The Indiana State sentinel., 1889-01-16
A TERRIBLE LOSS OF LIFE.
THE FEARFUL WORK OF A CYCLONE.
Reading, Pa, Laid Waste-A silk MIL
Destroyed and hundreds of Girls
Buried in the Ruins-Horriofe
Disaster Mt Pittsburs.

READING, Pa. Jan. e-This was the saddest
night in the history of Reading. \ death-like
pail hangs upon the city as the result of the
most horrible disaster IN its history. A hun
dred households are in mourning as the result
of one of the greatest calamiues in Pennsyl-
vauia. A cyclone swept over the northern
section of the city this afternoon aud laid
waste everything within its reach and with
terrible loss of life. The lives that have been sac
ri6ced and the number that have been injured
can only be estimated. The most reliable COM
putation at 10 o'clock tonight is that not less
than sixty persons have been killed outright
and 100 injured. How this terrible calamity
occurred is about as follows:
1t was raining very hard all morning
Toward noon it ceased almost entirely, and by
O'Clock there was every indication that there
would be an entire cessation Of the rainstorm.
Half an hour afterward the bright sunshine
made every effort to penetrate the clouds. The
tints of rainbow were seen in the eastern sky.
There was clear sky overhead. This con-
tinued for half an hour longer. Then the scene
changed with a suddenness that was appalling.
The Hescy clouds gave way to the ominous
signs OF a coming storm. Dark, heavy banks
OF clouds marshalled themselves toward the
town, and soon a gloom seemed to have
settled over the city. There was a still
ness ominous Of coming danger. Then
the wind whistled. roared and tore in
mad confusion. The storm clouds grew
heavier still and louder roared the wind. In
the western sky the storm was seen ap-
preaching with laundering noise The swath
it cut was narrow but its effect was terrible.
Persons residing along the track of the storm
say that they saw the first signs of danger in q
funnelshaped maelstrom which seemed TO
gather up everything within its reach and east
it right and left. Out in the country houses
and barns were unroOfed, farm out-buildings
were turned, crops rooted up and destruction
spread in every direction. The track of the de-
structive element was not more than zoo feet
wide and it is lucky that il only touched the
suburbs of the city. 1t came from the west,
but passed along the northern border of Read
ing. First it touched the Mount Pennsylvania
stove-works. Here the corner Of the building
was struck and portion of the roof was cut
off as nicely as if done by pair of scissors
Then the storm-cloud scurried across some
fields. took off a portion of the roof Of ]. II.
Sternberger's rolling-mill, and a number Of
dwellings were unroofed as readily as if their
tin roofs were paper. The storm then hurried
across the property of the Reading railroad
company and crossed to the railroad. Here a
passenger-car was standing. This was turned
over as quickly as if it had been toy, and its
splinters scattered in every direction.
Meanwhile the rain poured down in torrents.
The atmosphere became heavy aud oppressive
and it was almost as dark as night. Directly
on one side the track of the Reading railroad
was situated the paint shops Of the company.
1t was one-story building about sixty by ff-
teen feet in size. Here about thirty men were
employed in painting passenger cars. There
were eight or nine of these cars in the building.
They had been built at the company's shops in
this city at cost of $1,000 each. The building
was struck squarely in the middle and
the bricks scattered about as If they were
playthings. The cars were turned topsy
turvy, while the men were buried under
the debris. Some of the bricks were carried
away. The chamber Of each OF the passenger
cars was already filed with gas, as they were
ready TO be taken out on the road in a few
days. These exploded, one after another, with
the fearful bang of a cannon. Bang, bang.
bang, they resounded over the city, causing the
people to run out their houses, thinking it was
the sound of an earthquake. There was a
considerable quantity of gasoline in the build
ing and this added fuel to the flames. A sheet
Of fame shot upward with the roar of mus
kerry. Some twenty of the men had chance
to crawl oft OF the debris, but four of their
companions were enveloped in the embrace Of
the flames. Their cries were heard for a mo-
ment by the terrified workmen, and then their
voices were hushed forever. They were quickly
roasted TO death.
Fire from the nine passenger-cars lit up the
heavens for miles around. 1t was a beautiful
sight and could have been enjoyed but for the
awful calamity which accompanied it, In the
meantime the fire department was called ont
but it's services were unavailing. The building
and cars were consumed in fifteen minutes and
nothing left but blackened, smoky ruins under
which lay four human beings burned to a crisp.
Their names are:
ALBERT LANDBERGER.
SHERIDAN JONES.
GEORGE SCHAFFER.
JOHN KALLER.
It was rumored that several others had been
killed, but these are the only ones known 10
have lost their lives.
Aaron De Walt, another employe in the paint
shop. had his arm broken and George Knabb
was injured internally, probably fatally The
loss to the railroad company is fully $4,000.
While this was going on the storm was travel
ing forward with fearful rapidity. # must
have travelled at the rate of one hundred miles
an hour. 1t struck some more private houses
and unroofed dozen private residences. The
huge sheets of tin were carried half a square
away and deposited in lot. Then the storm
proceeded in its full fury. Directly in its path,
at the corner of Twelfth and Marion-sts., stood
the Reading silk mill, one OF the industries OF
the city, in which the citizens took the greatest
pride. Here about one hundred and seventy.
five happy girls were working. the building
was g huge structure, most substantially
built, four stories in hight, and had basement
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