The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-01-10

Dead-Hsrrible Death of Four Car
Painters.
REtoISa, Fa, Jan s.-Ihfs was the sad
/ des. uighs Ia the history of Reading. A
/ dea;A-liSe pail hangs upon the city, the
result OF the E8ost horrible disaster II its
history a hundred housek0!ls are
!n mourning as the result OF
one 81 TIE greatest oaiSgnltias
kgowG Ia Pennsylvania \ cyclone swept
Z ever the northern portion Of the city this
afieTnooa, and laid vase everything with
I IA It's reach, and with terrible les Of life
The lives that have been saoEsssed and the
number that have been injured can be only
estimated. The most reliable computation
az l0 o'clock Tonight is that net less than
90 persons have been killed outright aad
100 injured.
OFT OF a BRI5HT SKY.
L had been raining very hard all morn
I ing. Towards noon IL ceased Slu0St en-
tirely. and by O'Clock there was every iu-
dication that there wouls be al eatFs
cessation of the raia storm. Half an hour
afterward the bright sun made every effort
70 penetrate the clouds The tints Of
the rainbow were seen IN the eastern
sky. There was clear SKY overhead. This
continued for bali an hour longer Then
tke scene changed with suddenucss that
was appalling. The Heecy clouds gave way
/ TO ominous signs Of a coming STERN. Dark,
heavy banks of clouds marshaled them
selves toward the town, aud soon the
/ gloom seemed 20 have settled over
the city. fuen the wind whlstled, roared,
sud tore ia mad confusion The storm
clouds grew heavier stju. aad louder
r0aFed the wind. In the western sky the
storm WIS seen approaching with thun-
/ dering noise The swerth ii cut was mar
row, but its effect was terrible.
EAELsTEOW OF DESTRUCTION.
Persons residing along the track OF the
storm say they saw the first sign Of danger
In fuunel-shaped maelstrom Of wind and
debris which seemed TO gather up every
thing within It's reach and cast 10 right and
left out ia the country ,shouses and
barns were HnrDOfed, farm buildings over
turned, crops rooted up and destruction
spread in every direction. The track of
this destructive element was not more
than 900 feet wide, and IL Is lucky il only I
touched the suburbs OF the city. II came
from the east, but passed along the north /
eIn border of Reading.
1t first touched the Mt. Penn stove works /
Here a corner of the building was struck /
aud a portion OF the roof was cut of as /
nicely as Il done with a pair of scissors /
Then thc storm clouds SCgrried across [
some fields, took or a portion of the rO0i !
a number Of dwellings were unroofed
rs readily aS IL their tin roofs /
were paper. The storm then hurried
across the property of the Reading Rail
road Co. aud crossed the railroad. Here a
passenger car was standing. This was
overturned as quickly as If II had been a
toy and its splinters scattered in every di-
rection. Meanwhile the rain poured down
in torrents, the atmosphere became heavy
and oppressive and it was almost as dark
as night.
RAILROAD SHOP SHATTERED.
Directly on one side track OF the Read |
ing railroad was situated the paint shop Of
the company. X WAS nestoTy building 1
RbOst 6dxI50 feet in size. About % /
men were employed in painting /
passenger ears. There were eight Or nine !
Of these cars in the building. They had /
been built AZ the company's shops AZ a /
cost of 5000 each. The building was struck /
squaTely in the middle and bricks scattered !
about a. il they were playthings. The |
cars were turned topsytaryey while the |
men were buried under the debris.
FOvR MEN BURNED TO DEATH.
The chamber of each passenger car was |
already flied with gas, as they were ready I
% be taken ont on the road in a few days /
They exploded one after another. Bang! I
bang bang! bang they resOandeG /
over the city, causing the people /
thinking il was the sound of an earth I
quake. There was a considerable quastity I
of gasoline IN the building, and this added 4
fuel to the flames. A sheet of flames shot 4
upward with q roar like musketry. Some I
20 OF the men had a chance 10 4
crawl out OF the debris. but four 4
Of their companions were enyeioped 1
in the embrace OF the flames. Their cries I
were heard for moment by the terrified /
workwen. and then their voices were hush /
ed forever. They were quickly roasted to /
4 "a n "a argsag mo- rala
cars lit up the heavens for !
miles around. IL was a beautiful 4
sight and could have been enjoyed bat for 4
the awful calamity which accompanied it. 4
In the meantime the fire department was 4
called cut, but their services were una
vaiIiBg The building and cars were CON
sumed in IS minutes, and nothing left but 1
blackened. smoking ruins, under 4
which lay four human beings burned /
10 a crisp. Their names are John Kelley, I
Albert Gsndberger, sheridan Jones and 1
Geo. Sehsifer. IL was rumored that several 4
others had been killed, sut these are the /
only men who il il known have lost their {
lives. Aaron Dewalt, another enploye Of /
the paint shop, had an arm broken, and
George Knapp was injured internally, no
doubt fatally. The loss % the railroad
company Is fully $4,000.
oNE HUNDRED NILES Az HOUR
While tkis was all going on the storm
was travelling forward with fearful rapid
ity Il must nave travelled at the rate Of
loo miles an hour. II struck sorae more
pr vats houses aud Gn-0Ofed dozen pri-
yaie residences. Huge sheets Of tin were
carried half square away and deposited
IN a lot. Then the storm proceeded in its
fall fRry.
SILK FAClo&V C0LLAPsEs.
Directly IN its path, on the corner OF
Twelfth and Marion streets. stood the .seaa-
ing ssIk mill. Here about i75 girls were
"a a.
ture, most substantially built. four stories
high, aud had bass u2eut besides. X oc-
eup!ed an entire bic. = Of ground. The size
Of the bGiiding Itself wss nearly SO
feet IN length and as9at l5o feet
wide lt was surInouDicd b. a massive
tower fully 100 feet from the ground The
funuel-shapcd stogm-clcud struck thu
building directly In the center on is broad
esI side, which faced the west. Il fell 10
pieces as u composed Of - many
building blocks Nearly 90 human be
ings went down in the awful
wreck. The walls gave way. the doors fell
down one on top Of tke ether, and carried
tAeiT great mass VI human beings 70 the
( b0ifom- Brlcks were piled up In the great
/ est confusion. while amid the hurricane
l rihie cyies for suCeof were sent pp 70
heaven. II was a moment that tried mess
souls.
guEIED EENEATR TONS OF DEBRIs.
Almost simultaneously with the fall Of
the building came awful cries for relief
Gir.s with bisckened faces, bruised and
/ broken limbs, their clothing tsttercd and
/ Torn, dragged then selves from the ruins
I From - 70 inO escaped or were dragged
ogg Sy their friends. These, o. coaTSs,
I worked on tie upper Aoors ard were
/ thrown EeSr the top of tie debris. Al ssIne
I places bricks were piled 70 feet deep. and
Underneath are lying tonight human
/ bodies by the score.
Aboai 20 girls aud young women are
Usually eTspl0y ed in the mill. but a. I
Z q clock about q were relieved from GEry
T for she DAY. They returned 20 their homes
E before the storm came The most reliable
I estimate tonight places the number 10 The
building = ben wcmg down Ia the neigh
I bagbool Of 10, sa.l, g before stated 2G3 oi
tseSe Eere rescued BY friends or dragged
themselves oUg Immediately after The
accident
aREWsoNE sCESEs At SIGHT-
Al alarm for rel5ef w4s Immediately seut
cas Aua tn n short TINE 100 eliIEeus A.
fiYsi ~ heip 0ug tie dead GEd dying Ihe
scene ass a horrible one, al1 h<ggSFs &c
5 seriptian. The mill & situated neaF tae
fao; of Mount Fenh. hlge mountain
overlooking tae city. hen TIE
( people arrived even thinE was envelope1
T Is darkness Then nags bonfire ss2s
auil1 Shseh essE = dismal gi@7e on the
E surrounding seene- The are companies