Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-09-21
RECEIVING THE LANDSLIDE VICTIMS.
Two Hundred Thought tn BE IN the
Ruins-An Immense Mass Moved.

Quebec special. timed midnight, says: II
H. known that az least two hundred dead
bodies still remain under the pile of debris.
Rescung parties are hard 1T work, but are
meeting with accidents. as large masses OF
fock still continue TO fall from the cliffs
QUEnEC, September 20.--Ihc Work Of ex-
Cayating at the scene Of the landslide Is
still going on. Among those who. II Is al
legged. are still missing and who arc said 20
hc beneath the ruins are MIR. aud Mrs.
Charles Allen. Mrs Stevens, Mrs. Henry,
Richard Nayburg and wife Mrs. X. Law
son. X. Kemp and family. Michael u.
Leahy. and "a number Of children. The
loss sustained 10y the surviving victims Of
the disaster Is very great. Some OF the
wOrkingmon who are deprived OF their
homes lose all of their furniture and other
efccts-cvcn their summer earDings-and
many are left penniless at the commence
ment of tho Canadian winter. The injured
have nearly all been moved to the Hotel
Diou. where they Will receive all possible
care and attention. William Powers, wife,
and child were saved by the men Of y
battery, who, aided by a detachment Of
cavalry, cTectcdquitea number of rescues.
The work of rcsculng the victims IS gong
on vigorously. The members of the Black
family were buried alive twelve feet below
the surface Of the df5riS. On being asked
II they wcro safe, Mrs. Black answered
MY husband is killed at the door. The
rest are SAFE but we are suffering from
wound. and bruises on our limbs Shortly
after Miss Mary Caldwell, o niece Of Mr.
Black, was cXtricated from Mr.. Blacks
house. Her limbs were SO stiff from iuac-
ton That the least touch on them caused
intense pam. the next person taken ont
was Thomas Bcrrigan, whose wii" was
taken ont Of the ruins dead He was 50
disfgured that his friends could hardly
recognize him. He was moved TO the Hotel
DIcu Hospital. mutterlng prayer OF
thanks for his miraculous escape. The next
10 follow was an eight-yeaT-Old boy, also
named Berrigan. His left leg was crushed
~ "a Jelly. Then came Mrs. Black. Her
bosom, neck, and face were dreadfully
swollen.
The scene Of the terrible disaster was
visited by thousands, who blocked up the
street and made it difficult task for any
one TO move IN any direction. There
being but one marrow street between the
rock and river. there IL complete stop
pnro of traffic except by climbing over the
dlj7s. 4 large force Of men ar engaged
iu The work of searching the ruins. Ihe
shipping Office in the Dominion Govern
mont building has been turned into a tenn
purary morgue and over twenty bodies are
living IN II. n is difficult TO identify some
Of the bodies. 80 much have they been
disfgurcd and crushed Several of the
persons reported missing have turned up,
but il is Thought that there Will be ten or
more victims o. be- added 10 the list.
complete list Of the injured cannot be
made mp a- vet. es they were removed to
different hospitals aud tOfriends' houses rs
soon us they were taken from the ruins.
The City Council is now holding a spe-
cial meeting 90 consider the best course OF
action 60 complete the work OF recovering
the remaining dead.
~ is feared that large part OF the rock
adjoining the site OF the slide Will come
down, rs large crovices have appeared and
the rain is still falling and may repeat the
operations which caused last nights dlsas-
ter. The people are moving. out OF the
threatened houses There has been no
lack of volunteers for work at the ruins
but there Is a lack of intelligent direction,
AS there is no person in authority. Citizens
are seudiug in money TO relieve any I'M
mediatedi tress among the homeless women
and children.
The mass of earth and rock moved Is,
roughly speaking. about six hundred feet
frontage hy eighty feet in depth. Some OF
the masses of fallen rock must weigh
nearly twenty tons. and there are so many
huge blocks that II makes the work Of
clearing il very difficult. The working
parties this afternoon are better organ
lied and equipped and are making more
Roadway.
Tho Site of the present landslide is NJ
most identical with that of the one which
occurred in 1871. when eight buildings
were crushed and thirty-tWo people were
killed. The houses destroyed last night all
stood on the other side of the roadway
and were not thought to be IN danger, but
the immense mass of rock swept ciear
10, r,aAKyaN and the iTlrk
buildings, dom0lishing them as II they
were made of oard-hoard.
The horrors of this dreadful day are still
succeeding each other. Nmie woIhefs
were busy clearing away the dcb1-iS OF the
crumbled buildings faint groans were
heard al intervals from under the huge
piles of rocks The efforts OF the Volun-
tecrs were concentrated 10 that point, aud
after three hours hard work the bleeding
body of Joe Kemp was eXtricated from
mass of rock. The poor man IS IN most
pitiable condition. Both legs are broken
at the knees, the left arm IS fractured
above the elbow. and several ribs are irac-
turcd lie cannot live many hours. Two
hours later ms witc's body was
taken ont of the wreck. Her head
was almost severed from her body.
Further away another hideous spectacle
was offered 50 sight-the corpse of young
woman. Mrs. Ianson. who had been adj
mired in her lifetime for her beauty. Her
body had been crushed almost Hat. Her
abdomen had been ripped open and her
entrails were scattered about Shortly
after viewing her remains her husband be-
came raying maniac. IL is doubtful II he
will recover his reason.
A man named Michael Bradley, who mad
cone almost crazy when told that all Of his
family had persisted in the landslide, dis
covered while working over the wreck OF
his house has fve-year-old daughter stil
alive. His Joy was indescnbable. III Is
thought the child will live.
IN 20 this time the number OF corpsess
found is twenty-five, and the number OF
wounded eighteen.
The city is throngel with strangers,
coming from all over the Quebec district
to witness the effects of the terrible
avalanche.
Preparations are being made for the fu-
neral of the killed, who will be buried at
the joint expense of the citizens and local
government.
At meeting Of the City Council to-
night "A resolution was adopted voting
- 600 towards the relief of the sufferers by
last nights disaster A report was read
from Engineer Baillairge showing that he
had warned the Federal Government years
AGO of the danger from rock at the place
" here the accident occurred.