Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1889-01-17

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terrible cries for suceor were sent up to
heaven. Almost simultaneously with
the fall of the building came the awful
cries for relief. Girls with blaekened
faces, bruised and broken limbs, their
clothing tattered and torn, dragged them
selves from the ruins.
So probably IS to 100 escaped or were
dragged out by their friends. These, of
course, worked on the upper floors and
were thrown near the top of the debris.
At some places the bricks were piled 20
feet deep and underneath are lying to-
night human bodies by the score. About
$50 girls and young women are usually
employed in the mill, but at o'clock
about so were relieved from duty for
| the day. They returned to their homes
/ before the storm came. The most reli-
able estimate of tonight places the num-
Der in the building when it went down
at It's, and as before stated, 100 of these
were rescued by friends or dragged
| themselves out Immediately after the
accident.
The call for relief was Immediately
sent out, and in a short time thousands
of citizens arrived to help the dead and
diving. The scene was narrowing one,
and beggars description. When the peo-
pie arrived everything was enveloped in
darkness. Then huge bonfires were
built, which cast a dismal glare on the
surrounding scene The fire companies
left the burning paint shop and assisted
in the rescue of the dead and the dying.
The entire police force was called out,
and the ambulance and relief corps and
thousand people were in among the
debris carrying out bricks, pulling away
timbers and assisting wherever they
could.
Their work was slow compared with
the demand for rescue of the victims Of
the disaster. Here young woman was
taken out Senseless, suffering with cuts
and bruises. One body noticed as it
was dragged out had its head cut off.
Others were in various postures, the liv-
ing all suffering from the most terrible
wounds, and some almost scared to
death. The Associated Press reporter
entered what was once the basement OF
the building, and, grouping 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 be-
yond all human aid.
Up to 1920 O'Clock tonight probably
the bodies of a dozen dead have been
taken out, while the greater portion of
the remainder were still under the ruins.
The work of rescue will be pushed all
night. but it may be far into tomorrow
before all the bodies are taken out. The
rsecuers still have the greatest hopes
that some of those inside are still liV-
ing, and there is every reason for saying
that in this the persons who believe that
way are right.
All is chaos and confusion around the
mill. The managers are missing, and
the correct number of dead is merely
guess work. 1t may not beover ~, and
then again at this hour there is hkeli-
hood that it will reach 60 or even 80.
The silk mill was built about four years
ago. The builders were Reading capi-
talists, and the cost of putting it up
was $4,000. The mill was leased to
Grimshaw Brothers, of Paterson, n. j.,
where they also operated similar mills,
and they have been running it ever
since. The machinery they put in the
mill cost S45,0 900. This is total loss.
Clerk Aulenback stated at midnight
that he believed that fully 80 bodies
were in the ruins under the three floors.
His list of the employ6s is lost, and ow-
ing to the confusion in taking out the
injured he was unable to furnish list
of the killed.
Augustus Froseop, residing at 638
North Tenth street, was the foreman OF
the first and second floors of the silk
mill. A reporter interviewed him, and
his statement is as follows:
at was about 20 minutes past 5
o'clock when went to the second story
to turn on the electric lights. After
had done this stood looking about the
room for ten minutes. Suddenly heaIo
loud rushing noise, which l thought
was cyclone. The building then shook.
l was standing in the southern end OF
the room, and before could look out
of the window felt the building sink.
Quick as lightning the portion Of the
room that was in went down. The
girls rushed about me, crying and
screaming for help. They did not real
ize what was taking place. 1t seemed
to me as if the center of the building
was struck first. 1 cannot describe the
scene.
at was awful! 1 could not do any
thing and could not think of what
should DO. Our end of the building
went down first, and while the floor was
sinking it seemed to me as If the girls
in the other part of the room were on
top of hill That is the way it i'm
pressed me. While we were going down
| saw the other portions of the floor fall.
In minute all was over. The scream
ing of the girls was heart-rending. 1
was knocked down under heavy timbers
and held fast by my foot. l could move
every other part of my body excepting
my leg. l reached down with my knife
and cut the shoe off my foot. In this
way became loosened and managed to
arise Amid the screams of the girls
and falling beams and bricks, succeed
ed in escaping. got out of the ruins
on the eastern side of the building, but
how, do not know.
~ called to the girls as loudly as
could. They were all terribly frighten-
ed, and never witnessed anything so
awful in my life. Many of them heard
me and worked themselves toward me.
At some places it seemed as if the floor
was closed in a solid mass, and the girls
would creep around this, crawl over the
machines and creep on their hands and
knees, until they got to the opening
where | was. The maeines saved many
from being crushed to death and left
space between the floor and debris to
crawl out. l believe that fully 100 per-
sons escaped with me. | remember see
ing them run across the commons in
different directions to their homes bad