Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1884-06-06

tiiuOTc aUOut clOck lust AA'""y
noon, resulting in the killing OF seven
persons. Shortly after the hour named
the centre of the city was thrown into
scene of intense excitement by roaring
noise proceeding from the central part OF
the block of valuable warehouses OH South
Gay street, between Second and Lombard
streets. The cause was soon apparent, for
the handsome warehouse No. 81 South Gay
street, occupied by William E. Hooper &
Sons, cotton merchants, was seen to fall
in with crash. Great clouds Of dust arose
from the vast pile Of debris in the bed of
the street and in the interior Of tho struc-
ture and instantly spread all over the
scene, hiding il completely from the pass
ers-by OH the square. The warehouse was
completely wrecked, all five floors having
fallen in, causing the death Of Mortimer
Linthicum and James Kelly, cashier and
book-keeper, respectively, for Hooper &
Sons; Edward Bowen, colorcd porter, Jas.
Bowen, colorod, son of last named, WIN.
MOulton, tolored, and Gildea Hook, ship
ping clerk, and Kenneth McLea, travelling
salesman for Long & Dugdale, dealers in
fertilizers, who occupied an office on the
second floor of the Hooper building.
The fall of the structure was attended
bya deafening uproar and, rs several wit
messes testified, was preceded by noise
like escaping steam. The clerks In the
Custom House across the way were the
first to reach the street in front of the
warehouse, some of them leaping from the
windows near their desks and then from
all quarters crowds came pouring into the
dusty thoroughiare. Many of them were
i'm office coats and all we're pale with ex-
element.
Suddenly a great cry Of agony arose
from the front of the demolished building {:
ooh, God, help me! Help! help! for
Gods sake, help" No one could tell
where the cry came from until boy
caught glimpse Of 4 straw hat projecting
from the lower edge of a vast pile Of bro
ken timbcrs which bulgcd from the north
window of the building OH the second
floor. lie pointed it out to a policeman
aud the crowd instantly caught sight of
the bit of straw and traced the cries to it..
The fire alarm was Immediately sounded
and The department responded promptly.
A colored porter, employed in the wal G.
house of Ulman & GoldsborousE, adjoin-
ing the fatal building, crawlei out oil the
lower cornice and asked a question OF the
man imprisoned at the window, Of whom
only his head could be seen. BY u desper-
ate effort the captive raised his head and
exposed a CHASTITY face, distorted with aw-
full torture.
"For God sake, hit me in the head-kill
me quick !" the poor creature cried. Sew
eral firemen undertook the perilous task
of rescuing, if possible, the unfortunate
man, who proved to be Benz. B. Green
wood, book-kecper for Long & Dugdale.
The work proceeded with much system
and was carried out rs rapidly rs possible,
taking into consideration the great danger
of the remaining portion Of the wall fall
ing ut any moment. Soon it became known
that nearly n dozen persons were buried
in the ruins, yet the chief interest
centercd in poor Greenwood g fate, rs the
deadly peril in which he was placed was
plainly visible to all. AS tho front wall
was slowly bullying outwarts twas found
necessary to prop it with heavy timber.
Without waiting for this precaution the
firemen swung ladder up to the window,
and under the shadow of the tottcrings
walls commenced the work Of rescue.
The firemcn worked nobly, apparently
wholly Indifferent to the dangerous wall
overhead. Greenwood was lying with his
body half over the window sill, his legs
crushed by tinibers which held him in q
vise-like grip. Again and again Green
wood, who after the first agony became
comparatively calm, would raise his head
with pleading look to the men working
over him. The men would stop and utter
words Of encouragement. large saw
was used in removing the timber pressing
against Greenwood's body. The work
proceeded so slowly that the crowd lost
all hope of his being gotten out alive. For
more than all hour the fireman worked
without perccptiblc result. Glasses of
whisky were passed to the imprisoned
man. The sun pouring down OIL the mans
head added to his suflerings. After work.
ing for IN hour and a-half, Greenwood
was seen to suddenly rise on his elbows
and he was drawn slightly forward. The
crowd thought he was freed, and started
n cheer, which quickly died out when it
was seen he was still held fast. At $50
o'clock Greenwood was gotten free. Cheer
after cheer rent the air as lie was borne
safely down the ladder OIL the shoulders
Of four firemen. The injured man was
taken to the hospital. His injuries are in
tcrnal and his head is badly cut. Although
painfully injured, it is thought lie will re-
cover.
Later Investigations lead to the belief
that the accident was caused by the rot
ting Of the central girders, which fell and
carried everything with II. There was u
tremendously heavy weight OF cordage,
netting, &C., in the building, and this
doubtless precipitatcd the disaster.