The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-05-03
From the Richmond Dispatch.l
Incidents OF the Richmond Catas.
trOuhe

MIR. Rush Burgess fell on top of a
gentleman whose name he could not
learn. He asked, " Ny friend. can
CESS replied, mo L can not, sir"
We'll" said he, Il must die. Good
bye"
During the time in which Hon.
George William Brent, Of Alexandria,
was covered in the ruins, Mr.. Chand
Ter, who was between the window and
Mr.. Brent, was endeavoring to get
away when Mr.. Brent caught him by
the arm and begged him, for God 5
sake, TO let him get some air, but in
Mr.. Chandler's position.it was impos
sible for him TO move until assistance
was rendered. In a short time, how
ever, he was taken out and his life
saved.
We learn from Mr.. Chandler, who
was doing we'll late last evening, that
Mr. Samuel A Eaton was sitting on
the back of his chair when the floor
fell through. Eaton was killed, and
MI. Chandler not seriously wounded /;
such escapes are most remarkable.
The Conservative caucus which had
met In the hall of the House of Del
egates adjourned not many minutes
before the calamity. Fortunately
there had been a dispute about the
Judgeship of Henry County, and an
adjournment was necessary. Had
this not been the case, more than
half of the Legislature would have
been crushed.
DIR. Thompson, member of the
IIA..zo - H. IaovakrC F-AV,
was caught under two men who were
instantly killed by a heavy falling
beam. He himself was slightly in
jured.
Mr.. z. III. Keenan, was buried be
noath the ruins for three. quarters of
an hour, and was found nearly suffo
Gated under the dead bodies. He has
almost entirely recovered.
The most terrible feature about
this whole affair is the heart-rending
manner of death in a majority of
instances. Many of the dead, when
brought out, were found to be with
out serious bodily injury, but had
evidently died from suffoeation. The
mere contemplation of such a thing
is sickening. Hard, indeed, was the
fate of those who had escaped death
from the falling timbers, in the end
to die from the untold agonies of suf-
location.
The old capitol of Virginia was
built at a time when there were no
such modes of fastening and sup.
porting floors. galleries, walls and
roofs, as are now employed; nor was
the necessity for strength Ia public
buildings then so GreAf as Il is now.
There were no such racked assem-
blages drawn together by excitement
and entertainment of one kind and
another within doors. So the huild-
ers accommodated themselves 70 their
times. Only the Capitol has lived
beyond It's true day, and has added
another appalling chapter to the his
tory of this devoted city of calamities.
The Senate Cbamber-now turned
into the Supreme Court room-did
tolerably well for the old Senate.
which could not originate a money
bill of any kind, but was a mere re-
visory body, and little interest at
tached to its proceedings. So, the
hall was never subjected to a very
heavy weight - nothing like that
brought upon it yesterday. The joists
were so poorly joined to the wall that
they were readily drawn out by the
floor when slightly sunk. The cell
ing was what may be termed a false
one. There was space of eight or
more feet, we suppose, between
the ceiling and the ioists which
rested on the top OF re wall.
and the ceiling was snsrushded by
pieces of plank nailed to the ioisrs
and a most slender support it was.
So the gallery was supported by SINH
lar pendants from the joists above.
and when it fell forward it 40 doubt
gave that start to the ceiling which
tho vacuum caused by the descending
door. ended by drawing the whole of
i, with al its timbers, down upon