, 1889-01-10
WITH A CRASH.
Terrific Wind and Hail Storm
at Pittsburg.
Collapse of a Seven Story
Brick Building.
Forty Mangled Bodies Taken
From the Ruins.

PuTsBURG, Jan. "a terrific storm
of wind and hail. the worst known Tor
years, swept over this city shortly after
noon to day carrying with it death and
destruction. The storm formed with a
suddenness that was overwhelming and
as the wind vas accompanied by hail and
torrents o~t..rain, it swept along the streets
and pedestrians were hurled before it and
BARELY ESCAPED BEING CRUSHED
under vehicles passing along the thorough
fares. Suddenly in the center Of the city
there was a terrible crash and a lew min
utes later the central fire alarm sounded a
call from the box on the corner of Di-
mond and Wood streets. Hundreds of
people hurried to the scene, when it was
found that the cyclone had caught the new
building on Dimond street owned by q.
i. Willy and hurled it to the earth, cover
ing up two scores of
MANGLED HUMAN BODIES.
The building was in course of erection.
1t was 40xS0 feet in dimensions and was
seven stories high. The front OF the
building had not yet been put in and the
wind seemed to enter the high shell from
the open end. The high walls of brick
and undried mortar parted, one falling
each way, partly wrecking nearly a dozen
surrounding buildings. The main force
OF the crushing buildings was thrown
against Welding Il Co.'S. brick store on
Wood street, and the barber shop ofFred
Shumaker, at No. Al Wood street. The
rear end of Weddings store was crushed
in and the front ofthe building was forced
out into Wood street. The barber shop
was completely demolished. The leather
store next TO the Willy building, occu-
pied by w. II. Thomas was also
TOTALLY WRECKED.
The rear end of Fl. Watt & Co.'s hook
store was crushed in, while some of the
falling structure struck Joseph Rich
baum's building fronting on Fifth ave-
nue., breaking the windows and %iniuring
a number of employees. A portion of
the wall Of a millinery store next to
Thomas was caved in, and the windows
and doors in q number OF surrounding
buildings were broken. The building of
Rea Brothers & Co., stock brokers, on the
corner Of diamond and Wood streets, was
partly wrecked, and the occupants barely
escaped. Within five minutes alter the
collapse of the buildings the streets were
filed with an excited crowd, notwith-
/ standing the fact that the rain and hail
were pouring down in a perfect deluge.
With the arrival of the tiremen the
WORK OF REsCUE WAS BEGUN. =
Ladders were run up to the second and
third story Of the Welding building, and
the first one taken out was a young lady
employed as a type writer, who fortuna
had escaped serious injury. At the time
of the disaster about twenty five men
were at work on the building and not one
escaped injury. In the barber shop next
door, seven men were imprisoned, while
half a dozen more were
BURIED BENEATH THE DEBRIS
of the Welding building. The hospitals
were notified and and a short time later
the clang of ambulance bells and patrol
wagons was heard.
The contractors had twenty-five wagons
and carts on the scene inside Of an hour
and private expressnen went with their
wagons and lent their aid in helping to
rescue the victims. Meantime the crowd
continued to increase until finally it was
found necessary to call out the police and
have the streets cleared for a square both
ways. The streets we're roped in and no
one allowed about the ruins but those as
sisting in the rescue. The work was con.
tinued all the afternoon and about 10
o clock tonight a number of persons
were known to be still underneath the
debris. Up to that hour forty mangled
and bruised bodies had been
TAKEN FROM THE RUINS.
Some were dead, others dying, and many
fatally injured. From the best informa-
ton obtainable eight were killed outright
OF died in a short time, and twenty five
Others were injured. The length of the
list of dead will be greatly increased be
fore morning. OF the eight killed only
two have been identified SO far, one was IA
little girl named McGlone. who was walk
ing along the street with her brother
when the building fell, and the two were
buried in the wreck. The little girl was
killed instantly and the brother fatally in.
iured. The body of George Kirsch, a
barber, was found in the cellar of the bar
Der shop. Five unknown men and one
boy are now at the morgue awaiting ideu-
tification. DIR. j.. l.. Reem, a prominent
physician CT Allegheny, was in Weddings
at the time and is still missing. 1t il
feared that he is dead. The following is
a list OF the wounded and rescued up to
II O'Clock to night:
Samuel Stringer, aged I6 years, painter;
Thomas Jones, brickIayer; Charles Fritch,
aged l6 years; George Mason, carpenter,
colored; a boy named Targge, a bootblock;
George Kirsch, barber, aged Is years.
TIL. little girl McGlone is not dead, as
previously stated, but in q serious condi.
ton. The remains of one man have not
yet been identified. The inspector of
police stated at a late hour tonight that
he was of the opinion that from fifteen to
twenty persons are yet in the ruins, and
he would not be surprised if the death
list was increased to fifteen or twenty.
The Illinois State Federation of Labor
moi Mt Rlnnminntnn unstnrdnu and m