Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-08-04
UNDER FALLING WALLS,
sI,En rEorLr bSSEArn the DEBRIS
| rne near waits OF n Washington Hotel rail-
in-rosrs that rour " ere Crushed
In the BuIIdtpp

rne ncsr waits OF - Washington Hotel r.I
| iu-resrs that rour W ere Crushed
| In the Buiiding.
Tho back part Of the United States
hotel, Washington, u building situated on
! Pennsylvania avenue, short distance
west of the capitol. fell in without warnin.,
Sunday evening, aud buried in the ruins a
number of the inmates. The building has
a frontage OF l2h feet on the avenue and
q depth vt lS5 feet, the rear Opening
upon an alley leading from Third TO Four,
aud q Half street. A small portion of the
rear wall was first to give way, aud gen
cral collapse uf tho whole rear portion i'm
mediatoly followed, sending up great
cloud of dust. 4 general fire alarm was
sounded, which brought to tho scene of
| tho disaster a number Ot fire engines and
| hook and ladder companies and force of
| police. There was about forty five per-
sons in the hotel at the time the disaster
occurred, including guests aud employees,
| and il was impossible at first to ascertain
| how many were buried in the mass Of
| debris which occupied the ground upon
which the rear portion of the building had
stood. Cries and eroans could bo heard
from the ruins showing that all who were
thero imprisoned were not dead. \ large
force of men went to work at once, aud in
the course Of au hour Ernest Suouks,
a boy, IL years of age, aud Annie Dickson,
colored chambermaid, were taken out,
both alivc but badly injured.
In the meantime it had been ascCrtaiucd
that the number Of persons buried IN the
ruins did not probably exceed seven,
viz: Ernest Shocks, a boy II years of
age, a son of tho restaurant Keeper next
door 10 the United States hotel Mrs.
FlRfNlpF Rnl oh h.,V al
wife of Rutus Fletcher, formerly porter
in the hotel Annie Dickson, cOIured,
hambermaid, rescued and taken 10 Prov
idence hospital solomon Wilson, cllorcd,
pantry cook - Harrison, colored
omploye about the hOtcl, and Henry Hall,
cClOred cook. IL il feared tha: tho tive
who have not yet yct been rescued are
dead.
The part Of the building which fell con.
tained chiefly rooms appropriated to the
use OF the employees Of the hotel, and il Is
believed that none OF the guests have been
either killed or Injured. Tne United
States is one of the oldest structures in the |
city, and is said to have been for long
time IN an unsafe condition. The barkeeper |
Is reported TO have made complaint to the |
inspector Of buildings some days ago with |
IT gard To It's condition, dangerous cracks !
~ bAV NS''S LahluS OtGplut NlslDit bu tue |
outside. The pastion which fell WAS |
erected about twenty i've years ago. and |
was tive stories in height.
Up to midnight but three persons had !
bcsn taken out OF the ruins, all Of them
alive. These were the lad SnOOks, who |
was caught by portion OF the falling wall
" bile passing through an alley adjoining
the building Anna Dickson, the cham Der.
mad aud Mrs. BeIdiug, the wife OF the
proprietor OF tho hotel. The latter WAS
rescued at ll.jD o'clock, after having been
imprisoned four hours. She was on the
first floor OF the back building, and was
caught in narrow ' shaped space formed
by part Of the second iJOr resting IN a
slanAng position against the side
wal. After the iIvemeu and volunteers
had worked two hours digging down
into the debris from the surface,
force of llremou under Captain Cruulu
eutered from the front building, against the
back OF which the timbers and bricks had |
partly lodged, and, hearing groaus, worked |
their way back by removing timbcrs and
supporting others. They finally got near
enough to see Mrs. Brlliug and talk with
her, aud eventually 10 hand her some
water aud whisky. She was not crushed.
but held down by her clothes aud peuned
IN by the ta.!un tImbers. Jacks were
brought and the weight held up while saws
ind axes were used 10 cut a way 10 her.
Al last the rescuers got close enough 10
'ut her clothing away, when they were
enabled 10 cNtriCate her. She was az.
IarentIy not severely injured but very
much exhausted, and tainted a. she was
'arTlod out. Meantime the men at work
N the surface of the ruins continued their
abors, 70 which they were every now aud
hen stimulated by the groans aud appeals
II az least two persons who were beneath
he mass Of rubbish, While they were
!gglng wOTkmeu from the Brush electric
light company rugged up two large lamps
ln an adjoining building, and the Hght
rom these made the scene as bright a.
Jay. About l. o'clock tho rescuers talked
with Que ot the imprisoned men, who said
be was not badly hurt but was held by his
arm being caught between two joists. He
was told 10 keep up his courage, and the
lremeu are now working vigorously 70 get
10 him.
Tho manner in which the broken tim.
bers and bricks and mortar have lodged.
makes the labor Of removing the timber
exceedingly difficult.