Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1889-09-26
UNDER A LANDSLIDE.
TERRIBLE CATAsIROPHE IN THE
CITY OF QUEBEC.

Scores Of People Crushed in Their Homes
by Tons of Rock from an Overhangng
CHT-Recent Heavy Rains the Cause of
| the eDisaster-Scenes OF Woe.
A Quebec dispatch says: Thursday
evening people living in the neigh
borhood of tho Citadel were startled
ON hearing low. rumbling sound, accom-
panied by a perceptible quiver of the
earth. Houses were shaken, dishes ratified,
and even in some cases people had difficult
| ty in maintaining their footing. Every
one rushed into tho street and it was
learned that large portion of Cape Dia-
mond, just below the Citidel, had become
detached, and, sliding down the declivity
to Champlain street. had buried several
residences and their inmates under from
| fifteen to twenty five feet of rock, dirt and
| wreckage.
| At the foot of the cliff is a narrow
street, which occupies all the space be-
tween the cape and the river, and this
was filed with the debris which had
crushed out the lives of at least twenty
| five people, The exact number is not
| yet known, as the enormous mass of earth
and stone has shown but little diminution,
Notwithstanding that large force of men
was at work clearing it away in less than
took place. 1t is believed, however, that
not less than % have perished. About
half score of bodies have already been
taken out OF the ruins, and a number of
people terribly crushed, but still alive,
have also been rescued.
Champlain street. on which the terrible
visitation fell, presents a scene Of unmiti-
gated sorrow and desolation. The heads
OF families are rushing about frantically
seeking their offspring, while children are
quite distracted searching for their par
entS ..Tbes->NvtirSus-f sohrU0ef - Tom iUs Pfaco
demolished about eight houses, occupied
by twenty or thirty families. The cause
Of the disaster is said to be the recent
heavy rains The amount o. fallen rock is
immense, and completely blocks the road.
The story given by survivor is that he
was standing in his door when the land
slide occurred and that as soon as he saw
| the huge powders and masses of rock
bounding down the steep incline he rushed
up the street only in time to escape being
crushed to death. The houses struck were
all three or four stories high, and gave
way before the avalanche like past eboard.
Some of them caught fire. This added to
the terror and general confusion, and for
awhile it appeared that those who had es-
ca ped death by the weight of stone and
timbers would be cremated. The timely
arrival of the fire brigade soon dispelled
this fear, and the way was clear for the
| eager by-standers to begin their work or
rescuing those imbedded In the ruins.
Those who witnessed the fall of the rock
say they heard long, loud noise, as of
the sight Of large mass of stones, rock,
and earth breaking loose and rushing
down the 800 feet of declivtty upon the
| doomed houses below. Immediately the
air was filed with dust, so that no one
could see ten feet in front of him and
breathing was made difficult This was
followed by the sound of timbers crushing
and yielding to the immense power OF the
avalanche, and the shouting and scream
ing of men, women, and children in all
the agony of despair.
The avalan che was caused by the hot
weather of the past few weeks cracking
the earth and rock, which were loosened
and driven down by the heavy rain OF the
last few days The men of the water po-
lice. whose station is near the scene of the
accident set to work at once to rescue the
imprisoned persons, while the general
alarm was sounded, which called out the
fire brigade and police. The flames were
soon extinguished, and the men from the
battery began the work of extricating the
unfortunates from the ruins, assisted by
many of the citizens.
A detachment of Battery d Canadian
Artillery, under Major Wilson, soon
destruction The water police and the men
of the civic police force also worked
bravely, every one present working MS
life for his fellow creature in distress. Ihe
soldiers especially distinguished themselve:
by their braveay.
After the first few bodies had been OK
tracted the work proceeded more rapidly
till at last an almost continuous string oi
dead. diving and wounded kept pouring
, into the marine department., where almost
, all the doctors of the city were assembled
The spacious rooms of this building were
; soon filled with crowd of sorrowing rela
tives. It Is estimated that between twent,
,, and thirty persons are dead and ovel
,, twenty wounded. Two men of the fir
brigade were also injured, but not serious
| ly. Some families have not yet been re
covered. and it is feared that their mem
> bers have breathed their last. The recov
cred dead are: Thomas Farrell. two Far
rell children. two Burke children, an un
: known child, Mrs. Berrigan, five unidenti
fed bodies.
8 BESIDES these It is believed almost to
u certainty that Richard Maybury, laborer
a and wife; Henry Black, grocer and pre-
}, prietor of a large foundry, and his who'll
? family; Maggie and Ellen Walsh, mrs
= Stevens, Mrs. Allan, Mrs. Henry, Richar
n Kemp and family, and the Lawson famil
o can never be reached alive. The rela
il tiyes, neighbors and workers are afraid :
n guess at the actual number of the dead
! Among the injured so far recovered are
!. Thomas Graves, leg broken; Stephe
- Burke, injured internally; w. Power, badl
n crushed; Mrs. O'Neal, lady hurt; n
Fitzgerald, leg broken and badly hu
=; other wise; M. Reddy, injured internali!
u Nellie Deehy, leg broken. :,
~ It will take hours to get down 10 u
~ Black family and others, who are believe
10 TO Re beyond all assistance.
1s The occupants OF the destroyed nous
Ks were tho following, with their familie
e. Charles Allan, Thomas Berrigan, Tim Be
n. rigan. Blacks grocery Henry Black, MI
w Bracken, james Bradley, Steph
40 Burke. Michael Dehey, Thomas Fare
N. Patrick Fitzgerald, Henry Lawson, no
ert / awson, hi hard Leahy, Frank Ca
of SON. James Hayden, Joseph Kemp, Lu
Kirwin, Henry Mullins, Richard May bur
n. Widow John O'Dowd, John O'Neil, w
liam Stephen, Thomas Power, John he
and John Henry.