Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-11-14
FALLING WALLS.
A Horror Near Home That
Wakes up Wisconsin.
Five Men Killed and Twenty-Five More
or Less Injured.

Ten minutes before 2 o'clock on the
afternoon of the 9th inst. the great iron
pillars supporting the roof of the second
story of the balcony of the south wing
of the capitol building swung out of
place, owing to defective masonry, al
lowing the entire south wall to fall with
terrible crash. Immediately the roof
of the entire wing dropped in with ter
rible roar, sending up cloud of dust
and broken timbers. Amid the success
sive crashes the wild cries of the impris-
oned and crushed workmen sent thrill
of horror throughout the capitol. About
forty masons, plasterers, laborers and
carpenters were at work upon the wing.
The work of relief was organized in
stantly. The local hook and ladder COM
pany rendered efficient assistance. The
north and south walls, which were left
without any support, tottered visibly
and greatly endangered the work of
clearing the ruins.
The names of the known dead are:
Bernard Higgins, laborer, Madison;
William Edgar, a mason, Madison;
Michael Zwanke, s. mason, Madison;
William Jones, a mason, milwaukee;
James Kelly, a plasterer, Madison.
Bernard Higgins, of Madison, was
married man of about so years of age.
and was employed as q helper to the
masons. Higgins was partially buried
IN heap of large stones and mortar.
His skull was severely fractured, and
life had departed when he was found.
His extremities were buried In the rub
bish and badly bruised.
Near Higgins, and under several feet
of stone and broken pieces of iron pillars,
William Edgar, of Alt Lake Street,
Madison, was buried. 1t was only known
that he was there by his working near
Higgins and the fact that he was miss
ing. The debris was removed as fast rs
possible, and his body soon found in
completely crushed condition. The skull
was badly broken, the brain ozzing
therefrom, and many bones In the body
broken. Mr. Edgar was stone mason,
married, and has lived IN Madison many
years.
Michael Zwanke, of Madison, a mason,
was found in the interior of the wing
dead; partially buried under a heap of
rubbish and iron beams.
William Jones, of Milwaukee, was the
foreman of the masons working on the
building. He is married and has fam
lily. He sustained a most severe fracture
of the skull, extending from the fore
head to the rear of the head, and In a
few hours died.
The list of injured is as follows: Pat
rick o. Laughlin, of Madison, an ex-al-
derman of the Fifth Ward, and helper,
had his skull fractured and left arm
broken. It is thought he will not sur
yive. M. j. Burke, of Madison, had
his skull fractured, left leg broken, face
and hands badly cut. James DoweIl, of
Madison, had both legs broken. he
was married. Edward Bowen, plas-
terer, of Madison, had his back and face
badly hurt by bruises and cuts. Henry
Dietrich, a bricklayer, of Milwaukee, a
married man Of about so years of age,
had his left leg fractured, and suffered
severe injuries about the back. Patrick
Cary, of Madison, sustained severe scalp
wounds. John Clark, of Milwaukee, a
young man, had his arm broken and re-
ceived cuts about the head. Edward
Kinsella, bricklayer, from Milwaukee,
and single, sustained a severe cut on the
back of the head, two and half inches
in length, and to the bone. Cyrus
Schenck, late of Shopiere, Rock County,
now of Madison, and foreman of the
hosting arrangements, suffered a severe
cut on the head. and eyes prob
ably ruined by mertar. He also
complains of severe injuries about
the hips. Arthur Lynch, of Chica-
the time it fell IN, sustained Sc
AI,o c1-,,1I
him devoid of reason. Edward Gleason,
of Chicago, foreman of timers, also on
the roof, was severely hurt by box of
glass falling on him. Dave Meinhard,
of Madison, working on the roof, sus-
tanned slight injuries. Nelson Boost, of
Sun Prairie, suffered slight injury to
the leg. Boost was working on the roof
and fell to the basement, being injured
but slightly. Willis Rose, of Glenbeu-
lab, Sheboygan County, was injured
about the loins, probably fatally. Mat
thew Zwanke, of Madison. son of
Michael Zwanke, mentioned In the
list of dead, was severely Injured about
the head and probably cannot live.
Miles Maxwell, of GAINESVILLE, had his
face and scalp badly cut. William
Junge, of Madison, carpenter, badly
scratched. Edward and Joseph Page,
of Middleton, masons, young smen and
brothers, badly hurt. Edward Kingsley,
of Milwaukee, mason, hurt about the
head. Edward Baker, of Sank City,
single, aged %, badly cut.
The accident occurred Just after the
men had gone to their work, and it is
only strange that out of the forty men
EMPLOYED on the wing more were not
caught in the falling mass. Five work
men had just been called from the por-
ton of the basement where the debris
is the deepest and were on the point oil
returning when the whole thing trem
bled and caved in.