Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-07-02
THE SYRACUSE HORROR.
Particulars Of the ('uInpbia v ,

Tho following dispatch to the Chicago
Tribune, gives the particulars of tho
sad affair ut Syracuse, N. Y. 1t was
written the day utter tho disaster oc-
Cured:
SYRACUSE, N. Y, June M.-Further
search this morning in tho ruins of the
Central Baptist Church fniled to find
any more bodies. Tho list of killed
numbers thirteen. Lust nights list is
correct, except in the case of tho re-
ported death Of the boy Ostrander.
The number of wounded foots up ono
hundred, of whom twenty aro seriously
injured. There have boon notlcaths TO-
day. A squad Of police lulve posses
sion Of tho building, pending the Cor
oncr's inquest.
Tho occasion of tho gathering last
night was a festival, given 10y the lntlics
of the church, and concert by "tho
Little Old Folks" At tho roar Of tho
church arc Sunday school rooms, occu-
plying the rooms on tho first floor, and
tho church parlors occupying tho
second floor. This part Of the edificc
was in use for the festival and concert
at the time of the accident.
Supper was being served i'll tho CEN
trail parlor, which had been prepared
for the occasion with tables, etc. This
room, which was 10 feet square, was
filled with people; the session room be-
low being deserted save by few per-
sons. The number in the sr1ppcr-room
is vario,lsly estimated ut from $50 to
500, mostly grown persons. At the
time tho floor gave way the children of
the congregation were in one of the
ante-rooms, being prepared for the
"Ancient Concert" But for this fact
the list of dead must have been very
much larger, as many of the helpless
little ones would have been crushed to
death in the mass of humanity, crowded
into the "V" shaped vortex formed by
tho falling timbers. At the moment Of
the falling of the floor, the scene within
the p'rlor was one Of happy enjoyment.
While all were pleasantly engaged,
without :. single sign of warming, the
floor suddenly sank beneath them, and
in an instant all were buried in a mass
of struggling humanity, intermixed
with falling timbers, furniture, etc., and
in utter darkness, the gas having been
extinguished by the breaking of the gas
pipes. An instant after the fearful de-
scent had been made, all was silent az
the grave, but Immediately after heart.
rending appeals for help were to BIZ
heard from hundreds of those who were
i'll agony. Immediately after persons
were seen issuing from the doors and
windows, which we're smashed out by
frightened people, and an alarm was
sounded. Tho uninjured within the
church who were able to free them
selves from the mass, began at once to
assist in rescuinS others. The fircmen
and police were quickly at hand, and
labored nobly in the work of rescue.
The scene within the building was
terrible in it's details, and that without
the edifice heartrending indeed. Faith
ers and mothers searching fortheir chill
dren, husbands looking for their wives,
wives inquiring for husbands, brothers
| for sisters, and children for their
parents of whose fate all were uncer-
tain and in dread. Quickly and rap
idly the work of extricating the people
was carried on by aid Of lanterns. As
fast as the living and dead were res
cued they were passed out through the
windows and doors where ready hands
assisted to convey the dangerously in
jured and dead to the physicians Offices
and neighboring houses.
The excitement without the church
was terrible, and as each body was
being carried to adjoining houses the
mass ST. ged back and forth, all terribly
anxious to ascertain who it was, and
whether dead or alive. At the height
of the excitement not less than ten
thousand people were crowded into
Montgomery and Jefferson streets and
in adjoining premises.
The floor which fell was suspended
by iron rods from a wooden truss under
the roof. These rods went through the
lower, but not through the upper chord
of the truss. The lower chord had
been spliced the wrong side up, and
that point was first to give way. Tho
floor having no props beneath it, sunk
in the form of letter V, The most of
the deaths We're caused by falling tim
bers OF the truss some, however, were
smothered by plastering. The floors of
the church were supported originality
iron pillars. A short time ago the
church Building Committee, with the
consent, as they say, Of the architect,
removed the iron pillars. The truss
was very imperfectly constructed, be.
sides being spliced. The most promi-
nent builders in the city declare that it
was rotten. 1t was put in green, and
has the dry rot.
The wounded are doing we'll. The
Coroner's inquest will be held to-mor-
row.
4 Do sV>.noI 2nn~o