The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-01-19

READING, PA, Jan. "a tornado swept
overthe northern section of the city this
afternoon, and laid waste every thing
within its reach, and with terrible loss
| of life. The most reliable computation at
10 o'clock tonight is that not less than
sixty persons have been killed outright
and one hundred injured. The track OF
this destructive element was not more than
two hundred feet wide, and it is lucky that
it only touched the suburbs Of the city.
Directly on one side of the tracks of
the Reading railroad was situated the
paint shops of tho company. 1t was one
story building, about sixty by one hum
dred and fifty feet in size Here about
thirty men were employed in painting
passenger cars. There were eight or nine
of these cars in the building. The building
was struck squarely in the middle and the
bricks scattered about as If they were play
things. The cars were turned topsy-
turvy, while the men were buried under
the debris. To add to the horror the
debris took fire, and several of the MANNED
were roasted to death. The Reading
Silk Mill was struck by the tornado
and wrecked. Here were employed 1I5
girls, who went down in the awful wreck
Girls with blackened faces, bruised and
broken limbs, their clothing tattered and
torn, dragged thems elves from the ruins.
So probably seventy five to one hundred es-
capped 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 twenty feet deep, and underneath
~ 1,,;,, 10 I'll, h1l, hxy fha
score. Up to 1o:3O tonight over a dozen
dead bodies have been taken out but a
number are still under the ruins.
PITTSBURGH, Pa, Jan. "a terrific
storm of wind and hail, the worst known
for years, swept over the city shortly af-
ter noon to-day, carrying with it death
and destruction. The tornado caught the
new building on Diamond street, owned
by c. l. Wiley, and hurled it to the earth,
covering up two scores of mangled human
bodies The building was in course of
erection. 1t was thirty by eighty 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 bricks and undried mortar were |
parted, one falling each way, partly |
wrecking nearly dozen surrounding |
buildings. The main force OF the crushing |
thrown against w elden &Co.'s |
book store on Wood street, and the barber |
shop of Fred Shumaker, at No. Al Diamond |
street. The rear end of Welden's store was
crushed In and the front of the building |
forced out into Wood street. The barber /
shop was completely demolished. The
leather store next to the Wiley building,
occupied by w. H. Thoma, was also to-
ALLY wrecked. The rear end of II. Watt
Z Co.. book store was crushed in, while
Iome of the falling structure struck Joseph
building fronting on Fifth
lvenue, breaking the windows and injur-
ng number of employees. A portion of
he wall Of a millinery store next to
Thomas was crushed in, and the windows
md doors in number of surrounding
were broken. The building of
sea Brothers & Co., stock brokers, on the
orner OF Diamond and Wood streets was
partly wrecked, and the occupants barely
escaped. At the time of tho disaster about
twenty-five men were at work ON the
and not one escaped injury. In
he barber-shop, next door, seven men
we're imprisoned, while a half dozen moro
we're buried beneath the debris of the
Nelden building Up to ten o'clock to-
light forty mangled and bruised bodies
ave been taken from the ruins. Some
we're dead, others dying and many fatally
Injured.