Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-05-31
CRUSHED TO DEATH.
rALL or a BALTIMORE WAREHOUSE.
Tetriols Di.sster In whiou siS Persons !
We're Killed and -Four BADLY Injured |
by railing walls


We're Killed and -Four BADLY Injured
by railing walls.
Without moments warning the five
story stono front warehouse OF William
L. Hooper 4 Sons, cotton duok manutact.
urers, on South Gray street, Baltimore,
caved in with great crash at . o'clock
Friday afternoon. Nine persons were
buried In the ruins, six Of whom we're
taken out dead, terribly crushed and
mangled. The other three are badly injured
The fall of the great building was heard for
squares, and instantly the widest excite.
ment prevailed in that busy section of the
city. The groundless report spread that
forty young girls had been employed on
the upper floor aud had gone down 10 tho
debris. A fire alarm was sounded aud the
hook and ladder companies quickly arriv
cd. The stone front of tho building had
only partly fallen, aud three stories OF the
right side of 1t stood tottering, threatening
to fall every instant. MIR, Theodore Hoop
or, a member OF the firm, who had narrow.
IL escaped through the rear door, hurried
ly informed the officers and iiremen that
at least dozen persons were in the
wrecked building when it fell, some OF
whom might be saved.
Rescue was perilOus undertaking, as
the rear wall and the remaining portion OF
the front swayed in the wiGd the chief OF
the fire department reluctantly gathered
his men together for the work. A number
of the brave fellows, together with several
police officers and citizens volunteered to
save the buried suffei ers. The remnant
OF the front was temporarily propped up
with heavy timber from the street, and the
firemeu asceuded ladder to the second
story.
Near a front Window they bsheld young
BENJAMIN Greenwood living beneath mass
OF bricks, iron and mortar, his face and
head protrudiug For Gods sake, save
me = he cried, my legs are being
crushed.
While one of the tiremen fanned him and
administered stimulants, the other dug
away at the debris. For two hours hc lay
in agony with tons of weight upon him.
Finally the tiremeu succeeded in rescuing
him. not badly injured after all. When
he was takea out the thousands of people
who had gathered in the streets cheercd
the rescuers To the echo. Greenwood was
clerk for Long & Dugdale fertilizer
agents IN the second story of the building.
He had rushed toward the window to jump
out when the crash came, but WAS caught
By the falling mass.
The list of the killed ls as follows;
Mortimer Lithicum, cashier for W. Z.
Hooper x sons, - years old, unmarried.
James Kelly, clerk for Hooper Is Sons, 81
years old. Kennett MacLea, travelling
salesman for Long * Dugdale, 20 years
old, unmarried. Gidea Hook, shipping
clerk for Long X Dugdlle, "a years DID,
Edward Bowen, col1red
porter, leaves wife and three children.
James Bowen, II years old, son Of Ed
ward Bowen.
The injured are Theodore ). Hooper,
cut and bruised Henry Serving, clerk for
Hooper & Sons, severely injured. Beuja-
min Greenwood, severely injured. Moale
Martin, driver, legs crushed 50 badly as to
recessitate amputatIon.
With the exception of Greenwood the
young men killed were gathered in Hoop
er's office, Oh the first floor, discussing
base ball when the building fell. One OF
the party says that when they felt the.
building tremble they started toward the
front, but had not gotten a dozen feet
when down came the floors he was taken
out with great difficulty, his companions
bodies being found near him.
To get at the body OF one Of the clerks
the iremen, hoping the poor fellow was
| still alive, dug through two walls from an
adjoining warehouse. When they reached
him, after three hours labor the body was
warm, but life was extinct.
The accident was caused, it is thought,
By the great weight Of hundreds Of pounds
of cotton duck stored on the fourth floor.
The building, however, was considered one
OF the most secure in the city, as il was a
massive structure apparently in excellent
condition, The loss TO property Is estima-
ted at S35, OOO