Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-10-11
CHURCH DISASTER.
The Walls Of a Polish Catholic
Church Collapse and Hun
dred
Persons are More or Less Injured
Nine Trainmpn Killed and Injured
on the B. & O.

| Nine Ifalnmen hiiieu ana Injured
on the B. & O.
Shocking Holocaust in Nebraska-Intem-
perancs the Supposed Cause of Seven
Deaths.
READING, Pa, Oct. S.-While the corner
stone Of the Polish Catholic Church,
Twelfth and Spruce streets, this city, was
being laid yesterday afternoon the floor,
on which fully 1900 men, women and chill
dren were standing. gave way, precipitat-
ing several hundred persons to the base
ment, q distance of fifteen feet. Over 100
men and women were thrown in heap
and all were more or less injured, some
seriously and others fatally.
Archbishop Ryan, of Philadelphia, per-
sonally conducted the ceremonies. As the
pastor arose to speak, the newly construct
ed walls gave way and one-fourth OF the
floor fell with an awful crash precipitating
200 people to the ground, distance Of
from fifteen to eighteen feet. Men, women
and children were thrown into a confused
mass with joists and stone on top of them.
Among the injured were: Mrs. Joseph
Bowers, seriously and her two children
slightly injured; Mrs. Jennie Henry, head
injured: Augustus Helfrich, injured in
ternally, can not live; Mrs. Joseph Martin,
leg broken; Augustus Weis, jaw broken;
George Siegfried, leg broken; Fred
Wholey, internally injured and badly cut
about face; Emanuel Reisinger, head bad
ly cut; Mayor j. Kenny, injured about the
L. g. 1arr hr01-
Sammy Mining, head cut and legs badly
bruised; Ambrose Lenning, serious in
ternal injuries; Mrs. Lille Biting,
arms and head injured; jose
phine Heiney, leg broken and badly
cut about head; Josephine Brisse,
back injured; Henry Harp, back broken
and will die; James d. Stapeton, leg
broken and badly bruised; Mrs. Rebecca
Hickman cut about head; Wilson E. Eek,
member of the ingoldband, back sprained;
Charles Zahi (boy), leg broken; William
Koening, druggist, seriously hurt about
head; Mamie Barlow, aged five, tongue
bitten off and very seriously injured
! internally; Aaron Yelties, internally
| injured; Catharine Broatman, seriously
hurt internally: Augustus Helfrich, con-
! tractor and builder, supposed to be fatally
| injured, removed to his home in
critical condition; Peter Born
and wife. leg broken; Fred Doland
and wife, internally injured, the
| former probably fatally; William New
meyer, foot broken; Hugh O'Rourke, in
| iured very seriously about the hips;
George and John Neidls, broken legs; Pat
rick McDonough. leg broken; Ambrose
Lenig, hip dislocated; Mrs. John Boroski,
internally injured; George Hipp, leg badly
| sprained; Richard Hanlon, knee cap
broken; William Koenig, injured inter-
nally, may die; George Neldert, legs cut
and internally injured; Catharine
Broadham, hurt internally; Mrs. G.
a. Broadham, terribly cut about the
face and arms; Philip Francisco.
legs broken; John L. Smith, hurt in
ternally; John Rotz, ankle broken;
Lewis Reissinger, badly hurt internally
and face cut; Frederick Wellant, legs Sc
riously injured; Eva Spade, severe in
| ternal injuries; +. HulZizer, badly cut
about the knee; Mrs. Joseph Boyer, both
legs broken; John \. Neidert, leg broken:
John Felix, leg broken and seriously in
jured internally; Theodore Brady, back
injured; Anthony Bocowoski, broken leg
and cut about head, critical; Joseph Be-
woski, both arms broken and legs badly
cut; Stanislaus Hibski, spine injured, face
crushed and arm broken. The above are
from this city. Many others from other
places were also seriously hurt. The acct
dent was caused by the walls spreading.
They had only been completed on Satur-
day.
TRAINMEN KILLED.
WASHINGTON, Oct. S.-The Cincinnati
and st. Louis express, which left the Balti-
g. a;% 1A.41
O'Clock Saturday night, collded with an
east-bound freight train from Martins
burg, W. Va, near Dickerson, killing
three trainmen and injuring six others.
By almost q miracle the passengers all
escaped uninjured.
The accident was due to mistake on
the part of the freight train men. They
say they had orders to lay on the switch
at Tuscarora and wait for two sections of
the Pittsburgh express and the express
train which caused the collision, to pass.
They had been on duty continuously'fo for
thirty-six hours, and after seeing the first
section of the Pittsburgh express pass had
gone to sleep at their posts to secure a lit
tie rest. They awoke as the second section
Numbered by, and as it was running Cd
the schedule time of the Cincinnati and
st. Louis express they thought it was the
train which had just passed, and therefore
pulled out the siding and came down tho
single track.
SEVEN BURNED TO DEATH.
LINCOLN, Neb., Oct. S.-A family named
Richter, living between Geneva and Chi
owa, consisting of the husband and wife
and five children, were all burned to
death Saturday night with the exception
of the husband, who was so seriously
burned that he will probably die. A
tramp who was spending the night with
them was also burned to death. The origin
of the fire is unknown, but the tramp had
been around the neighborhood for some
time and was drunk Saturday and Rich
ter had also been drinking and it is sup
posed that they went to sleep while smok-
ing and the fire thus originated. 1t was
not discovered until the house with it's en-
tire contents were consumed.
A GuanO Blaze.
BosTON, Oct. 6.-Dole's guano works on
Spectacle Island, Boston harbor, have
been burning since early this morning.
The police and fire boats from Boston have !