitol building
just after the sad occurrence was one OF
terror. The first notice that those who
were in the building had of the impend-
ing evil was the premonitory rumbling
as the floor was settling. Then there
came fearful crash, accompanied by a
cry of human agony and terror which
smote the hearts of all who heard it. In
a moment the frightful situation was real
lied. The few who had been so fortunate
as to be able to get into the windows
shouted aloud for help for those who had
fallen, and called for ladders. In short
time the bells were tolling, and the hook
and ladder truck being brought upon the
spot, the ladders were put up to the win
dows, and the work of humanity began.
The binding dust within prevented any
one from seeing anything, and the rushing
of persons within the building and the
cries of the wounded were all that could
be heard.
In the House of Delegates there was a
scene that fairly made ones heart bleed.
AS the dust cleared away little, mass
of timbers and rubbish of every. descrip.
ton was deserted, and the reflection OF
the numbers of human beings crushed
beneath its weight, dead and dying, was
sickening. Add to this the cries and
groans of those who were there, many in
the agony of death, and there is q picture
to make the stoutest hearts quail. The
entire hall was flooded with the ruins, ex,
cept the space under the gallery. Desks,
chairs and tables were crushed complete
ly, showing the force of the falling wreck.
The work Of removing the debris was q
difficult one, but was undertaken by those
nresent with will, and is was not long
b. fore. the unfortunate men were being res
cued from their painful position.
The doors and windows of the hall were