Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-04
HOTEL WALLS TUMBLE In
SEVEN PERSONS BURIED Be
MEATH THE DEBRIS.

Three of Them Rescued AliSe but In
jured-The Fate of the Other Four in
DOubt-The Dilapidated United States
Hotel at Washington the Scene of the
Disaster.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 3.-The back part
of the United States Hotel, a building sit
uated on Pennsylvania avenue, a short
distance west Of the capitol, fell in with
out warning this evening, and buried in
the ruins a number of inmates. The
building has frontage of 125 feet On the
avenue, and depth of 1S5 feet,
the rear end opening upon
an alley leading from Third
to FOur-and-a-half street. A small por-
tion of the rear wall first gave way and
general collapse of the whole rear portion
Immediately followed, sending up great
cloud of dust. A general fire alarm was
sounded, which brought to the scene of
the disaster number of fire engines and
hook and ladder companies and force of
police.
BURIED IN THE RUINS.
There were about forty-dve persons in
the hotel at the time the disaster occurred,
including guests aad employees. 1t 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 groans could be heard
from the ruins, showing that all who
were there imprisoned were not dead,
A large force of men went to work at
once, and in the course of an hour Ernest
SnoOks, boy II years of age, and Annie
Dickson, a colored chambermaid, were
taken out, both alive but badly injured.
In the meantime it had been ascertained
that the number of persons buried in the
ruins did not probably exceed seven, viz:
Mrs. Belden, wife Of the proprietor.
Earnest Snooks, boy II years of age,
son of restaurant keeper next door.
Five colOred servants.
1t is feared that those who have not vet
been rescued are dead.
NO GUESTS INJURED.
Part of the building which fell con-
tained chiefly rooms appropriated to the
use of employees of the hotel, and it Is be-
lieved that none of the guests have been
either killed or injured.
The United States Hotel 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 regard to
its condition, dangerous cracks in the
walls having become visible on the out
side. The portion which fell was erected
about twenty-five years ago and was five
stories in height.
BUNGLING WORK IN THE RUINS.
The search for bodies was bunglingly
managed. The men worked slowly, en-
barrassed by the crowd which thronged
upon them. You could hear the feeble
voices OF some OF the men and women
through the piles of debris as the men
paused in their work. They were taken
out more dead than alive. Mrs. Belden,
the wife Of the proprietor of the hotel, was
taken out in ghostlike con-
dition. She will probable die. The
occurrence attracted an immense
crowd, which remained around
the hotel until after midnight. The hotel
was cheap establishment recently noto-
riOus as the place where Keifer plotted
BoyntOn's destruction with his friend
Elder and the other perjured witnesses.
An enterprising electric light company
had two lights in position at midnight.
THREE RESCUED FROM THE DEBRIS.
Up to midnight but three persons had
been taken out of the ruins, all of them
alive. These were the lad SnoOks, Anna
Dickson, chambermaid, and Mrs. Bel
den, the wife of the proprietor of the hotel.
The latter was rescued at 1880 O'Clock,
after having been imprisoned four
hours. She was on the first floor
of the back building and was
caught in anarrow Y shaped space formed
by part of the second floor resting in a
slanting position against a side wall.
After the tiremen and volunteers had
worked two hours digging down into the
debris from the surface a force of fire.
men, under Capt. CrOnin, entered
from the front of the build
ing, against the back of which
timbers and bricks had partly lodged, and
hearing grOans, worked their way back
by removing timbers and supporting
others. They finally got near enough to
see Mrs. Belden and talk with her, and
eventually to hand her some water and
whisky.
HELD FAST BY HER CLOTHES.
She was not crushed but held down by
her clothes and penned in by fallen tim
bers. Jacks were brought and the weight
held up while saws and axes were used
to cut a way to her. At last the rescuers
got close enough to cut her clothing away,
when they We're enabled to eXtricate her.
She was apparently not severely injured,
but very much exhausted and tainted as
she was carried out. In the meantime
men at work on the surface of the ruins
continued their labOrs to which
they were every now and then stimulated
by grOans and appeals of at least two
persons who were beneath the mass of
rubbish. About y O'Clock the rescuers
talked with one of the imprisoned men,
who said that he was not badly hurt, but
was held by his arm being caught be-
tween two joists. He was told to keep
up his courage, and fremen are now
working vigorously to get to him.