New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-10

DISASTROUS STORM IN PENNSYLVANIA.
SILK MILL BLowv DOWN AT REAplNe--
NEARLY TWO HUNDRED EMPLOYEES
BURIED. IN THE RUtNs-FouR
woRKMEN BURNED n
pE.TJ lN A
waEcEED
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[BY rzLzGRAPH 70 rHs rnnusR.l


lBY rzLzGRLPH TO rHs TRIBUNAL
Reading Jan. "A frightful calamity occurred
here shortly before o'clock this evening, rsult-
ing In great loss OF life. hurricane struck the
northern part Of the town The paintshop Of the
Reading Railroad Company, the first building
struck, was unroofed and destroyed by fire.
many of the workmen being shockingly burned by
an explosion Of gasoline. Eleven dwellings in
North Eighth and Msfion cts. were all more
or less damaged and some of them completely
wrecked. Grimshaw d. Brothers silk mill large
four-story brick buildjng at Twelfth and Marion
sts., was blown down. About 900 persons. mostly
young women, were employed in the mill and
Of this number axty-six wounded and four dead
were taken from the ruins up to p. m Most
OF the victims are buried In mass of brick
and machinery. The entire fire department. was
called out and 500 men were set 10 work clear
ing away the wreck and recovering the dead
and wounded. The mill is in portion Of the
city which is sparsely inhabited and the iremen
had great trouble in getting to work, owing TO
the intense darkness there being no lights except
those used by the fremen. Later, bonfires were
started in the open lots adjoining the wreck. This
proved Of considerable assistance and by 7:1o
about ninety persons had been removed many of
whom werc dead and others fatally injured The
news Of the disaster spread rapidly. and mothers,
fathers, brothers and sisters Of the Lnfortunates
hurried to the scene. 1t was terrible sight.
Tho moaning Of the injured was hesrt-rending.
The city ambulances and omnibuses were called
into service and those who were able TO tell where
they lived were removed to their homes, and the
more seriously injured to the hospitals as rapidly
as they were taken out Of the wreck.
At 80 p. m, seventy-fve persons had been
AL. IL N.xrtxr A.o1
Many Of the wounded cannot recover. It is
impossible to obtain names of the killed and
injured at this hour. Fully 10000 people have
congre gated about the wrecked building, and the
work of clearing away the wreck is being done
as rapidly as possible
When the lale struck tho MILL the structure
trembled for q second and then collapsed like
an eggshell Those employed on the third and
fourth floors were the first to be taken OUT
Casualties in this part Of the building were not
as numerous as they were among those on the
lower floors. OF those who worked on the first
and second floors, where most Of the young women
were employed, IL is feared few have escaped
death. Many Of the killed and injured are partly
visible, but the hundreds of tons Of brick, tim
bers and machinery will have to be removed
before they can be reached. This il Is thought
viii take all night and IL is possible until
late tomorrow.
The building was soox7o feet, and one can
readily imagine the immense pile of wrcclxage
that will have TO be removed The whole
structure, with the exception of the stack and
engine-house, fell and every person in the build
ing at the time was imprisoned. Several who
were on the fourth door attempted to jump from
tho windows. but before they could do 50 the
walls crumbled and they were carried down with
the rest Friends, frenned by excitement
rushed to the wrecked mill, sad many lxnelt in
prayer In the streets and on the sidewalks until
they were forced back by the freinen and police
men.
The track Of the storm after 1t struck Harris
burg was due east. At the latter place tho
Reading Company's station was unroofed. The
funnel-shaped cloud then followed the Lebanon
Valley distance Of ffty-four miles, deeling
destruction IN its path. When it struck the
Philadelphia and Reading Company's paintsbop
in this city, the building, which was sixty feet
wide by 200 feet in length, was levelled to the
esrth and nine passenger cars were turned COM
pletely over. They took fire from the overturned
stoves The building contained a large quantity of
oils which added fuel to the flames. Several gas
chambers which were fastened under the cars ex-
ploded. Four OF the employees were killed and
several others injured. The killed were John
Kahler Albert Laudenberger. Sheridan Jones and
George Shaeffer.
-Four dwellings in North Eighth-st. one square
east OF the paint shop, were stripped OF their
upper stories, and three frame dwellings, a little
further east were completely demolished. A num-
ber OF other dwellings were more or less damaged
Many of the wires of the Reading and Western
Union Company in the track of the storm were
twisted and broken. The Reading Company's loss
is about 5000. and may reach $4,000