The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-25
Sketch Of the Situation at the Time
Of the Accident
HEARTRENDlNG SCENE.
A Happy Throng Suddenly Buried
In Struggling Mass.
The Condition Of the Building List Of the
Killed and Injured.

SYRACUSE, N. Y, June "a 1874.
The Central Baptist church disaster proves to
have been fully as serious as teegraphed last
night.
festival given by the ladies' of the church and
concert by 1.-THE Little Old Folks" At the rear of
the church are the Sunday school rooms. occupy
ing the first floor. and the church par.ors, oc-
cnpyinR the second moor. This Fart OF
the edifce was In use for the festival
and concert. At the time OF the accident
supper was being served in the central parlor,
winch had been prepared Tor the occasion with
tables, &c. This room, which was forty feet
square, was filled with people, the session room
below being deserted save by few persons.
The number in the supper room Is variously esti-
mated at from $50 to 500, mostly grown persons.
At the time the door gave way the children OF the
congregation were In one Of the ante-rooms, being
prepared for the ancient Concerto But Tor this
fact alone the list of the dead have been very
much larger as many OF the helpless lutte ones
would have been crushed to death in the mass OF
humanity crowded into the shaped vortex
&C, ,y med bv the falling oor At the moment oil the
falling OF the floor
THE SCENE WITHIN THE pARLoR
"sS' onS VI ""PPy ChJoJuGAts NuHc I'LL WcTc
pleasantly engaged, without single sign OF warn
ing. the floor suddenly sunk beneath them, and in
an instant the happy throng found themselves
buried IN mass OF struggling humanity. III err
mixed with falling timbers, furniture, &C.. and In
utter darkness. the gas having been extingulshed
by the breaking OF the gaspipes. The descent OF
the fioor was accompanied with terrible crushing
OF timbers, and from the endangered human beings
went up
HORRIBLE CRIES FOR AID.
An instant alter the fearful descent had been
made all was silent as the grave. but Immediately
after hear1rcndin0 appeals for help were to be
heard from hundreds OF those who were in agony
Soon afterwards persons were seen issuing
from the doors and windows which were
smashed out by the frightened people and an
alarm was sounded. The unlnjured In the church
who were able to free themselves from the mass
began at once to assist in rescuing Others. The
fremen and police were quickly at hand, and la.
bored nobly in the work OF rescue. Entrance to
the church was At once stopped and none were al
lowed TO enter 1t except those engaged In taking
out the inmates. .at4n
The scene within the building was terrible in It's
details and that without the edifce was heart
rendlng indeed. Fathers and mothers searching
for their children, husbands looking for wives,
wives inquiring for husbands, brothers Tor sisters
were uncertain and In dread. Quietly but
rapidly the WORK of extricating the people
was carried on by the atd o. lanterns, q large
number OF which had been secured, VIII lie some
busted themselves with snoring up slanting Sec
lions OF tie door. Many others were aiding men,
women and children to free themselves, and as
fast as the living and dead were rescued they were
passed out through windows and DOORS where
ready hands assisted to convey the dangerously
injured and dead to physicians offices and the
neighboring houses. The work was vigorously but
slowly prosecuted and before midnight the last OF
the living and the dead had been taken out. The
excitement without the church was terrible, and
as each body, either dead or severely injured, was
being carried to the adjoining houses, the
MASS SURGED BACK AND FORTH,
all terribly anxious to ascertain who 1t was and
whether dead or alive. At the height OF the ex.
element not less than TO- 900 people were crowded
into Montgomery and Jefferson streets and in the
adjoining premises. The excitement at the scene
did not subside until long alter midnight, at
which hour the dead had either been removed to
their homes or to various undertaking rooms In
the city, about which excited groups were to be
seen up to two O'Clock tnis morning discussing
the terrible details.
The excitement in this city to-day over the acct
dent is intense, and many un!ounded rumors are in
circulation In regard to the OF the accident.
The disaster was caused by the giving way OF de-
fective truss. The gathering was In the parlors
on the second floor, which was supported by iron
rods IRON the truss. The truss giving way OF
course the moor fell.
THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT.
Various reasons are assigned for The accident
have carefully investigated the case and believe
the following to be substantially correct:-Ihe
floor upon which the party was assembled was
suspended by iron rods from wooden truss under
the ROOF; this truss gave way, when, Of course,
the floor could not support itself and went down.
The ceiling fell when the timbers OF the truss gave
way, and all fell together. Most OF those
who were killed were struck by the timbers of
the truss, or smothered by the plasterlng Why the
truss should give way has been varlously conject-
ured. 1t Ia all summed up in the statement that 1t
was imperlectly constructed and the floor was
improperly suspended. The truss had an upper
and lower chord. The lower chord rested upon the
brick walls. and was
sPLICED WRONG SIDE UP.
One Of the iron rods that supported the door was
bolted into the chord inside OF the splice, while
outside OF 1t the rod from the joist above was
fastened. The tendency thus was to pull the two
pieces spced apart instead OF holding them
together. This splice broke. The cause OF the
break was that the ttmbers were rotten. They
had evidently been put In green, and had the dry
rot. Another reason Tor the break
was that the entire weight upon the
noor was on the lower chord and not upon the
sustaining beams. The rods which supported the
noor only passed through the lower chord and not
into the upper one. So lar as the power OF the
truss was concerned 1t might have been straight
stick OF poorly splced timbers, hall rotten.
Another reason might DC given for the acct
dent One OF the joints In the upper
portion OF the truss was badly fastened. The
plate fastened upon the short iron rod in the truss
did not cover the upper end OF the brace at all.
allowing 1t to slip by. IL had been reported that
iron pillars had supported the moor till recently,
and hac been removed BY the trustees. This is
untrue. The truss was put In when the building
was erecLed Some five xnars ano The follo wing L.