Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-04-29
RICHMOND.
In mOurning-Over6 60 Persons Killed
and 200 injured.


In mourning-Over60 Persons Killed
/. and 200 injured.
RICHMOND, April 2s.-Last night great
meeting of the Cahoon and Ellison police
was held, at which resolutions of respect
to the memory of their diseased brethren
were adopted, and it was agreed that both
parties should join and participate in the
funeral ceremonies. All day kilograms
were being received from every portion Of
the State and country, inquiring after the
welfare of friends and relatives in this city,
and what with the press reports and inces-
SAINT messages sent and received. operators
here were taxed to their utmost capacity
to-day. Business will be suspended, SO
that every citizen can devote himself to
the memory of the dead. 1t Is needless to
say that no decision has been rendered in
the Mayoralty case, and it is now doubtful
when it viii be determined.
Both branches of the General Assembly
held session at the Exchange Hotel,
which was merelya meeting, and adjourned
until to-day at IL o'clock, to avoid any in
terruption in the proceedings.
Il is believed the Capitol will now be
abandoned as public institution. 1t was
built in 1892 and is now nearly seventy
| eight years old
The burning of the theater in 1871, when
a large number of persons, including many
| ladies, persisted, is the only disaster in the
history of this city that affords the slightest
parallel to the terrible calamity of this long
! to be remembered day.
It is apparent the calamity is much
greater than yet reported. The number
of killed will reach over sixty, and the num-
1 har Id fcl -vrx,-y, 20 h.
The scenes of despair and anguish in the
vicinity of the scene are beyond descrip-
| ton. Dark mourning covers the whole
city.
FunereaI-GOv. NcIIes not Dead but
Better.
To-day all the houses of business were
closed In consequence of the calamity at
the Capitol. The streets are filed with
funeral corteges. In those of the dead
policemen both sets of the police Joined.
All the late political feeling was forgotten.
Bills were forgotten. The bells of the city
tolled all day. The streets looked like |
Sunday About seven thousand people as
sembled in the Park, hearing addresses of |
coincidence from Gov. Walker, Judges
Orr and Crump, Gov. Wise and Others
Thomas S. Baldwin, one of the injured, |
who died to-day was from Newark, N j. |
Both houses of the Legislature held an in |
formal meeting and agreed with the citi- |
zens in any general funeral proceeding.
The body of the colored Senator Bland, /
was sent home this morning, the hearse |
being followed by white and colored men, /
bers of the Senate TO the depot. Gov. |
Wells is better to day.
La1er-GOv. WcIIcs' Condition Crit
RICHMOND, April 2S-G P. M-BusinesS
is almost entirely suspended The day is
one of general mourning, and the citizens /
generally are attending the funerals of /
the victims of the disaster. Those of /
II Quarles, Capt Voolfolk. n P Howard, /
policeman Cox, Patrick Henry Aylett,
Powhattan Roberts, Sam Eaton, II H |
Nancy, jr., and John Turner have already
taken place. Thos L Baldwin died this
morning. Hopes are entertained of the
recovery of Mr.. Durham. Ex-Governor
Welles is better, but his condition critical;
the point of one broken rib entered his
left lang which causes much splitting of
blood.
Remarkable Escape-IncIdcnts.
One of the most remarkable escapes YES
terday was that of B. Il. White, member of
the Legislature from Elizabeth City He
fell through the floor and did not receive q
scratch. He remained and worked vigor-
ously to get out the wounded.
Maj. Kelly, of fredericksburg was con
versing with Mr.. Aylett when the crash
commenced, and says Aylett was killed by
a beam from the gallery. A large number
of deaths occurred among those standing |
under the gallery. DIR. Brock was Just in
reach of it sitting at his table writing when |
the same beam that killed Aylett struck
him; when he was brought from the ruins
he was breathing but died in few minutes |
afterwards
The scenes in Capitol Square cannot be
described. In several instances wives
came upon the bodies of dead husbands |
and one of them was SO shocked that it is
believed she cannot live through the day.
Another is insane, with but little hope of /
recovery.
vivid Description by One of the Vic
Tins.
A member of the Legislature describes
his fall as follows: ! heard low /
rumbling sound, and felt myself sinking |
rapidly. l was facing the gallery, and
saw it falling towards me. Fortunately |
it did not reach me. ! saw men scramb- |
ling over each other in the gallery, and /
heard what seemed one unearthly yell of /
agony; then came a crash, and | sank /
into darkness. l found myself under a
mass of rubbish, with q dead body over /
me, wounded man under me and an
other at my side The poor fellow under
me said: ooh me, but if | could only |
fear God. always as do now! |
How wicked have been all my days; oh, |
God, forgive me, spare me, and l will be a /
true follower of Jesus" A man at nv
side exclaimed: sob, death, where is thy |
sting. on, grave, where is thy victory" l |
heard number of cries on all sides of |
me; some we're speaking about their wives
and others of their children, while others |
were begging for air believe many died |
from sutfocatiOn, for although little hurt |
myself, should have died from suffocation |
if not removed when was.
a Touching Incident.
Mr.. Jaynes tells the following touching
incident concerning DIR. Brock: / was
sitting behind DR.. Brock and fell under
him. lay with my mouth to his cheek,
and could feel him growing cold. He
asked my name and told him. He said
81 am dying. Tell my poor wife how
much loved her, and thought of her in
my last moments"
sympathy and Aid.
kilograms of sympathy, and offering aid |
for the afflicted are coming from all parts
of the country. A citizen of New York
has given authority to gentleman here to
draw on him for 81 600.
The Cause of the Accident.
An experienced architect, who has
viewed plan of the Capitol building says
the girder which gave way was composed
of two pieces of wood bolted together,
making, when combined, an area of l3 by
20 inches. 1t was formerly supported by
columns, which were subsequently re-
moved TO improve the appearance of the
| Hall of Delegates. In the centre of the
| girder was a mortise, which reduced its
available strength to % by 30 inches. The
fatal error was in making the interchanges
without examining the girders with refer
ence TO their capacity TO endure the new
strain placed upon them.
Twenty-Five More Funerals.
LATER-There have been about twenty
| five additional funerals this evening
Hearses could not be obtained for all of
them, and furniture wagons, appropriately
draped, had to he used.
The funeral of John Turner, page in
the House of Delegates, was attended by
the General Assembly in body. The
pages of the House acted as pail bearers
The scene was very affecting.
Statement of state Treasurer CAL