The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1874-07-09
Scenes and Incidents of the Late Syracuse
Calamity.

THE Syracuse On. W papers mention
the following incidents in their accoun,
of the recent giving way of floor of a
church building in that city while it was
occupied by number Of persons in
attendance upon a strawberry festival:
The scene which met the eyes Of the
reporters beggars description. The ruins
within the church bore terrible evidence
to the destruction and death which had
been brought upon those within, while
the excited thousands outside could only
stand and gaze at the building. Mothers
ran to and fro, moaning and crying, Oh
my poor children! They are dead! They
are dead!" where's my little girls
"Have you seen my darling boy?" Men
were inquiring in broken accents fol
their wives, and wives were beseechingly
asking for information Of their husbands
One man gazed upon the body Of an idol
lied girl, and cursed God with a terrible
bitterness. "This," he said, us wha,
comes from worshiping God?" OF
course, at such time it was idle to re
monstrate, and yet some attempted tc
reason with him.
A blind woman, Mrs. John Davis, was
on the floor at one Of the tables when the
crash came. She says the first she knew
she went down, down Then she heard
the people crying and groaning. People
were shouting, "God forgive my sins!
Others she heard complaining of theil
injuries, saying, "Oh, my back!" "Oh
my back!" Some one said they won
dered she got out without being injured
"Oh! God did it," she replied.
Mr.. j. Page Munvo was at one of the
flower tables in the southwest corner Of
the building. The portion Of the floor on
which he stood did not fall entirely down.
He had just expressed to lady his be-
lief that the floor would give way
though he had no particular reason fol
thinking so. The lady, being somewhat
heavy, said if it fell it would give way
where she stood Scarcely had she ut
tered the words when it went down.
A young lady spoke to another, say
ing: II feel as though something was
going to happen. Ibelieve this floor will
give way" She felt so strongly
impressed that she walked out of the
church just in time to avoid the fall.
A. j. Davis sat at a table with his lit
tie child on his knee. As the floor gave
way they went down into the middle Of
the room. His head was bent forward
on the table and held as in wise, while
heavy timbers pressed against his bach
and sides, making it impossible for him
to move, except his right arm. He wal
finally released His little girl escaped
without scratch. There were probably
not half dozen people on the first fool
when the accident occurred. Several o1
the children who were to take part in the
concert had just dressed and proceeded
up stairs, and the entire party was get
ting ready to pass into the main audi
torium to listen to the concert when thu
catastrophe occurred. Had the tide o.
people commenced flowing toward thu
auditorium five minutes earlier the acci
dent might not have occurred.
The Rev. Mr. Bowling and his wife ant
brother-in-law were carried down will
the rest, but all escaped injury. Tn.
Rev. Mr.. Bowling, as soon as he coult
reach the street, ran down Montgomer,
to East Genesee street, exclsiming, "Oh
my poor church people! my poor church
Do 50 and help them!" he went TO th.
engine house Of No. ] and called upoz
the flremen to come to the rescue imme
diately.
Those who went down with the wrecl