The daily gazette., 1879-12-22
FIRST EDITION.
A FRIG aTFUL FALL.
TWO NEW BUILDINGS
GIVE WAY,
And Secen Persons Go DOsCl,
sn the Wrech.
NO LIVES LOST, BUT SOME SERI-
OUSLY INJURED.

A FALL FROM TIE THIRD FLOR TO
The CELLAR, UNDER BRICKS AND
BROKEN TIMBERs-THE REscUE,TIIE
CONDITION OF THE WOUNDED, THE
CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT, Erc.
About fifteen minutes before 6 o'clock
on Saturday evening, an accident occur
red 10 this city, which, though atte.ded
with very serious results,w was also mark
ed with an almost miraculous absence of
fatality.
The accident occurred on the W est
side OF jackson street, below Third, in
the Tenth ward. Here were being
erected two three-story brick houses for
Mr.. Patrick Sullivan, Mr.Patrick Dillon
being the contractor, while Mr.. Allen
Ruth had charge of the brick work. The
houses had bick buildings, which, on
Saturday evening, were under root,
while the third floor josts of The man
building had been lald, and tie walls
run up ready to be rooted in the first
thing on Monday morning.
About half-past five o'clock, Saturday
evering, MIR. Allen Ruth, the contract
ing bricklayer, had fl ished paying off
his employees, and all hands had left the
building, preparatory to stirling for
their homes. Suddenly, Mr.. Ruth dis
covered that his money was short, and
surmising that he must have dropped
s,me Of 1t in the buildings, went in to
look for it, followed by his four sons
Frank, William, Lewis and Charles
Charles Saloway and Louis T.. Lynch,
Jr., lad of 10 or IL years, son of Street
Commissioner Lynch. Another son OF
Mr.. Ruth's, Hamed Allen, also went into
the building, but went out again in about
u minute, and thus escaped the serious
accident that soon ensued.
After looking down in the c. liar a
few minutes, the party assembled the lad
der to the third floor joists of the build
ing nearest Third street, across which
some boards were laid Mr.. Ruth, his
sons William and Frank, and Charles
Solloway were on the third floor, and
the other three boys were slowly coming
up the ladder when the disaster occur
red. Suddenly,
WITHOUT TIE SLIGHTEST WARNING,
the north wall of the building fell in
with a terrible crash, precipitating the
| entire party into the cellar below, and
instantly covering them with mass OF
broken bricks and timbers. The front
walls and porti II of the south wall
| instantly followed, and the rear walls
also crashed III, carrying with them the
| roof OF one OF the back buildings tthe
upper one), the whole mass falling upon
the unfortunate human beings and bury
ing them completely from sight.
The noise of the falling walls aroused
the entire neighborhood, and in "A few
| minutes twenty men were on the ground
ready and willing to render all necessary
assistance, in eXtricating the poor un'or
tunales who we're buried beneath the
| ruins. The work was one of great
difficulty. So completely were the men
and boys buried that they could not be
seen, and their cries for help alone aid
ed their rescuers, and notified them
where to direct their most effective op
erations. The heavy roof OF the back
building had TO first be raised, and then
a great mass of broken joss and bricks
cleared away before the prisoners could
even be seen.
But in a very short time space was
cleared away, and the men at work OBJ
tained glimpse of those for whnse re.
scue they were so earnestly laboring
The latter was in most pitiable plight
Mr.. Ruth was buried in mass of debris
with heavy joist bearing directly across
his back, which eiiectually prevented
him fIom moving hand or foot. Mr.
Salloway was helplessly confined be
meath loads of bricks and timbers, whil'
young Lynch was close by, with on'
joist resting across his head, and anothe
across his legs. The Ruth boys wer'
also pinned fast by the broken timber
unable to help themselves in the slight
est degree.
| With this much of their labor accom-
plisbed the men worked with redoublet
energy, and in short time the unfor
tunate prisoners were released from
their terrible situations. To effect thi
however, required skillful work, and TIN
iost across Mr.. Ruth had to be sawe'
before he could be eXtricated. Mr.. Sol
loway had both arms and both legs fas
tened by the bricks aud timbers, and bi
limbs had to be carefully released on
at time. The saw also had to be USE
before young Lynch could be release
aud carried out. Finally all seven wer
taken out, and carried into the house O
Mrs. McGaraghy, immediately adjoinin
the ill-fated buildings Oh the south.
While the work of rescue was bein
accomplished, it was deemed that som
of the party must be taken out deac
1t seemed impossible that all could fa
from such height, and be covered b
such a great pile of bricks and broke
,, timbers, without some of them being il
stantly killed. But as one by one the
. were taken out il was learned that NJ
only were all alive, but, save in one il
! stance, none of them had even sustaine
broken bone.
CARING FOR THE INJURED.
As soon as the men and boys wei
+ taken into Mrs. McGaraghy's, s,physiciai
e we're sent for, with instructions to ca
Oh them at their respective home
. Meanwhile they were slightly washe
:, and bathed, and then taken to the
homes in carriages. Mr.. Ruth resid'
i at No. 905 Chestnut street, where he al
g Two of his sons-William and Frank
}, were taken, while the other two bo.
d were kindly cared for by Mr.. A. l.. He
9 derer, who lives in the adj Dining hous
No. 9O7. Mr.. Sollaway lives at No. 8.
Chestnut street and young Lynch wi
his father at No. 203 Jackson street, on
few doors below where the accide
,, ,, occurred. The Ruths were attended
. by Drs. s. L. West and N. b. Morriso
~ IL Ia, nr Raod I MEX a