Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1889-01-11
DEATH DEALING WIND
Most Remarkable Storm in the His
tory Of the Countrywide
Fatalities.
The Cities of Reading and Pittsburg--
Terrible Scenes--hiagara
Bridge Gone.

READING, Pa, Jan. 1O.--A cyclone
swept over the northern portion Of this
city yesterday afternoon, and to-day a
death-like pail hangs upon the city. Hun
dreds OF households are mourning. The
most reliable computation at hand is that
not less than sixty persons have been
killed outright and 100 injured.
The path of the cyclone was about 200
feet wide, and the storm was preceded by
a great black cloud that made it almost as
dark as night.
1t came from the west, but passed along
the northern border of Reading and first
touched the Mount Penna stove works.
Here the corner of the building was
struck and portion of the roof was cut
of as nicely is if done with a pair of scis-
sors. The storm cloud scurried across
some fields, took off portion Of the roof
OF j. S. Stornberg's rolling mill and a
number of dwellings were unroofed as
readily as if their tin roofs were paper.
The storm then hurried across the prop
erty of the Reading Railroad company
and across the railroad.
Here passenger car was standing
This was overturned as quickly as if it
had been toy, and its splinters carried
in every direction. The atmosphere be-
came heavy and oppressive, and it was
almost as dark as night. Directly on one
side of the Reading railroad was situated
the paint shop of the company. About
thirty men were employed in painting
passenger cars. There were eight or nine
OF these cars in the building. They had
been built at the company's shops at a
cost of $4,000 each.
The building was struck squarely in the
middle and bricks scattered as if they
were playthings. The chamber of each
of the passenger cars was partly filled with
gas and they were ready to be taken out
on the road in few days. They exploded
one after another, bang, bang, bang, they
resounded over the city causing people to
run out of their houses, thinkingi it was the
sound of an earthquake.
There was aconsiderable quantity of gas
oline in the building, and this added fuel
to the flames. A sheet of flames shot up
ward with roar of musketry some twen-
ty of the men had chance to crawl out
of the debris, but four of their companions
were enveloped in the embrace of the
flames. Their cries were heard for mo-
ment by the terrified workmen and then
their voices were hushed forever They
were quickly roasted to death.
The railroad company's loss is $75, 900.
The storm travelled forward with fearful
rapidity. 1t must have travelled at the
rate Of 100 miles an hour. 1t struck pri-
vate houses, unroofng . dozen private
residences, huge sheets of tin were carried
half square and deposited in lot.
Directly in its path stood the Reading
silk mill. Here about LIS girls are work.
ing. The building was large structure,
most substantially built, four stories high,
and had basement besides. It occupied
an entire block of ground. 1t was sur
mounted by massive tower fully 100 feet
from the ground. The funnel shaped
storm cloud struck the building directly
in the center on its broadside which
faced the wind. 1t fell to pieces as if
composed of so many building blocks. In
the wreck the walls gave way, the floors
fell down, one top of the other, and carried
their great mass of human beings to the
bottom. Bricks were piled up in confu-
sion, while amid the hurricane and whist
ling, roaring, rushing wind horrible cries
for succor were sent up to heaven.
1t was moment that tried mems souls
and almost simultaneous with the fall of
the building, came awful cries for help.
Girls with blackened faces, bruised and
broken limbs, their clothing tattered and
torn, dragged themselves from the ruins.
From rs to 100 escaped and were dragged
out by their friends. At some places,
debris was piled twenty feet high and un.
derneath are yet lying human bodies by
the score. About $50 girls and young
women are usually employed. The most
reliable estimates place the number in the
building when it went down in the neigh
borhood of 175'
An alarm for relief was Immediately
sent out and in short time thousands Of
citizens arrived to help out the dead and
ying. BY this time everything was en-
veloped in darkness. Then bonfires were
built which cast dismay on the surround
ing scene.
The buildings were erected with Read
ing capital and the cost of putting them
up was $1,000. Mhe machinery in the
mill was worth 5000. This is a total
wreck. Clerk Autenback states he be-
lieved that fully forty bodies were in the
ruins under the three floors. His list Of
employees is lost and owing to the con-
fusion in taking out the injured, he was
unable to furnish a list Of the killed, but
eighty is a conservative estimate.
LATER.
Reading, Pa.--The disaster is fully as