The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-08-05
DISASTER AND DEATH.
Sudden Collapse of q Washington
City Hotel.
Several Persons Bruised I'm the Wreck
Two supposed TO BE KILLED.
Frfghtful Disaster on the
Thames.

WASHINGTON, Aug. About 720 Sun.
day evening the entire rear portion of the
United States hotel, between Third and -Four
and Half streets, collapsed without mo.
ment's notice The portion that fell was
about fifty fest wide and sixty feet deep, ana
five stories high On the ground t1opi
were the dining-room and kitchen
The next two floors were guests rooms
the fourth floor servants quarters, and
the fifth floor was unused. None OF
the guests rooms in this portion Of the build
ing were occupied In the front portion of
the building there were thirty five or forty
guests. So far as can be ascertained there
were only seven persons in the wrecked part
of the building W. T. Belding, wife Of
the proprietor, and six servants who were in
the kitchen. Mr.. Belding had just come in
from the country, and proposed to his
wife to go to Georgetown. She as
sented, and he went to his room in
the front part of the building for mo
ment, while his wife went toward the kit
chen to give some directions to the servants
Mr.. Belding had barely reached his room
when the crash came The fall occurred
without any noise of cracking or other warn
ing 1t being Sunday night, supper was
earlier than usual, and the dining-room
was closed promptly at Z o'clock A few
minutes after one of the walters was in the pas
sage going toward the kitchen, where he had
a moment before left six colored servants.
When he heard the crash as the north wall
fell off he had just time to turn and rush for
the street One colored chambermaid was
near window of the kitchen, which was in
the extreme rear of the building, and as the
wall began to fall she sprang through the
window She was caught in the wreck but
not severely injured, and was the first person
saved. She had broken arm and some
bruises
The second person rescued was a little boy,
son Of a neighboring restaurant-keeper, who
was not in the hotel, but was in the back
yard and was caught in the debris. He was
taken out alive little before 8 o'clock
Shortly after Chief Cronin's party found
Mrs Belding, and got her out with broken
arm, a cut across the forehead, and a good
many bruises. This left five persons known
to be in the wreck By 10 o'clock the mer
working from the alley began tc
talk with two victims, mar
and a woman, both colored. Botf
were badly injured, but, Of course, it was i'm
possible to find out how badly. The woman
was moaning for water, and both were nearly
suffocated with dust and plaster 1t wa.
very slow work getting down TO them, and il
was more slow because fear of choking the
victims with dust compelled the men to worl
carefully.
During this time the multitude of lockers
on was increasing in numbers, and occasion
ally would be requested to keep still so tina
the workers could listen for voices in tn,
wreck
Midnight came and still the work went on
The voice of man could be heard from tht
debris, Save, o save me" and from anothe
part of the ruins came the groans of another
As the hours passed the multitude seemed
scarcely to decrease, and willing hands wer
constantly ready to take the places of thos
who became wearied by their labors.
LATER-In the vicinity of Third stree
and Pennsylvania avenue Monday moInin!
there were thousands of people gathered max
ing inquiries and viewing the wreck of tn
United States hotel The flremen and volun
tser force continued the work of removing
the debris all night, and are still at its.
Iltt IOIAONlHE + II "a lAoL VI tHp5C WIZ
been removed from the ruins up to this writ
ing: Mrs. Belden, wife of the proprietor
Ernest Snooks, little white boy, II years old
Harriet and Anna Dickson, and Charles Whit
ney, colored servants.
1t is supposed Solomon Wilson, Mrs Add
Fletcher, and Henry Hall, all colored, ar
still i'll the ruins, though it is said that Wi
son was seen to leave the building Just befor
it fell which, if correct, leaves only Mr..
Fletcher and Henry Hall still imprisoned,
THE LATEsT.-The force of workmen en-
gagged IN clearing away the debris discovere
at last the locality where Mrs. Addie Fletcbe
was lying, and after several hours labor sut
ceeded in reaching her, but when taken fror
the ruins life was extinct Every effort
being made to find the body of Henry Hal
who is supposed to be the only rsmainin
victim Same persons are strong in thei
convictions, however, that there will
others found before the search is concluded