The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-01-10

C0ucneQ the SIDES OF the city. 1t came
from the west, but passed along TIE
northern border of the town. 1t
touched the Mount Pennsylvania stove
works. Here the corner of the building
was struck, and portion of the roof cut
off as if done with a pair OF scissors.
The storm struck across some fields.
1t took portion of the roof OF j.
Slomberger's foundry mills and num-
Der of dwellings were unroofed as
readily as though the tin roofs were
made of paper. The storm hurried to
the tracks of the Reading Railway and
standing, and it was turned over as
easily IS if it had been a toy,
and its splinters were scattered
ia every direction. Meanwhile the
rain poured down IN torrents
and the atmosphere became heavy.
Dir city In the path of the cyclons at
the corner of Twelfth. and Marion
Streets, stood the Reading silk mill.
Here about seventy-fiye glrls were work
ing. The building was
A HUGE STRUCTURE,
most substantially built, four stories
high and a basen ent besides. 1t occu-
pied the entire block of ground; the
sizs of the building itself was nearly 800
feet in length and about $50 feet wide.
1t was surmouuted by a massive
tower fully 100 feet from the
ground, funnel shaped. The storm
cloud struck the building directly in the
center on the broad side, which faced
to the west, which fell to pieces as if
composed OF so many blocks. Nearly
200 people were down in the awful
wreck. The walls gave way, the floors
fell down one on top of another, and
carried their great mass of human
beings to the bottom. Bricks were
piled up in the greatest confusion,
while amid the hurricane, the whistling
of the rushing, roaring wind aad
TERRIBLE CRIES FOR sUcCoR
were sent up to heaven. 1t was mo-
ment that tried mems souls, and al
most simultaneous with the fall of the
building, came the cries for relief from
the girls, who, with BACKED faces,
bruised and broken limbs, their clothing
tattered and torn dragged themselves
from the ruins. seventy.6ve to 100
escaped or were dragged out by
their friends. These, of course, worked
on the upper floors and wera
thrown near the top OF the debris. In
some places the bricks piled twenty
feet deep, and underneath are lying
to night. human bodies by the score.
About 250 girls and young women are
usually employed in the mill, but at
O'Clock eighty were relieved from duty
for the day. They returned to their
homes before the storm came. The
naost reliable estimate, tonight, places
the number in the building when it
went down, in the ghborhoOd Of 175,
and as before stated, 100 of these were
rescued by friends or
DRAGGED THEMSELVES OUT
Immediately after the accident. Alarm
for relief was Immediately sent out, and
ia a short time thousands of citizens ar
rived to help out the dead and dying.
The scene was a narrowing one and
beggars description. The mill is situated
near the foot of Mount Pennsylvania,
high mountain overlooking the city.
When the people arrived, everything
was enveloped in darkness. Then huge
bonfires were built, which cast dis
NAL glare on the surrounding
scene The fire companies went TO the
burning paint shop and assisted IN the
rescue of the dying. The entire police
was called out. Ambulance and relief
corps and thousands of people were in
among the debris carrying out bricks,
pulling away timbers and assisting
wherever they could, all at the same
time, but their work was slow COM
pared with the demand for rescue of
the victims of the disaster. Here young
women was taken out all bruised,
suffering with cuts and bruises. One
body noticed as 1t was dragged out,
HAD ITS HEAD CUT OFF;
others were in various positions. The
living were all suffering from the most
terrible wounds, and some were almost
scared to desth. An Associated Press
representative s3nteredss what was once
the basement of the building, and CROP
ing his way through the debris noticed
FIVE bodies of young girls lying close
together He tried TO pull them out,
but they were pinned down, and it
was impossible to get them out.
They were dead and teyoDd
all human aid. Up to 10 80
O'Clock tonight probably the bodies
of a dozen dead have been taken out,
while the greater portion of the re-
wander are still under the ruins. The
work of rescue will be pushed all night,
but it may be far into o-morrow before
ell the bodies are taken out. The res
cuers still have the greatest hopes that
some of these inside are still living, and
there is every reason for saving them,
and persons who believe that way are
right.
ALL is CHoAS
and confusion around the mill. The
managers are missing, and the correct
number is merely guess work. 1t may
not be over forty. and then again at
this hour there is likelihood that it will
reach sixty or eighty. The silk mill
was built about four years ago. The
buildings were put up by Reading CAPT.
tal. and the cost Il construction was
S63, 600. TIE mill was leased to Grim
shaw Brothers, of Patterson, N. j.,
where they also opened similar
mills, and they have been run
ming it ever since. The machirer y
they put in the mill cost
S45,O 600. This is total wreck. When
the Associated Press representative
visited the scene OF the wreck at IL