The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1870-05-05
The l,iehmond CALAMITY.


six persons were instantly killed, and
more than two hundred wounded, Il
nnmbcr OF whom have since died. oc-
Cured in Richmond, Va. on Wednes-
day Of last week. The following cdi-
tnrlnl article we take from the Richmond
Dipatci Of last Thursday:
Yesterday occurred the greatest
calamity that ever afflicted this cit,
save the burning of the theatre in 1911.
twas occaSioncd BY the falling of the
floor of the old Senate chamber. 10 the
capitol. which is now used for the seS-
sions of the supreme court OF appeals
in this state.
Eleven O'Clock was the hour for the
meeting OF the coari. and it being un-
GcrsiouJ that then would be announced
the decision upon the question of the
'onsti'utiOnnliiy Of tho "enabling act. y
---Othcrwisc known as the Chahoou
Ellyscn case which has excited 81
much interest 10 this community, n
large humber OF citizens assembled in
the gallery aud space III front OF the
bench te'Ore the hour appointed. The
weight OF such packed mass was too
great for the imp-ricc,ly constructed
h'oring and yet more faulty gallery
which was suspended from the upper
jp sis IN u most detective manner. Tn,
gallery first fell forward. the floor yield
irg instantly and going down with IT.
carrying the packed body of men tt
tie floor Of the House Of Delegates
fully twenty feet below. AS feariu
and fatal Us this was the heavy cealinl
aud the timbcrs which supported II
descended along with the mass greatly
Increasing the mortality. Filty-si,
were killed outright. ani Others may
de from injuries received.
Had the catastrophe occurred tor
minutes earlier, possibly half be mem
bers OF the house Of delegates woulc
have been killed by the failing OF til,
mass upon them, for caucus of tn,
,rcat m'jgrity Of the body had al.
jourued probably not ten minute,
before the occnrrof ce; or had tn,
hour Of the meeting of .hc court beer
twelve instead of eleven O'Clock, like
destruction of life would have taken
place, for the legislature would then
have been in session.
The scene cannot be described, MOI
can ii be appreciated hy those who did
not witness II The mass OF human bc
ings that fell were SO mixed up will
the heavy timbers and rubbish tha
they had to be disengagcd with grca
labor. The sight OF the dead an
wounded as they were slowly let dowr
from the House of Delegates (the doc,
OF which was blocked up by the ruins
was hearirending. So covered witt
dust aud blood were they that it wa
difficult to re:ogrize them. The grea
body of people outside swayed viii
auxietv and grief. Many hundred,
watched eagerly for friends aud rela
tivcs who were known to have beer
in The court room, and each body iha,
appeared in the hands of the indefat
igable mcn who worked for the relief O
'HpsS WIS ccuu0eu
with the closest scrutiny by u Thousand
eyes.
This calamity has filed the city with
gloom, aud bowed the public spirit I,
that IrOyidential dispensation which
IL is not for us TO cri,icise. but which
II is our duty TO turn 10 our own good
by the practice of the public and pri
vatc virtues which aflic,icn tcachc,
all intelligent and wise communi;ics
The disaster has swept through al
classes ofthe community None escape
Some d our best and most distiu.
eushcd citizens have peiished in it.
Legislators, lawyers, citizens, state and
municipal olliceIs, journalist aud PIT
va'e citizens, are all numbered in III,
list of dead and wounded. Richmond
IL chiei mourner; but nearly cvcry
section OF the state shares in tho i'm
mediate results of tho calamity, while
we know that the people Of the entire
commonwealth will feel tho ailictiou
ms their own.