Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-07-30
Fatal sourH SIDE ACCIDENT.
Two Nen Killed and Several Badly
Injured.

FATAL SOUTH bfDE ACClDENI'
Two Men Killed and Several Badly
Injured.
Every Evening Of yesterday.
About $50 p. m. word reached EVERY
EVENING that portion of the Old Ferry
rolling mill, in South Wilmington,
operated by the Diamond State Iron Com
pany, had fallen and that it was feared
several men were buried in the ruins.
Reporters were at once dispatched to the
scene and the following telephone
account from them received at p. M;
THE KILLED AND INJURED.
George Ely, carpenter, aged about 30,
killed instantly.
Wilbur Jones, draughtsman, aged about
80, killed instantly. Deceased lived in
the Ninth ward. was nephew of the
| Junior member of the firm of Hilles d
Jones, and leaves young wife who is
very i'll.
ii. Ferris Giles, son of Undertaken
Thomas j. Giles, right hip badly frac-
tnrvd and injured internally; very little
hope Of his recovery entertained.
William Goodwin, carpenter, aged
broken.
/ -
send street, leg broken.
| Charley White, colored, laborer, wrist
and ankle broken.
Wilbert, lives on Claymont
street, injuries not ascertained, one of his
legs said TO he slightly crushed.
Fears are entertained that Others are
buried under the ruins.
THE OLD FERRY MILL.
mill aut M xul,ioI,
| this sud fatality occurred is what is
known ms the Old Ferry rolling mill, on
the south side of the Christiana, just west
| of Third street bridge. The original
mill was erected in the spring of 1866,
by George r. Townsend. b, Frank Town
send and Israel Williams and it was the
start given the South Side by this led
to the erection of Third street bridge
and the building up of this thriving
suburb The mill was conducted by the
aboye-named parties until the panic of
1873, which they were unable to tide
over. The mill remained idle for several
years, but was eventually purchased 10y
the Diamond State Iron Company by
whom il has since been conducted.
Various improvements were made by the
new owners, and business increased so
that new facilities became necessary, and
the Inflated building that fell to-day was
started this spring,
THE FALLEN BUILDING.
The building which now lies in ruins
stood nj tue corner of Beach and Head
Streets close by the office, and was $40
feet long, 10 feet deep, and one story.
| II was built of brick and the walls were
np, the roof on and the carpenters
expected to get through their work this
week.
The accident happened about o'clock,
during the storm which prevailed ut that
| time. Most of the workmen had gone
inside the building to escape the rain, and
several others, not engaged upon the
building, who We're standing around, had
gone in with them.
LESLIE PYIiE's STORY.
Leslie Pyle, the young son of Isaac O.
Pyle, who is employed as clerk in the Old
Ferry mill, says Sat 2 O'Clock l was
standing alongside Wilburn Jones (the
draughtsman who was killed. inside the
building. The wind was blowing hard
and the rain whirling in every direction.
Suddenly the building took lurch over
toward Claymont street, and Wilbur,
turning to me, said "Look out there
she goes ~ l started at once for the door
and saw Wilbur start in the opposite
direction towards Claymont street. As
the building fell several bricks struck me
ON the shoulder and back, my shirt and
pantaloons were torn, and | barely
effected my escape. After got outside
heard men moaning in the ruins.
OTHER INCIDENTS.
w. L. Todd, clerk in the Old Ferry
Mill, saw from the Office window the
, building totter and fall towards Claymoni
! street. 1t fell slowly and with dull
/ not very noisy report.
f George Howell, keeper of candy
store opposite the fallen building, said
the brick wall ON Claymont street was the
/ first to give way; it seemed to fall yer,
easily and the other walls stood fol
i several seconds after il had fallen.
4 The dead men were taken ut once t,
! the office, where they now lie. Thei
!. bodies do not look mangled and it is sup
# posed that their injuries must have BEEF
/. internal. There seems to he no bloo
n about them.
). Young Giles was taken from the ruin
Il by Mr. Howell TO the lntter's store acros
IS the street, where DIR. Maui attended hil
II and then sent him home upon nIattres
Il in II wagon.
d The other injured men were taken q
e quickly MS possible to their homes. SUI
!. gnons were promptly telephoned for, an
II DIR. Maull is now making the round
d visiting the injured.
&c Ii. Ferris Giles, the most seriously in
Il iured lis well known athlete and men
Der of the Wilmington skating rink pol
v team.
/. There is great crowd around Oh
!, buildings, police moving around, two q
n three double teams in waiting and n grea
=. deal of confusion and anxiety everywhere
Il THEORIES OF THE FALL.
e John Davis of the Diamond State Iro
l. Company, said to an EVERY EVENING re
is preventative: II can't tell you who
made the building fall, Certainly til
wind had great deal to do with it."
Francis O. Simpson had the contraC
for the brick-work and William H. Foul
for the woodwork.
A gentleman who does not wish hi
II name mentioned says he believes the acc
II dent duo to the thinness of the brio
r walls which were nine inches thick II
If says they should have been IS to 1
y inches. They were put up in he
weather and the lime was absorbed
? Several witnesses say that what locke
1t like IL small cyclone struck the southwe
st corner of the building and it immediatel
e fell.
!e DeInven Morris was on the steAmt
e Mccall at the time, and his attention WI
= attracted by the falling of the building
J. which, he says, went over with the slo
motion of ship being launched.
N The theory is that more bodies are
Is the ruins, as several persons were seen
81 go in to get out of the storm and have n,
y since been seen. Workmen are tearir
le away the brickwork and lumber to get
NJ them.
1t is rumored that the Building Inspe
tor told the Diamond state Iron Compal
i. that the walls of the building were Il
w. " thin. After the accident there were i
- officials of the company to be found
~ the Diamond State office to direct the I
" moval of the bodies, which had to
~ ~ done by outsiders.
~ James Sinex, living on Robinson stree
~ :" had his head hurt and leg crushed.
y was taken home in wagon aud his co
~ lition is very dangerous.
80 At the time of the accident, Charl
N Foulk, son of Contractor William
nv Foulk, was with his laborers on top of t
" shed which adioins the building. Fer
9 Giles was above them. They leaped
wv the ground and it is not known wheth
=. all of them escaped unhurt or not.
om Walter Peace is among the missir
La He lives on Poplar street and was in I
IL building at the time il fell.
IT, Chief of Police Dougherty and or
1' officers are on the ground, and the bod
of the dead men are still in the Off
M, ,,rnpar 10 aypartn1 ayprv mn1naut