The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-01-18
PlrTssuRoH.s DISASTER.

PIrTssURoH.s DISASTER.
Collapse of . Building and Fifty workmen
Buried-Other Work Of the Dreadful
Cyclone.
PITTSBURGH, Pa, Jan. ia terrific
storm of wind and hail-the worst known
for years-swept over the city shortly
after noon yesterday, carrying with it
death and destruction. The storm was
! formed with q suddenness that was over.
whelming and as the wind. accompanied
by hail and torrents Of rain, swept along
the streets pedestrians were hurled before
it and barely escaped being crushed under
vehicles passing ong the thoroughfares.
Suddenly, in the center of the city. there
was terrible crash and a few minutes
later the central fire alarm bell sounded a
call from box Ii. on the corner of Diamond
| and Wood streets. Hundreds of people with
blanched faces hurried to the scene when
it was found that the cyclone had caught
the building on Diamond street. owned by
c. l.. Wiley, and hurled it to the earth,
covering up two scores of mangled human
bodies. The building was in the course of
erection. 1t was 30xS0 feet in dimensions
and was seven stories high. The front
had not yet been put in and the wind
seemed to enter the high shell from the
open end and the high walls of bricks and
undried mortar were parted, one falling
each way, partly wrecking nearly dozen
surrounding buildings.
The main force of the crushing building
was thrown against Weldon G. Co.'s book
store on Woodland and the barber shop of
Fred Shumaker. at Al Diamond street The
rear end Of Weldon's store was crushed in
and the front of the building forced out
into Wood street. The barber shop was
completely demolished. The leather store
next to the Wiley building, occupied by
w. H. Thomas, was also totally wrecked.
The rear end of H. Watt & Co.'s book
store W as crushed in, while some of the fall
ing structure struck Joseph Eichbaum's
building, fronting on Fifth avenue break.
Ing the windows and injuring number Of
employees. A portion of the wall of mil
linery store next to Thomas was crushed
in and the windows and doors IN mum.
Der of surrounding buildings were broken.
At the time of the disaster about twenty.
five men were at work on the building and
not one escaped injury. In the barber
shop, next door, seven men were impris-
beneath the debris of the Weldon building.
Chief Brown, Coroner NJ. Dowell, Building
Inspectors Frank and Echley, aud q
score of physicians were early at the
scene. The hospitals were notified and a
short time later the clang of ambulance
bells and patrol wagon gongs were heard
Contractor Booth and Finn had twenty
five wagons and carts on the scene inside
of an hour and private expressmen lent
their wagons and their aid in helping to
rescue the victims. When poor unfor-
tunate was found he was given temporary
relief by the physicians and then carefully
removed to one of the hospitals.
The work was continued all afternoon
and at eleven o'clock last Inighta number OF
persons were known to be still underneath
The debris. Up to that hour forty mangled
and bruised bodies had been taken from
the ruins. Some were dead. others were
dying and many were fatally injured.
One or two died Oh the way to the hos.
pital.
From the best information obtainable,
eight were killed outright or died in q
short time and thirty five others We're in.
iured, but it is believed that the list of
dead will he greatly increased.
A little girl named McGlone was walk.
ing along the street with her brother when
the building fell and the two were buried
in the wreck. The girl was terribly in-
jured and her brother probably fatally
hurt.
The body Of George Kirsch, barber,
eighteen years old, was found in the eel.
lar of the barber shop.
DR.. j. L. Reed, a prominent physician Of
Allegheny, was in Weldon's at the time
and is still missing and it is feared that he
is dead.
The cyclone wrought terrible destruction
in other parts of the city and out along
the railroads centering here. A portion
of the foundry of Mcintosh. Hemphill s.
Co., on Thirteenth street, was wrecked, as
was also house in Allegheny.
At Walls Station, on the Pennsylvania
railroad, a large brick building owned
by the Westinghouse Airbrake COM
pany was partially demolished, and
at Wilmerding. Pa, a coal tipple
was wrecked. At McKeesport
houses were unroofed, trees blown down
aud windows smashed. Three houses in
course OF erection were blown to pieces.
On the river number of boats were torn
from their moorings and cast about like
corks. but they were secured before much
damage was done. The velocity of the
wind was fifty miles an hour-;he highest
recorded for years.
Inspector of Police McAlees states that
he is of the opinion that from fifteen to
twenty five persons are yet in the ruins.
or the thirty-five injured six are in
dangerous condition and VIII probably
die.
DESTRUCTION AT sUNBURY.
SUHBURY, Pa, Jan. 10.-In this city at
6:30 o'clock last evening a rain and wind
storm came up suddenly and blew over
two of the stacks Of the Sunbury nail mill,
situated between the Reading s. Pennsyl-
vania railroads on the out skirts of the city.
The first is the pudding mill, having six
furnaces. Stack No. 2 was thrown over
on the roof. dropping with it stack No. J
They crashed through the roof. completely
the pudding department.
Thirty.five men were employed in this
department and half of them were buried
in the debris. The fire alarm was sounded
and soon hundreds surrounded the mill
Men were carried out half naked and men
are at work yet, as it is supposed several
others are in the ruins.
The following is the list of killed and
wounded:
Killed-A tramp, name unknown; c. c.
Showers, Of Milton.
Wounded-D. P. Jones, of Sunbury, in.
ternally injured; James Faust. scalp
wound and ribs broken; A. c. Menther.
right leg broken of below knee and arm
broken, not expected to live; James Nc
Donnell, Sugar Notch, head cut; Albert
Williams, puddler, Lancaster, leg broken
and head cut; John E. Splen, Lancaster,
head cut and knee broken, seriously in
iured: two bows aged thirteen and fourteen