The Republican journal., 1870-01-06
THE ACCIDENT IN GREEN, RHODE ISLAND,

pense.
THE ACCIDENT IN GREEN, RHODE ISLAND
A correspondent of the Providence Herald
at Coventry gives the following account o
the accident at Green, which was very nca
being an appalling disaster
''Some three hundred mon, women and
children had collected or Christmas eve, 4
building destined for a store and hall, re
Gently erected but not yet completed Il
Green Station, Coventry. The number pres
ent had been equally divided between the up
per and lower halls up to about ten o'clock
Nothing had occurred to awaken apprehen
sion in the minds of any one, and it was an.
nounced that Santa Clans had arrived anc
was about to decorate the Christmas tree in
the upper hall. Immediately nearly al pres
ent repaired to the upper floor and crowded
around the Christmas tree. Mr.. McGregor,
dressed rs Santa Claus, had no sooner ar
rived at the tree, when with scarcely an in
stant's warning, crash went the frail joists
beneath the floor and down ii went with all
upon it, paiting in the centre, to the floor be-
meath, which instantly gave way with another
crash, mingled with the noise of crockery
and glass, and loud screams Of the women
and children promiscuously iumbled into the
cellar beneath in small space, shaped by
the broken floor that remained hanging at
the sides and ends, like a hopper to grist
mill, twenty feet deep. No avenue of escape
was open. and some time must elapse before
a breach could be made in the ccllar-wal
large enough for all to escape from their per-
ilOus position. What if 4 fire should occur?
Where were the two stoves filled with burn
ing coal? Where were the kerosene lamps,
five in number that had gone down with the
falling mass? Ever so little fire coming in
contact with the dry shavings, a foot thick, in
the cellar, and communicating with the kcro-
sene spilled from broken lamps, would in
five minutes, in all probability, destroy every
life within the ruins. Any Of the lights that
still remained attached around the inside of
the hall, and partially detached by the shock
Of the falling timbers, might at any instant
drop and start the fatal flame that would con
vert this, but a moment before the scene OF
festivity, into holocaust. Fortunately the
part of the floor occupied by the stoves did
We're extinguished by the fall. Through
these happy circumstances alone, over two
hundred men, women and children We're
spared terrible death. and the community
a horrible calamity In the meantime the
groans of the wounded and the loud screams
of the women and children piled one upon
the other in the cellar, were heartrendng
and continuous As soon as tools were OBJ
tanned, breach was made in the cellar wall
and a portion of the fallen floor removed
through which those who were able made
their escape A scene for few moments of
the widest character ensucd, as the scream
ing women and children rushed to and fro in
their frantic search for their friends. Those
unable to extricate themselves from beneath
the benches and Christmas tree that had gone
down upon them, lor were too much I'M ured to
help themselves, were carefully removed,
and the seriously wounded sent home in car
riages. Full half an hour had elapsed be-
fore all We're extricated. While. as may
be supposed, almost all who fell received
more OF less sprains, bruises and scratches,
it is wonderful that so few received serious
injury, and that none We're killed. AT the
time, it was supposed that a considerable
number hurt had their bones fractured, and
surgical assistance was Immediately sent for
to the city 1t now appears that only two, a
Mrs. Wilcox and Mrs. Brown aged seventy
two, had bones fractured. Each of these
has broken leg. A number of others re-
| ceived serious injury, but hear of none that
are not i'll a fair way to recover, 1t seems
that those engaged in putting up the Christ
mas tree the day before the festival, dis
covered that the upper hall floor had settled
several lnCneS Wltn tle weight Oh tnc lew III
the hall at the time. They raised it up anG
placed small joist beneath it, and with thi:
frail support these very persons, with a full
knowledge of this fact, trusted their. lives
and those of their neighbors and friends
In Bangor on Wednesday evening last, fire
broke out in the two story brick store on Mail
street, occupied by Jos. F. Snow, dry goods
and Burnham's photograph rooms and Todd
picture frame factory. The stock ofdry goods
valued at $15, 900 was removed, badly dam
aged by water Insured $4,000. The store
was owned by Sylvanus Rich, and was insur
ed for $500 The photograph stock was
total loss Todd's loss is $500; no insuranc
At late hour an unoccupied house owned b,
Daniel McGreevv, on the Levant road wa
burned. Loss $500; insured. Cause of fir
unknown.
| Not long since, at q Sabbath School con
cert, one of our Professors in illustrating to tn
children the fact that if we are not workin.
for Christ we must be working against him
asked the question :-"Who are we workin:
for when we are not working for Christ !?
One of the little juveniles replied in a clea
] triumphant voice, ''For father and mother !!
But what capped the climax is, that after tn
the little fellow had reached his home, on be
! ;,,r -,d no no