Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-01-10
WIND.
A Terrible Disaster at Pitts
burg,
CAUSED BY THE WIND STORM.
A Large Building Blown Down, Crushing
Other Structures in the Fall.
EIGHT PEOPLE INSTANTLY KILLED
And Thirty or More Seriously Injured
Many People MiSsing---The Death List
Nay Reach Fifteen or Twenty
Horrible Scenes.

Many People MisSing---The Death List
Nay Reach Fifteen or Twenty
Horrible Scenes.
PITrsBURG, January 9.-TheTe wss an
awful catastrophe at 1890 this afternoon.
The high wind that struck the city at
that hour completely demolished the large
brick building in process of construction in
Diamond alley, Immediately in the rear of
Weldin & Co. g store. The buildiug was
as far up as the seventh story. The build
ing is complete wreck, and as it went
down it crushed in its fall the barber shop
Immediately next it.
The force of the crushing building was
thrown against Weldin * Co.'s store and
pusbei out the front into Wood street.
The whole stresl in font of J. r Wei
din & Co.'s is full of debris At least five
men are killed and ten or fifteen Injured
There were at least twenty men work
ing on the new building. TheIears Ofall the
stores on Wood street as far up as the hat
store OF PaulsOn Bros. were wrecked.
Six or seven men were in the barber
shop
There were at least fifteen printers in
the rear Of Weldin & Co.'S, on the second
floor, aud mauy Of them were badly in
jured As fast as the in iured could be dug
out they were carried on stretchers and
taken 10 the various hospitals.
One man on the top OF the new building
fell into the basement. HIS skull was
fractured and both legs broken.
At the time the whirlWind struck the
building most of the men were oD the iirst
floor, il being dinner hour, and we're sitting
around the fire eating their lunches
The whole rear Of J. A. Gsllinger's
store was crushed in. As soon as the fire.
men arrived Chief Evans took charge, and
had a rope thrown across the dangerous
locality. Work was then bsgun to dig out
the unf)rtunates
The work of extricating the men from
the crushed barber shop was extremely
dangerous, az the wall Of the Iear Of
Weldin's building was tOttering and
seemed ready to fall.
Ever few seconds
PITIFUL CRIES
would come from under The mass Of wood
and b. x and encouraging shouts would
90 up frcm the crowd.
While the work of digging out the VIC
Tins in the barber shop was going on other
men were hard at work digging in the
debris SSf the new building. As tie dig
ping went on man after man was found, some
entirely dead and others maDgled and
crushed beyond all recognition.
All a. once it wss asCertained that o
number of printers had been buried by the
wreck Of the rear OF Weldin's store. A
rush was made for their assistance, and il
was noble sight TO see the work done by
the willing hands in the midst Of tOtteriDg
walls and imminent danger, The sights
were heart rendirg and moved many to
tears in the midst of their work OF rescue.
Weldin Brothers were the owners Of the
building and it was almost completed,
only one more story remaining to be add
ed There is nothing left standing of tho
building but the rear wall and part OF the
side toward Market street. Toward Wood
street there is nothing left bat mass of
broken brick and shattered timbers. The
entire front is wing in Diamond street and
the whole scene presents ore Of the most
complete wrecks ever seen.
The barber shop of Fred Schumaker,
at No. II Diamond street, was completely
wrecked 1t wss here that the work of
rescue commented, and every moment or
two fresh localities where persons had been
caught were found. All over the wrecked
section c,Owds Of
EAGER, WILLING HANDS
were at work, sll classes and conditions
the gentleman in brOadcloth and silk hat
worked side by side with the laborer and
mechanic All distinctions of class were
lost sight of, and hsnds that had done no
manual work for years eagerly seized the
broken timbers and bricks ard carried them
away, and when a victim was found he
was carefully carried to place where his
injuries could be attended 10. Physicians
were soon on the ground, and such tempo
rary relief ss could be gwen was admins
tered to the suffering. As fact AS possible
they were put into ambulancfs and patrol
wagons and taken to the hospitals, while
several were taken to the hospital ward AZ
the Central police station.
Within five minutes after the alarm
struck from box IA, the streets in the vi
cinity Of the wreck were filed with an
excited wild-eyed,
STRUGGLING MASS OF PEOPLE.
As soon as the fremen arrived at the
scene they commenced active operations
in getting the people out of Weldin's
building. In the back part Of the store,
buried in the ruins, WAS Weldin Mason, a
son of Lee Mason, the proprietor of the
store. AT first il was thought he was
killed, but after some Of the debris
had been removed he was heard
to cry: "For Gods cake, get me
some air." A hole was opened mp,
and enough air w.s let through to relieve
him. Later on he said he would be able to
get out if the rest Of the building did not
fall on him.
Elmer MCGOWAN, another employe, was
under the other portion Of the store His
means could be heard for some time and
ut last the firemen got near enough to give
him some air. He said he was gradually
being crushed to death, but later on he
was relieved and said he could stand it for
little while.
A bricklayer, whose name could not be
ascertained, was pulled out of the wreck
in the back part of Weldin's store. He
was go badly injured that he will die. He
could not understand anything that was
said to him.
Charles PetticoFd, the assistant book
keeper at the store, was Just going into
the back Office to talk to Weldin Mason
when the catastrophe occurred. He es-
csped with several bruises. However, the
fright was so great that he tainted, and
was taken to Pratt's book store, on the op-
posite side Of the street, vheTe physi-
clan attended him.
Maggie MCGOWAN, a printer employed on
the East End Bulletin, was 20 overcome
by fright that she fsinted, and had to be
taken ont of the second story window by
Editor Mueller.
Owen DOnnelly, bricklayer, was help
ed from under q pile of bricks back Of
Wsldin's store, bs some SPECTATOR.
The scene at Weldin's store after the
wreck wss somtthing that
BEGGARs DESCRIPTION.
Firemen were at work digging under the
~c;ns and the rnoapa of the victims who