The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-11-24
A Terrible Catastrophe.

On the 9th inst. two three story brick build
ngs fell down, in New York city, killing about
nine persons. The following is the account of
the escape of Mrs. Hill, one of the occupants
The most remarkable occurrence of the day
was the rescue of Mrs. minnie Hill, wife of
John hill, who occupied the first floor of No.
% Grand street. She was imprisoned under
the mass of rubbish for several hours and was
conscious all the time, but during five hours.
from o'clock until shortly after 9 O'Clock,
her face was exposed to view and she was
able to converse with the tiremen who were
working to extricate her About 8 O'Clock
the firemen heard her cries almost immediate
ly under their feet. They stopped work with
their shovels and pickaxes and began moving
the debris with their hands. They soon came
to section of ceiling from underneath which
they heard her cry" Hurry up, please I'm
nearly smothering! ~ They cried to her to
hold out yet little longer and she would be
rescued
Within ten minutes her head face upward,
was discovered fastened 20 the floor, so that
she could only move it from side to side, by
large beam crossing within two inches of her
throat The rest of her body was covered
with number of beams which fastened her
down so that she could not move. Thomas
OiiNAA :" AAiSiAA"h SuppollCN HCI uCtu jOI Il
few moments, when her brother arrived and
bent over her, asking if she was hurt She
complained that her shoulder was fastened to
the floor so that she could not move, and that
she could only move her legs a few inches in
any direction AS she told her story the scene
was almost CHASTITY. 1t seemed like a head
talking, for the mass of bricks, plaster and
beams surrounded her on all sides, except for
few inches around her head. All the rest of
her body was hidden from sight
She said that when she heard the cracking
noise in the wall she snatched her little son
frankie, three wears cid, to her breast, and
was about running into the rear room for a
baby three months old named Chester Arthur
in honor of the President. Before she had
time to 90 many steps the floor seemed to sink
under her feet and she fell, with the little bov
still in her arms. La an instant all was total
darkness, and her child was struck out of her
arms. She had lain there for two hours in
the darkness, without losing her conscious
ness, fearing TO move lest the beams should
fall closer and crush out her lite She heard
the fremen working above her and shouted
several times without effect. She did not give
up hope of being recovered but was afraid
that any moment pickaXe might break
through the ruins Immediately over her face
and go through her head.
After she had told her story wet cloth was
placed over her mouth and nostrls and wire
gauze screen over her eyes, to protect them
from the dust and pieces of plaster which
were constantly falling about her Fireman
O'Halloran stood beside her, bracing up por-
ton of the wall which threatened to fall over
on her. 1t did fall eventually, but the cour-
ageous fireman never moved, receiving its full
force on one of his legs, which was severely
sprained. There she lay for five hours from
the time she uncovered with tho firamap
and bystanders constantly telling her to be of
good heart and that she would soon be rescued
The cause of this long delay was the com
plicated position of the beams which were
holding her prisoner, A pile of rubbish had
to be removed from all sides of her before each
one could be taken away with the certainty of
not injuring her. When she was finally re-
covered, she was covered with blanket and
removed to the ambulance. Then for the first
time, when life was made certainty to her,
she tainted, 1t was thought that she had
died, but she soon recovered and was taken to
the New York Hospital, where she died from
the shock in the evening.