The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1877-05-13
HORROR AT ROCKFORD.
The Iron Supports of the New
Court House Give Way
and the Building
Falls.
Ten Persons kiiIcd, aud ne Navy
More Wounded.
FULL PARTICULAR .

FULL PARTICULARS.
CHICAGO, May IL. "A Tribune spcciai
from Rockford, HIS, says; pan mas
fallen over what, this morning. was "A
nanny community. The Winnebago
coli,Iy court house. which this morning,
when our citizens commenced their day 5
labor. was the pride of their hearts. Is
now a desolaje ruin, monument OF
criminal incompetency. Some IaihiiieS
which babe adieu to their loved ones tlils
morning received their corpses to-nlght,
dlsligurcd by the ruins from when tuey
were drawn piCcemcal. lie DuilulnS
was not yet under ROOT, ana Tue mass
i've stone cornice which proceed q tn
roof was to-day being pnt on. just AS
the keystone was being placed III tue
dome OF the main pavilion, the Drlck
work between the iron and stone gave
way anu the entire dome and the interior
walls of the structure came rushing
down with terrible crash that was
heard nearly a mile away. y Driei ues-
crition OF the structure Will ala III uh"er'
Standing the accident:
THE STYLE OF THE BUILDING
is French yenf enr1 NJ IL sns Of Chicago
ana the contract for building was let To
w. ID. Richardson of Springfield, VINO IN
the spring of 1876 began the work. III
has two payillions and Il center dome
over the front entrance. The two pa
vllions rise about thirty feet above level
Of the cornice. The dome is 10 feet
from the ground and supported by the
front walls on the north side. ana two
iron columns, from ten to twelve inches
in diameter, on the inner side. These
columns rests upon brick wall going
up from the ground floor 70 the llOor oil
the court room. The walls were about
thirty feet high. and it appears that they
were entirely inadequate TO hold the I'M
mense weight OF the iron pillars and the
massive masonry OF the dome, which
rested upon the pillars. Upon the top OF
the iron columns YVES a wrought iron
brick OF the dome. 1t appears that the
lower
BRICK WALLS WERE CRUSHED
BY the falling of the upper masonry and
crumbled like so much rotten mortar,
trnging with it the entire in erior OF the
building, taking all the raiters, the cor
rugatcd iron ceiling OF every room with
its concrete filing and the iron joists.
The scaiiolding came down in a terrific
mass, bringing with it nearly all the
workmen who were operating upon Il
top of the building at the time OF the ac-
cilent. There were from twenty &c
twenty-five men at work. The accident
happened at exactly ll:30 am. to-day
| The whole massive stone top OF thu
J dome tell with terrific crash toward
| state street, and man named Timothy
| Flanagan. who was Just putting in tn,
keystone of the final cornice. jumpet
Tor the guy rope of the big derrick il
| front. but,
MISSING HIS AIM,
| Eel distance OF 100 feet 10 the earth
and was dashad 10 pieces. The mass o
human beings, with the exception OF fou
or five who Jumped from the windows
tell inside the totteIing walls and wer
buried in the debris. The whole struct
ure looked a though it would fall, an
those assembled were appalled, anu knew
not what to do. To go near enough t
the structure to rescue those mangie
and bl, edng In the ruins was hazardou
in the extreme, but brave men went feaI
lessly to work before the dust clearet
away and commenced to eXtiicate tn
dead and dying. Undesirable horror
ensued Men lay terribly mutilated be
meath those rocks, shrieking for assist
ance that was only rendered at the risl
of the bystanders' lives. One untortu
nate man, named William Glass, was eX
treated, but one of his legs was left be
meath a ponderous stNne. He soon eX
PRED in great agony, as he lay upon tn
green sward in front of the court house
\ negro jumped from window
SIXTY FEET HIGH
! from the ground. and, though badly in
| iured, will probably recover. Within
| zen minutes after the disaster four bodies
we e rec ovcred by the almost superhu
ma efforts OF the immense crowd tina
| quickly gathered. The city surgeon:
we're promptly Oh hand, rendering great
aid to the woun ed. who were carried
on stretchers 10 the nearest hotels. A
Swede, named Andrew Bildhal, had his
head split open, but the wound was
closed and the victim taken home. anC
may live. The anguish OF all was heart
rending. WOrkmens' wives and moth
ers were soon on the spot. The air wa,
filled with sobs, wailing and meanings
and the ou-looher was sickened by the
sights on every hand. Up to p. m. the
following.
LIST OF VICTIMS
has been obtained:
Fred IIaugh, dead, remains still in the
/ building; y. llauGh, dead; y. Lucas
engineer, leg broken and badly Injured;
L. Hayes, engineer of lower floor. badly
hurt. may recover; VIM. Mclnnes, leg
| broken, elbow injured and scalp wound;
j. +. Peck, mortally injured; j. Pipe,
dead ; 4. II. liellenaeck, dead, remains
in the building; George Smith, badly
hurt j. Warren, missing and probably
| dead George Gloss, cOlOred, dead
| In, IL
Timothy Flanagan, dead (; Linholm,
| dying J. Lawson, cOlored, reported
dead f; A. Baldahl, badly injured, may