The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-01-10
AT READING,

AT READING,
READING, Pa. January 9.-This is
the sadGiest night in the history Of
Reading. A death like pail hangs upon
the city, the result of the most horrible
disaster in It's history. Hundreds
of households are in mourning as the
result of one of the greatest calamities
known in Pennsylvania A cyclone
swept over the northern portion of the
city, this afternoon, and laid waste
everything in it's road, with horrible
loss of life. The lives that have
been sacrificed and the number
that have been injured can only
be estimated at most. The computa-
ton at IL pm. is no less than sixty per-
sons killed outright and 100 injured.
How the horrible calamity occurred is
about as follows: 1t was raining hard
all morning, but toward noon it cleared
off almost entirely, and by O'Clock
there was every indication that there
would be an entire cessation of the rain
storm. Half an hour afterwards, the
bright sun made every effort TO pene-
trate the clouds. Tints of a rainbow
were seen in The eastern sky. There
was clear sky overhead. This en-
tinued for half an hour longer.
THEN THE SCENE CHANGED
with suddenness that was appalling.
The feecy clouds gave way and dark,
heavy banks of clouds marshalled
themselves towards noon, and soon q
gloom seemed to have settled over the
city; the wind whistled, roared and tore
in mad confusion; the storm clouds
grew heavier, and still louder roared
the wind. In the western sky
the storm was seen approaching.
The swath it cut was narrow,
but its effect was terrible. Persons
residing along the track of the storm
say the air was oppressive and il vas
almost as dark as night. Directly on
one side of the tracking of the Reading
Railway was situated the paint shops
of the company. 1t was a one story
building about 60x150 feet. and held
about thirty men employed in painting
passenger cars. There were eight or
nine of these cars in the building. They
had been built at the company's shop
at a cost of 5000 each.
TEE BUILDING WAS STRUCK
squarely in the middle. The bricks
were scattered about as if they we're
playthings; cars turned topsy turvy,
while the men were buried under the
debris. The chamber of each passenger
Car was already filled with gas. as they
were ready to be taken out on the road
in few days. They exploded one after
another, bang bang surrounding over
the city, causing people to run out of
their houses, thinking it was the sound
of an earthquake. There wasa consider
able quantity of gasoline in the building
and this added fuel to the flames. A
sheet of fame shot upward with roar
of musketry. Some twenty of the men
had a chance to crawl out of the debris,
but four of their companions were in
veloped in the embrace of the flames.
Their cries were heard for moment by
the terrific Workmen, and their voices
were hushed forever. They were quickly
ROASTED TO DEATH.
The fire from the nine passenger cars
was beautiful sight and could have
been enjoyed but for the awful calamity
which accompanied it. In the meantime
the fire Depart lent arrived, but its ser
vices were unavailing. The building
and cars were consumed in fifteen min
utes, and nothing was left but the
blackened, smoking rufus. under which
lay four human beings burned to q
crisp. Their names are John Roller,
Albert Landberger, Sheridan Jones and
George Schaffer 1t was rumOred that
several others had been killed,
but these are the only ones who
it is known have lost their
lives Aaron Dewalt, another en-
ployee in the paint shop had an arm
broken. and George Knapp was injured
internally, no doubt fatally. The loss
to the railroad company is fully SIS 900.
While this was all going on the storm
was travelling onward with fearful rap
idity. 1t must have travelled at the
! rate of 100 miles an hour. 1t struck 9
private house and unroofed some dozer
private residences. Huge sheets of tin
we're carried half block away and de-
posted in lump in the street.
THE FIRST SIGNS OF DANGER
were in funnel shaped maelstron
wind and debris which seemed to gathe.
up everything within its reach and cas-
it right and left. Out in the country
houses and barns were uuroofed, build
ings uptnrned, crops uprooted and de
struction everywhere. The track of tn
disturbed element was not more thai