Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-01-11
THE READING HORROR.
The Work of Searching for the DeAd-Hor
rible Scenes.


mourning and lamentatiOn in many house
holds in Reading.
Fathers and mothers, brothers and sis
ters relatives and friends, are grief stricken
over the terrible wreck OF last night Over
one hundred voices are hushed forever in
death rs result Of ruin wrought in this
city by the storm.
The cyclone left the whole city in dark
ness, which Was only relieved daring the
night by electric lights and huge bon-fires,
which shed their lurid glare On the scene
of death. All night brave snd willing
hands assisted in the work of rtscue. The
disaster is fully ss bad as reported in earlier
dispatches. TIE list Of fatalities will reach
one hundred, and may be more. Hospi-
tsls and undertakers' establishments are
filled with victims, all the physicians are
busy, and many private huseses have been
opened for the aocomm odation of the in
jured.
To-day all is again bright and glorious
in the heavens, as though mocking the
work of last night. The Polish Church
disaster, several months ago, was one Of
the most horrible accidente that has
startled the community, but the loss of
life by that fatal oave-in sinks into COM
paratiye insignificance when placed in
parallel with the awful visitation of last
evening. Words of sympathy and heaIt-
felt tokens of coincidence will doubtless not
be wanting, but they will be meaningless
EXPIRE ssion if accompanied With sub
stantial offers OF assistance to some of the
families who have been 80 suddenly and
heavily stricken. For the purpose of Of
ferirg this needed aid, Mayor Kenney, at
an eerly hour this morning, issued the
following proclamation.
81 hereby earnestly appeal TO the pro-
fl tssional, bgsness and other citizens who
msy be able 10 fayOrably respond, TO meet
at the Court House this aitsrnCOn, az 80
o'clock, 10 devise ways and means 10 aid
the injured and assist the families OF those
who perished last night in the fall Of the
silk mill 1T Reading and OF the Philadel-
phia snd Reading railroad granite shop.
The fearful cyclone that struck this city
last evening brought SORROW aud want to
many of cur people who arc in such Cir
cumstanc as to be unable to meet the
emergency, and the occasion calls loudly
for immt6 ate sCtion. Quick to respond
to others in distress, do not faIl to do
speedy justice TO our own grief-btricktn
people"
The work Of rescue was greatly retarded
by the singular manner in which the silk
mill collapsed. Il did not blow over, but
was badly cIushed down, falling Ia upon
teelf in Cne mars, and not vestige Of the
walls remsiuing above the stone f0unda
ion The raiteis ard thinkers Of the floor
ing projected in all directions. Az the
building was heated by steam, the ruins
did not take fire, otherwife not one Cf the
could possibly have escaped
death in its most appalling form.
saw THE MILL COLLAPSE.
The only eyewitness to the disaster, so
Tar as known, was Mrs. Gemmill, residing
IN Mulberry street. "At about tweaty
minutes to six O'clock" she said 10 the
reporter, 81 heard an awful crash, and
it wss the new house which is
leing put up alongside of ne, ran to the
Tont door A great cloud of dust hung
lver the silk mill, aud ! could hear the
,rashing of timbers and the rear Of fall
ng Walle. The next moment / Faw the
mill great heap Of ruins, from the midst
# which came such awful incoming and
Toaning and terrible cries, rs / never
want TO hear again Not soul did / see
'Ome out of the mill, and it seemed many
minutes to me before anybody came TO the
pot. stood there in the door, like one
truck dumb, until my husband came
-unniDg from his work"
Teams of every description, Omnibusss, |
uneial coaches, fire wagons, hospital vans
md private vehicles were pressed into ser
rice and we're running rapidly 10 and from
he scene Of disaster all night long, bear
ng the bodies Of the wounded, dying and
lead TO their homes or TO different hoepi
ais. From statements Of some Of those
Who escaped from the building, it appeara
o have gone down in Rn instant. There
vas loud crash of breaking timber, and
III the persons in TIE mill rushed toward |
he main doors A good many OF them
in getting out, while four girls
aved themtelves by juppirg from the
eCoud story windows. The first rambling |
loise WAS followed instantly by the fall
ng OF the buildiug, the upper story going |
lrst with it's human load. Had il not |
,een for the fact that but few OF the hands
ysre on the third ard fourth floors at the
ime, scarcely q life would have blen
aved.
Mr.. George Grimshaw, one Of the pro-
,rietors of the mill, who was in the Office
t the time and barely escaped with his
lie, having received seyeIal severe
Wounds on the head, stated that there were,
o the best Of his knowledge, about two
iundIed and ieventy-tive person5-pTinci-
ally girls and boys-in the establishment
t the time of the disaster. Up TO eighi
iclock this morning the large majority Of
he victims were still ia the ruins. George
Just before daJ Wight gave ont
be following list of killed, injured and
Missing, reported 10 him up 10 q few hours
,efore. The list accounts for about two
lnndred Of the employees.
NAMES OF THE VICTIMS.
Killed Eva Feeds, E. Harry Krccker,
William Snyder, Sophia Wlnkleman,
,aTrie Kersbntr.
Ipjured-Annie Leeds, Annie Fry,
Augustus Roscup, John Riber, Annie
.oveland, Adie Shade, Floiercs Rhodes,
lizzie Haws, Reeky Heyer, Harry Bricker,
).man stsab, Becky POundg, Mary Evans,
billie Savage, Sarah Evans, Ella Kress,
Ella Plum. Agnes Savage, Nora Taylor,
annie Bricker, Ella Reitnour, Mary Fhz-
,atric, Lettie Taylor, Katie Ftzpatric,
Katie Bowman. Sallie + Bright. Laura
Wright, Ida Shasffer, Amanda Shaefer,
lila Krick, Ella Carl. Bertha Tey lor, Clara
Soll, Katie Hartman.
Missipg-Katie Alspaeb. Celia RitDer,
lara Alspach, Mildred LANCER, Lizzie
Rowland, Kettle YsegtT, LIZZIE Owens
allie Baum, Sallie O'Neill, Ella Bueher,
aura Gehrit, Carrie Hartman, Barbara
eilhelmer, Emma Dsemer, Sallie Bilkle,
lizzie Martin, Mary Woatten, Irene Dick
en-, Emma Presser, Dolly Mains, Laura
Ioffman, Mary Hartman, Sallie Has
on. Amelia Christman, Ida Mill
r, Annie Ssyler, Harry Hohmas-
sr Charles Hayer, Heistsr Say
e.. Wellington tepg'e, James Ham
lond, James Finn, Charles Drhpler, Fred
rick Reiff, Edward Brockway, james !
levin. Charles Finn. Harry Fisher, How (
rd shader, Henry Tomplin, Amelia Boss e
n. Lena Snyder, Maggie Rome, Gsrue RI
peck. Emma Plum, Sophia Ffeese, JonD
'svin. Philip sidel, Clayton L9qHlg ,
rank Mohp, George Herman. william =
row. Harry Fiddler, Jacob seidei, Ben .