Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-01-17
A Huge Building Wrecked at Pitts
bnrg- Eight Killed Many Injured.

READING, Pc, Jan. 9.--rhis was the
sadoest day in the history of Reading.
Hundreds OF HOUSEHOLDS are in mourning
as the result of the creates. calamity in
the history OF Pesnsy lvania. cy-
clone swept over the northern section OF
the city this afternoon and laid every
thing within its reach, with terrific
! loss of life. The lives that have
been sacrificed and the number OF persons
injured can at shis writing only be esti.
mated. The most reliable computation
at IL O'Clock tonight is that not less titan
sixty persons have been killed outright
and over one hundred IL jure1.
II rained hard here ali the morning
Toward noon IT ceased almost entirely,
ard by O'Clock there was every indica.
ton that there would be ar entire
cessation of the storm. Half an hour
| aftsrward the bright sun was max
ing every fort TO penetrate the clouds
and rainbow tipts were seen in the east
ern sky. This continued for half an hour,
and then the scene changed with a sud
denness that Was appalling. Fleecy
clouds gave way to omInous signs of tho
coming storm, dark heavy banks of clouds
mBrshalltd themselves and began APP
preaching the town. The wind whiR-
tled, rOared, and tore along in mad
con fusion. The storm clouds grew
heavier still aud heavier roared the wind.
In the western sky the storm was seen
approaching with a thunderous noise.
The swath 4 cut was narrow but the eff
feet was terrible. Person. residing along
! the track OF the storm say they saw the
hrst sign of danger 10 the funnel shaped
u@l5trom which seemed to gather up
everything within reach and cast it right
and left. In the country houses and barns
were uHroofed, farm outbui dings over
! turned, crops rooted up, and destruction
! spread in every direction. The track of
! this destructive element was not more
| than 200 feet wide, and il is lucky that it
only toucht the subul bs OF the city. 10
came from the west but passed along
the northern border of Reading. First it
! touched the Mount Penn Stove works.
/ Here the corner building was struck and
a portion of the roof was torn off. Then
| the storm c oud scurried across the fields,
/ took off portion of the
roof of j. II. Stauberg's rolling
mill, and a plumber of dwellings were
unroofed as readily as if their tin roofs
were paper. The storm then crossed
| the railroad. Here a passenger car was
standing. This was overturned as quick
| ly as if it had been toy, and It's
spinters scattered in every direction.
( Meanwhile the rain poured down in tor
rents. The atmosphere became heavy
and oppressive, and it was almost as
dark as night.
WRECK OF THE READING HALFWAY PAINT
SHOP.
Directly on one side of the track the
Reading railroad company paint shops
isere situated. II was q one story build
W., about 60x1FJ feet in size. Here
bngat 30 men were employed in painting
pa niger cars. There werei or OF
car pasars In the building, costing So 600
hehtheThe building was struck squarely
yacht middle, and the bricks were
scattered about as if they were playthings.
The cars were turned tOpsy turvey, while
the men were buried under the debris.
| The chamber of each passenger car was
filled with gas as they were ready to be
taken out on the road in few days.
| They exploded one after another with
| fearful bang, causing people to run out
Of their houses thinking it was the sound
| of an earthquake. There Vas considerable
/ gasoline in the building and this
4 addel fuel to the flames. A sheet of fame
I shot up ward with the roar of musketry.
| Some twenty of the men had a chance TO
/ crawl ont OF the debris, but four of their
com panions were euveloped in he EN-
4 brace of the flames. Their cries were
/ heard for a moment by the terrified work
men, and then their voices we're bushed
! forever, There were quickly roasted TO
/ death. The fire from the nine passenger
1 cars lit up the heavens for miles. IL was
/ beautiful sight and could have been
| enjoyed but for the awful calamity which
/ accom- panied il. In the meantime the
/ FIRE department was called out but their
/ services were unayailiny. The building
and cars we're consumed IN Is minutes,
/ and nothing was left but the blackened
/ aud smoking ruins, under which
4 Law the four human beings burned
to a crisp. II was rumored that several
others had been killed, but these are the
! only ones who It Is known lost theirli
/ Aaron Dewalt, another employe in the
/ paint shop, had an arm broken, and
/ George knRbb was injured internally, no
doubt fatally. The loss to the
railroad company is fully $4,000.
| While this was all gong on, the Storm
/ vas travelling forward with fearful rapid
/ lty 1t mast have travelled at the rate of
one hundred mules an hour Il struck
more private houses and unrOofed
dozen private residence. Huge sheets
+ OF tin were carried half a square away
and deposited in 8 'ot. Then ,ne storm
4 proce sded IN its foil fury.
HORROR AT READING SILK MILL.
Directly in its path at tb corner Of
/ l2tn and Marion streets stood the Read
ing silk mill, where about 175 glrls were
working. Tbs building vas huge struc
ture. most substantially built. tour stories
n height, and had a basement besides.
IL nnnnniAd one block OF ground