The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-09-21
BENEATH THE AVALANCHE OF ROCK.
How Families Were Buried While
Sitting In Their Homes.
Sad Incidents Of the Disaster In tho
City Of quebec.
Releasing Suffering Victims From
Their Prisons of Solid Rock.

QUEBEC, September 20.-Perhaps the
greatest calamity that has ever visited Que
bee in point Of loss Of life by accident was
the terrible avalanche Of rock which at 730
last evening, without moments warning,
with force gathered by at least 10000 tons
falling distance of over 90 feet sheer
straight descent, crushed in the roofs OF
eight dwelling houses and f1attened them
out so that every part was hidden as COM
pleteIy as If it had never been there. In the
houses at the time of the disaster were from
80 to 90 persons, principally ship laborers
and dock men with their families. Not
sound preceded the terrible shock; not an
intimation of any kind that death was so
near, was had by the doomed people in the
houses on Champlain street. Most Of them
were eating their suppers, and many Eof the
bodies found are so crushed that plates and
knives and other table furniture are found
imbedded In their bodies.
was "a boy bow named n Powers Powers. ! lie Wv was 0' badly
mangled and delirlously cried to be killed or
put back to die.with his mother and sister,
who lay beneath pile Of timber fifteen feet
from where he was They were released.
but can hardly survive their internal injuries.
Close to them was found Thomas Berri-
gan. He was so held down by large boul-
der that to move it seemed almost certain
and instant death. To allow 1t to remain
upon him was also death. But in his agony
he begged to be put out of his misery, and
clutching his throat with mis- hands tried to
strangle himself. The chances were taken
and the stone was rolled off him.
The crunching of the bones in his legs
could be herad as the weight Of over a ton
pain. He was taken to the Hotel Dleu,
where it was found that he had hardly a
whole rib left, and that both thighs and
knees were broken and his feet squeezed in
to shapeless masses. He can scarcely live.
His chest is also crushed in.
Berrigan's little boy was then taken out
badly injured, almost as his father. He cried
piteously for his mother, until he became
unconscious from loss of blood. His mother
was taken out later crushed almost to a pulp.
The only means of Identification were the
facts that she was found where Berrigan's
house had been and Mrs. .Berrigan is missing.
Then the bodies of Thomas Farrell and two
of his three children, were found,
the youngest only Is months old miracu-
lously escaped unhurt.
1t was found besides its father, who lay
under a heavy piece Of rock with his head
crushed to jelly. A child, which no one
has yet claimed, came out next dead. Then
two more children, all doubled up and crush
ed, were pulled out almost piecemeal. They
were identified as the children of Michael
Burke. Burke was working. overtime on
the wharf, $50 yards away, when the acci-
dent occurred, and his wife was in Grants
grocery, two door from her own house. She
was uninjured. During all this time there
was almost continual rain of missiles from
above. making the work OF the physicians,
searchers and clergy men extremely hazard
Gus. Two cases Of broken legs were suffer
ed by people who were looking for bodies.
Preparations are being made for the fu-
erals of the killed, who will be buried at the
joint expense of citizens and the local gov
ment. Among those buried by the rocks are
young couple named Nolan, married few
weeks ago. Nolan could have escaped but
lost his life trying to get his wife out of the
house. 1t is thought that the Kings Bas-
tion, at the citadel will have to be removed,
as it Is so near the edge of the rock, with
unsafe crevices In front of 1t. About twenty
ter during the day.