The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1883-11-15
A FAITHFUL FALL.

-OAaf NAsCOuSIut COuapS09p bury4n
Forty Workmen In the Ruins-Five A
ready Dead Many More Fatally and 81
Gously Injured, and Others Still Missin
"A Heavy Accountability Resting Some
where.
MADISON, WIS, Nov. 8.
This afternoon was witnessed the mos
terrible accident that has ever befallen tn
city. Ten minutes before two O'Clock tn
great iron pillars supporting the roof of tn
second story of the balcony of the sout
wing of the Capitol building swung out o
place, owing to defective masonry, allow
ing the entire south wall to fall with ter
rible crash. Immediately the roof of tn
entire wing dropped in with a deafenin,
roar, sending up cloud of dust and broker
tlmbers. The wild cries of the imprisoned
and crushed workmen sent thrill of hor
ror throughout the capital. About forty
masons, plasterers, laborers and carpen
ters were at work upon the wing, and they
went down in the ruins. As soon as the
dust settled willing hands were at worl
taking out the dead and injured. The fol.
lowing are all the names obtainable to
night:
Bernard Higgins, laborer, fifty years old
Madison.
William Edgar, mason, Madison, buried
under debris; horribly crushed.
Michael Zewank, mason, Madison, died
after being taken out.
William G. Jones, mason, Milwaukee,
skull fractured; died since taken out.
James Kelly, died after being taken out.
INJURED.
Miles Maxwell, plasterer, of GAINESVILLE;
badly cut on head.
William Ross, plasterer, of Sheboygan;
probably fatal.
William Junge, carpenter, of Madison;
badly scratched.
Arthur Lynch, of Madison; head badly
hurt; delirious.
Ed. Balm, mason, of Sank City, single,
aged %; seriously cut.
Ed. Page and j. o. Page, masons, of
Middleton, young men, brothers; badly
hurt.
Ed. Kingsley, mason, Milwaukee; hurt
about the head.
James Dowell, mason, Madison, an old
settler, aged sixty, both legs broken; will
die.
Patrick O'Laughlin, laborer, left arm
broken and two temple cuts; will die.
William Burke, ST., laborer married,
with four children, badly cut about the face
and chest injured.
Ed. Kinseila, bricklayer, of Milwaukee,
cut about the head and back.
Cyrus Schenck, of Shopiere, Rock Coun-
ty, cut on the back of head and in the right
eye.
Henry Diedereck, mason, of Milwaukee,
left leg broken.
Mike Zewauk. ST., mason, of Madison.
j. Bamen, plasterer, of Madison, face and
back injured.
John CLARK, plasterer, of Milwaukee, an
Nelson Boest, carpenter, of Sun Prairie,
hurt slightly.
Pat Cary, of Madison, badly crushed.
Ed. Gleason, laborer, of Madison, fore
man of Turner's, hurt by box of glass
falling on him.
A calling of the roll showed twelve men
unaccoGnted for. The list of the dead will
not, it IS believed, fall below fifteen,
although it will take until tomorrow to find
out the condition of all those yet in the
ruins.
One year ago last June contract was let
for the extension of the north and south
wings of the capitol building. Since that
time work has been carried on, and up to to-
day the outside mason work of the south wing
extension had been completed and the iron
roof had been placed. The roof was sup
ported by massive iron pillars and it was
some defect in the mason work upon which
tneS6 pillars rested THAT caused the terrible
catastrophe. 1t required but a slight move
ment to swing the roof from the support of
the side walls, which had only just been
completed, and the giving of but few
Inches in the substructure effected the dam
age.
The two large upper stories were the
Dnes that fell-the third and fourth. They
were divided into large rooms for the His
torical Society. Iron columns and girderS
were used. No timber whatever was used.
Most Of the wings are four stories high.
The men were engaged to-day in building
chimneys and arches ON the upper floors
The contract for the extension was taken
by Bently & Son of Milwaukee and o. F.
Nolan, of GAINESVILLE, the latter superin-
tending the work.
A dispatch was received from Governor
taken of the dead and injured. He will re-
turn in the morning.
The Mayor of the city has ordered an in
quest held in the morning. A full and rigid
investigation will be had and the blame
laid where it belongs.
MIR. Jones, of Madison, is the architect
who drew up the plans, and II. c. Koch &
Co., of this city, are the consulting archi-
tects. The firm had the contract to erect
the north and south wings. The north
wing is about completed and the south is
the wing that fell. The work was conn.,
menced a year ago last June and the con-
tract price was $1SS,000. Both wings were
to have been completed March 1. The con-
tractors were trying to hurry the work so
rs to close the building in before the No
Vember storms set in.