Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-05-16
CRIMINAL CARLESSNESS
Brings Death to Ten OF
Twelve Persons And In.
jury to Many Others.
Falling Of . Court House I'm
Course Of Construction at
Rockford. Ills.
The Cornice ana Dome Beine
Placed in Position, Proved
too Heavy.
And Carried Walls, Pillars and
Workmen to the Ground
In Confusion.

cial from Rockford, His, says pail
has fallen over what this morning
was happy people. The Winneba-
70 county Court House, which this
when our citizens commence
ed their days labor, was the pride of
their hearts, is now q desolate ruin, q
monument of criminal inc0mp etency.
Some families which babe adicu to
their loved ones this morning
RECEIVED THEIR CoRPsEs
tonight, disfigured by the ruins from
which they were drawn piecemeal.
The building was not yet under roof
and the massive stone cornice which
preceded the roof, was to-day being
put on. Just as the keystone was be-
ing placed in the dome of the main
pavilion, the brick work between the
iron dome and the interior walls Of
the structure, came crumbling down
with q
TERRIBLE CRASH,
that was heard nearly mile away.
A brief description of the structure
will aid in understanding the acci-
dent. The style Of the building is
French Venetian, of the Renaissance,
designed by Henry L. Gay, of Chica-
60, and the contract for the building
was let to w. ID. Richardson of
Springfield, who in the spring of 1876
began the work. 1t has two pavil-
ions and a centre dome over the front
entrance. The two pavilions on each
side rise about thirty feet above the
level of the cornice.
THE DOME
is one hundred and nineteen feet
from the ground and supported by
the front walls on the north side and
two iron columns from ten to twelve
inches in diameter ON the inner side.
These columns rest upon brick wall
going up from the ground floor to the
floor Of the court rooms. The walls
were abont thirty feet high and it APP
pears entirely inadequate to hold the
immense weight of the iron pillars
and the massive masonry of the dome
which rested upon the pillars. Upon
the top of the iron columns was q
wrought iron girder upon which was
laid the veneer and brick of the dome.
It appears that the lower brick walls
were crushed by the weight of the
upper masonry and crumbled like so
much rotten mortar, bringing with
them the
ENTIRE INTERIOR
of the building, taking all the rafters
of the corrugated iron ceiling of ev-
cry room with its concrete filing.
The iron joist scaffolding came down
in one terrific mass, bringing with it
nearly all the workmen, who were
operating on top of the building. At
the time of the accident there were
from twenty to twenty-five men at
work. The accident happened at ex-
actly ii 80 a. m. to-day. The whole
massive stone top of the dome fell
with terrific crash towards State
street.
A man named Timothy Flanagan,
who was just putting in the key
stone of the final cornice,
JUMPED FOR THE GUY ROPE
of big derrick in front, but missing
his aim, fell distance of 100 feet, and
was dashed to pieces. At this time
but few persons were upon the scene.
The mass Of human beings, with the
exception of four or five who jumped
from the windows, fell inside the tot.
tering walls and were buried in the
debris. The whole structure looked
80 taA0u61h 70 U0uaSa 1s.a1, ssAaA saAosS-
sembled knew not what to do. Tt
60 near enough the structure to res.
cue those mangled and bleeding in
the ruins was hazardous in the ex.
IRENE, but brave men went feRrlessly
to work before the dust cleared away
and commenced to extricate the dead
and dying. Men lay terrible mutila.
ted beneath those rocks,
sHRIEKING FOR ASSISTANCE,
that was only rendered at the risk Of
the bystanders' lives. One unfortu.
nate man named Gloss, was extricat.
ed, but one of his legs was left beneath
q huge stone. He soon expired In
great agony as he lay upon the greer
sward in front of the court house
A negro jumped from a window sixty
feet from the ground, and though
badly injured will probably recover
Within ten minutes after the accident
not less than four bodies were recov.
cred by the almost superhuman eff.
forts of the immense crowd that i'm.
mediately gathered. The city sur.
geons were promptly on hand, and
rendered great aid to the wounded
who were carried to the nearest ho-
tells. A Swede named Andrew Bill
dahe had his head split open, but the
wound was closed and the victim
taken home and may live. The an.
guish Of the living was heartrending
Workmens' wives and mothers were
soon on the ground, the air was filled
with sobs, wailings and meanings
and the on locker was sickened by
sights on every hand. !.
Up to p. M, the following
LIST OF VICTIMS
had been obtained: Fred. Haugh
dead-remains yet in the building
A. Lucas. engineer, leg broken and
badly injured T. Hayes, engineer on
the lower floor, badly injured, but
may recover; VIM. McInnes, lee
broken, elbow injured and SCALP
wound J. F. Peck, MORALLY wound.
ed; J. Pipe, dead; A. Hollandeck
dead, and remains in the building
Geo. Smith, badly hurt; J. Warren
missing, and probably dead George
Glass (colored) dead Hugh Eldreds
hurt in leg and face; Timothy Elan.
nagan, dead; 49, Linholm, dying
il. w. Lawson, (colored) reported
dead; A. Beldahl, badly injured but
may recover; II. w. Ames, who wal
working ON the southeast corner
of the building, left q raftel
as it gave away, and fell down t.
the first story but escaped from thu
second story window with his head
badly hurt; BENZ. Brown, (colored)
slightly hurt; Isaiah Donnelly, two
severe scalp wounds and cut in head
Hugh Eldreds, confusion on leg and
face hurt; George Smith, neck and
head hurt; Cicero Decon, confusion
on thigh. Donnelly is seriously
wounded, but all those wounded viii
probably recover.
@. Harris, of Dixon, q carpenter, il
Il Svss int ~