Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-01-28
PULLED 70 PIECES.
An osa rss.s. CRASHES Dswa with rhirss
psys In IL.
New York Herald
-

A
A .srang " Of pilfcring boys pulled
. house down upon their heads MONDAY
afternoon and barely escaped with tneir
lives. II, indeed, al did escape, which
il by no means as yet settled TACT.
The house was an old two-and-a-haii-
story frame building at No. 32o east
Sixtieth street. For several months 'it
has been unoccupicd. On December
llth the roof was burned of and con-
siderable other damage done by the
fire which destroyed the chemical
works adjoining. AT No. 324 is another
small frame house, which was also dam
aged by the fire. Between the two
houses was a driveway which led TO
the yard of the chcmical-works. The
houses are owned by Emken Brothers.
of No. 90 Spring street, the proprietors
of the chemical-works.
Shortly after the fire the Fire Depart
ment reported No. 326 to the Inspectors
of Buildings as unsafe. The building
was examined and condemned, and 1t Is
claimed that as the owner could not be
found it was posted" but the police
had seen nothing of such placard.' For
the last six weeks the "gang" have APP
propriated the demolished building. At
first they dismantled it of all super
fiuous articles, then gradually began to
tear it to pieces for firewood.
Asa result Of this raiding a Herald
reporter found the cellars Of some OF
the neighboring tenements half filled
with suspicious-looking fragments OF
boards and planks. Yesterday after
noon there was but mere skeleton lett
of the house. 1t was supported by the
two chimneys alone. The front was all
gone and most of the lower side walls.
The older boys and young men on the
street, for meremployes of the chemical
works, had held sway over the rapidly
vanishing house until yesterday, when
the {. smaller fry "were allowed to come
in and help themselves to the leavlngs.
CRASHING BEAMS AND PITEoUs
CRIES.
They camc-a swarm OF them. All
day long they worked like beavers,
chopping, saving, and tearing to pieces.
All this time the old building was
trembling. When school was out the
swarm was augmented. At a o'clock
there were about thirty boys in the
house. Three of them were pushing
down beam. As it fell the building
tottered, swayed, and crashed down.
The boys rushed for the street. How
many escaped and how many were
caught is not known. Amid the noise
of the cracking and rending wood and
tumbling bricks arose piteous cries of
distress and fear from the unfortunate
boys caught in the wreck.
Officer William II. Byrnes saw the
catastrophe, and hurrying to the Fifty
ninth-Street station sent out an alarm.
BY the time Hook-and-Ladder Truck
No. and Engine No. 80 arrived the
street was filled with an excited crowd
of people that the police could hardly
keep back from the ruins. Many were
mothers looking for missing children,
with eyes filled with tears, and asking
everybody for news with voices that
trembled.
DIGGING OUT THE BOYS.
The police and fremen began at once
to push aside the mass of boards. laths,
and mortar, and extricate the impr;son-
ed children, guided by shrill voices call
ing for help or a protruding arm or
head. Seven boys were cxtricated
without much difficulty. Fortunately
but four Of these were injured at all.
Ambulances from the Presbyterian,
Roosevelt, and Bellevue hospitals stood
ready for the wounded. The boys al
ready rescued had been near the sur
face. and would probably in time have
freed themselves. II was but some five
or six minutes work to get them out.
The digging still continued. No other
boyish forms could be discerned through
the creyices of the debris, and the cries
for help had ceased. The crowd began
to breathe easier and to hope that after
all it might turn out to be not so terrible
as was at first feared. The firemcn
still Piled their shoyels and hooks. The
old experts looked grave, and said the
worst was to come; that the cellar
might tell terrible tale.
HERE'S ANOTHER"
The digging had gone on for thirty
minutes, when it was suddenly stopped
by knot Of firemen who were work
ing in corner of the foundation walls.
One kneeled down and peeped between
some boards. When he arose the crowd
was hushcd.
-" Here's another" he exclaimed.
with a wave of the hand toward the
corner.
Ready hands quickly but carefully
pulled away the rubbish. The limp
body of a boy, with torn and dusty
clothing, was pulled out and carried
Will IouEu tcliuciHcSS W al dlhouiduCC'
lie was unconscious. His face and
hands were covered with ugly gasheS
that bled profusely. The neighbOrs re-
cognized him as John j. Horrigan.
The surgeon found that his right
arm was broken, his skull slightly
fractured, and his limbs badly bruised
and cut. He was taken to the Presby-
terrain Hospital, where he regained con-
seriousness, and up to a late hour last
night was still alive, but in a critical
condition. His father is rock-blaSter,
and had forbidden him to go to the house
for wood, telling him that it was unsafe.
The father returned from work at an
early hour and arrived at the scene of