Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-07-02
THE SYRACUSE HORROR.
Particulars III lie ('ulnuniIy.

Particular. III the Calamity.
The following dispatch to the Chicago
Tribune, gives the particulars Of The
sad affair at Syracuse, N. Y. 1t was
written the day after the disaster oc-
cured:
SYRACUSE, N. Y, June 2i.-Furtlcr
search this morning in the ruins of the
Central Baptist Church failed to find
any more bodies. Tho list of killed
numbers thirteen. lust nights list is
correct, except in tho cnsc of tho re-
ported death Of the boy Ostrandcr.
The number of wounded foots up ono
hundred, of whom twenty nrc seriously
injured. There have boon no deaths to-
day. A squad Of police hnvo posses
sion Of the building, pending tho Cor
"nrr'a inquest.
The occasion of tho gathering last
night WAS II festival, given 10y the ladies'
of the church, and /. concert Ivy tho
Little Old Folks" At the rear of tho
church are Suntlay-sclool rooms, occu-
pying the rooms Oh the first floor, and
tho church parl"rs occupying the
second floor. This part Of the cdificc
was in use for the festival and concert
1T the time Of the accident.
Supper was heing served in the 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 suppcr-room
is variously estimated ut from $50 to
500, mostly grown persons. AT the
time tho floor give way the children Of
the congregation were i'll ono 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 f"lling of the floor, the scene within
the parlor was one Of happy enjoyment.
While all were pleasantly engaged,
without Il single sign of warning, the
floor suddenly sank beneath them, and
in an instant Ill were buried in mass
Of struggling humanity, intermixel
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 as
the grave, but Immediately after heart.
rending appeals for help were to be
heard from hundreds of those who were
i'll agony. Immediately after persons
were seen issuing from the doors and
windows, which were smashed out by
frightened people, and an alarm was
sounded. Tho uninjurcl within the
church who were able to free them
selves from the mass, began ut once to
assist in rescuins others. The tircmcn
and police were quickly ut 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 hcartrending indeed. Faith
ers and mothers searching forthcir 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 cxtricating the people
was carried ON by aid of lanterns. As
fast us 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
jurcd and dead to the physicians Offices
and neighl,oring houses.
The excitement without the church
was terrible, and as each body was
being carried to adjoining houses the
mass SIT gel 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
i'll adjoining premises.
The floor which fell was suspended
10y iron rods from Il 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 spliccd 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
tho deaths were caused l,y falling tim
bcrs OF the truss some, however, were
snothcrel 10y plastering. The floors of
the church were supported originallyby
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 spliccd. Tho most pro,ni-
nent builders i'll the city declare that it
was rotten. 1t WAS put i'll green, and
has the dry rot.
The wounded arc doing we'll. Tho
Coroners inquest will DO held to-mor-
row.