Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1870-05-04

OVER TWO HUNDRED KILLED AND WOUNDED

OVER TWO HUNDRED KILLED ANN WI MIMI
Richmond. Virginia, was the scene Of an awful
calamity on Wednesday last The floor OF the
supreme Courtroom in the Capitol gave way,
and precipitated great crowd, assembled to hear
the decision in the disputed mayoralty cases, upon
/ the members of the House Of Delegates, IN the
| chamber below. The fall was fully thirty feet.
There was a general crash Of all the tmbcrs and
qiying-way of the inside walls The loss of life
is appalling Many Of the most prominent citi-
zcns of Richmond were killed Among the dead are
| Hon Patrick II Aylett the eminent lawyer Dr.
/ John B Brock editor Of the Richmond enquirer
/ ex Confederate General Thomas II. Wilcox Cap
tain Charters, Chief Of the Fire Brigade O. VI;
Schoiicld, City Assessor, and brother OF General
SchOield Manager Eaton, Of the Boston inca
TIRE State Senator Bland, and Messrs. > r.
| Burnham and W. H. Randolph, Of New York
Ex-Governor Wells is seriously il not mOrtally,
injured, and Hon. Thomas 5. Bocock, formerly
distinguished member of Congress, and after
wards Speaker of the Confederate House of Rep
rcsentatives, has lost leg. The killed number
81, and the wounded upwardso of POO. The dsas-
ter created the most intense excitement in Rich
mond. The whole population Hooked to the Capi-
tOl Park. For three hours the scene Is described
as one of horror. As the bodies OF the slain and
wounded were swung out of the building ON the
SHOULDERS OF inc UItintus lutl Ntlt lNN'1hiN.N
and claimed by weeping relatives and friends
| All the stores boz Richmond were closed, and the
/ following day was observed as q day OF general
mourning.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS or THE ACCIDENT.
Yesterday Thursday all the houses of business
at Richmond were closed, having Grape ON their
doors and Inscriptions, Closed, in consequence
of the calamity, at the Capitol. The streets
were filed with funeral cortcges. All the late
/ r,,1ttfa.l fsgliuu t1 hive been tlrrDttpU.
The bells of the city tocd all day and the streets
] look like sunday Seven thousand people assem-
/ hed in the park and listened 10 addresses OF CON
dolence from Gov. Walker, Judge Orr, Judge
/ Crump Gov. Wise. and others, delivered from
| the southern p0rtico of the Capitol. Thomas $
Baldwin. one of the injured, died yesterday lie
was from Newark, n j., and owned large cloth
ing house in Richmond. Both houses of the Leg
/ stature held an informal meeting last evening,
and agreed 20 unite with the citizens in any gem
cul funeral procedure The body OF the col0rcd
senator Bland was sent home Yesterday morning,
the hcar-c being followed by white and colorcd
members of the Senate to the depot Ex-Goy.
Wells was better yesterday.
Ex-Gov. Weiss condition is still critical The
point Of one of his broken ribs has entered his left
lung. which causes much splitting of blood.
Mayor Kelley Of fredericksburg was conyers-
ing with Mr. Aylett when the crash commenced,
and says that Aylett was killed by beam from
the gallery. The large number of deaths occur
red among persons standing under the gallery.
Dr. Brock was sitting at his table writing when
the same beam which killed Aylctt struck him.
When he was brought out from the ruins he was
breathing. but expired in a few minutes.
The scenes on the Capitol square were such as
cannot be described. In several instances wives
came up0u the bodies of their husbands, and one
was so shocked that it is scarcely hoped that she
can live through the day. Another is insane,
with lite hope of recovery.
4 member of the Legislature describes the fall
as follows - heard low rumbling sound and
felt myself sinking rapidly. ! was facing the gal
lcry, and saw t falling toward me, but fortunately
ii did not reach me. ! saw men scramhling over
each other in the gallery, and heard what seemed
10 be one uuearthly yell OF agony then came the
crash. and sank into darkness ! found myself
under mass of rubbish, with dead man over
me, wounded man under me, and another at
my side The poor fellow under me said Oh
me If had only feared God always as do now.
How wicked have been all my days Oh, God
forgive mc-sparc me, md ! viii be o. true fol-
lower of Jesus ' The man at my side exclaimed
o, DEATH where is thy sting o grave, where
, is thy victory heard o number OF cries all
about me- some speaking about their wives, others
of their children. while others were begging for
mir. ] believe many of them died from suiloca-
ton, for although but little hurt myself should
have died from >uii0cation 1T [ had not been re-
moved when ! was
Mr.. Joyncs tells the following concerning DR.
Brock Sc was sitting behind DR. Brock anc
fell under him ! lay with my mouth 10 hi,
check, and could feel him growing cold. lie asked
me my name. ! told him who was. He said
o. / am dying tell my poor wife how much / loyeC
her aud thought of her in my last moments "
An experienced architect who has reviewed tn,
plan of the capitol says that the girder which
gave way was composed of two pieces of timber
bolted together making, when combined, an area
of 10 by 20 inches. 1t was formerly supported BY
columns which were removed 10 improve the ap-
! peaRnce of the Hall Of the House Of Delegates
reduced the available strength to % by 20 inches
The fatal error was in making the interior changes
without examining the grder with reference to IL
cnpacIty % endure the new strcs. pIaced npon Ii