The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-01-17
ard may reach eighty. Among those


ard may reach eighty. Among those
known to be dead are:
Henry Crocker. foreman OF the silk mill;
Laura Kershner, Eva Leeds. Lille Grow,
Kat Bowman, Kate Leas Ar,eliA Christ.
man, Sophie Winkleman, Ella long. Willie
Snyder, William Reteson, Kcbecca Pouse,
Kate RcdGnaucr, Rose Clcmmcr. John Reher.
eng neer. head cut OF as with . sword. Charles
Rcitbuier, Harry Crothers, Harry Jones, Sally
Hickel John Foreman. Jane Seitheiner.
These are all the dead who have been
taken out Clerk Auteuback said ut mid.
night tha: ho believed that fully eighty
bodies were In the ruins. His list OF en-
ployes is lost Eighty is the conservative
estimate Of those who lost their lives.
The wounded Ill number about 100
The silk mill was built about four years
ago. The builders were Reading capital
lists and the cost Of putting it up was S63,-
OO0 The mill was leased to Grim shaw
Brothers, Of Paterson. N. J. Tho ma
chinery cost f45,OO This 10 total loss.
Augustus +. Roscup was the foreman Of
the first and second floors Of the silk mill.
He tells the following story:
1T Was about $40 o'clock when went TO
the second story TO turn on the electric lights.
After had Done this stood looking about the
room for about ten minutes. Suddenly heard
. rushing noise. which thought was o cyclone.
Tho building then shook. / was standing In
the southern end Of tho room, and before
could look out OF the window !
felt tho building sink. Quick as
lightning the portion OF the room that was
In went down. The girls rushed about me
crying and screaming and calling for help.
They didn't realize what was taking place. IT
seemed to me AZ II the center Of the building
was struck first. can not describe the scene.
1t was awful ! could not do any thing
and could not think OF what should do. Our
end Of the building went d ,wn nrst and
while the door was sinking it seemed to me as
II the girls In the other part Of the room were
on top OF . hill. That was the way 1t impressed
me. While We were going down saw the other
portions OF the floor fall In 0 minute all was
over. The screaming OF the girls was heart
rending. was knocked down under heavy
timbers and held fast BY my foot. could
move every other part OF my body excepting
my legs. / reached down with my knife
and cut the shoe OF my foot. In this way
became loosened and managed to arise.
Amid the screams OF the girls and falling
beams and bricks succeeded In escaping. l
got out OF the ruins on the eastern SIDE Of
the bu ld!ng, but how / do not know called
to the girls as loudly as l could. They were
all terr bly, excited and | never witnessed any
thing 30 awful in all my life. Many OF them
heard me and worked themselves toward me.
At some places II seemed as il the floor was
closed a. o Eolid mass, and the girls
would creep around this, crawl over the ma.
chimes and creep on their hands ard knees un-
I'll they got to the opening where ] was. The
machines saved many from being crushed to
death, by leaving space between the floor
and debris through which TO crawl out. / be-
lieve that fully lO) people escaped with me. I
remember seeing them run across tho COM
mons In different directions to their homes,
terrified naturally.
Some ran Q short distance and then re-
turned to the ruins. The entire building was
down. The girls came back to look for their
brothers and sisters or friends. We could
hear the means and shriels OF those impris-
oned in the runs. The rain was pouring down,
and all around was dark. was badly bruised
and hurt about the body head and limbs. and
went home after saw could do nothing Be-
tween $50 and 300 operatives were in the build
ing. About o. clock allowed six cen girls to
60 home. Ali the floors were Ia operation.
The report that l0 went home at o'clock Is
not true"
LIVES LOST AT PITTSBURGH.
PITTsBURan, Pa, Jan. 10-A terrible
storm OF wind and hail, the worst known
for years. swept over the city shortly after
noon Wednesday, carry ng with it death
and destruction. Tho storm was formed
with q asuddcnncss that was overwhelming.
| and rs the wind. accompanied Icy hail and
torrents Of rain, swept along the
| streets, pedestrians were hurled before it
| and barely escaped being crushed under
| vehicles passing along the thoroughfares.
Suddenly, in the center Of the city, there
was terrible crash, and . few minutes
later the Central fire alarm sounded call
| from box fourteen, on tho corner Of Dia-
mond and W ood streets.
Hundreds of people with blanchcd faces
hurried to the scene, when it was found
that the cyclone had caught tho new
building on Diamond street owned by c.
J. w LEY, and hurled it to tho earth,
| covering up two scores OF mangled human
| bodies. The bu lding was in course Of cree
tiOn. 1t was forty by eighty feet in
dimensions and was seven stories high.
The front of the bu lding had not vet been
put in, and tho wind entered the high
shell from tho open end tho high walls oi
bricks and undried mortar parted. one
falling each way, partly wreck ng nearly
. dozen build .ngs Tho main force
Of tho crushing building was thrown
against Weldin e. Co.'s book store on
| Wood street and the barber shop Of Fred
Schumacher ut II Diamond street The
rear Of Weldin's store was crushed in and
the front Of the building was forced out
into Wool street. The barber-shop was
i COJplclcty ucIuollSucu. 1uc ltAUH6t
| store next to tho Wiley building
wrecked. The rear end of H. Watt Il Co. i
book store was crushed in, while some
OF the falling debris struck Joseph Rich.
baum's building, fronting on Fifth
avenue, breaking the windows and
injuring number OF employees. A por
tion Of the wall Of millinery store mex,
to Thomas was broken In and the window:
and doors In q number Of surrounding
buildings were broken. The building ol
Rea Bros 4 Co., stock brokers, on the cor
ncr OF Diamond and Wood streets, wa.
partly wrecked and the occupants barrel,
escaped.
Within Ave minutes after the collapse O.
the building the streets were flled with al
excited crowd Notwithstanding tic fac
| that the rain and hail was pouring dowr
in perfect deluge. With the arrival o.
the fremen the work Of rescue was begun
Ladders were run up te the second ane
third stories of the Wcldn building
The frst person taken out wa, ycung
woman employed as o type writer who
fortunately, had escaped serious injury
Crowds OF men were eager to take vi
the work of rescue. Every little while
fresh localities where men had beer
OF the disaster about twenty fiv,
men were at work on the building
and not one escaped injury. In the barbc
sl,op next door seven men wero impris
oIed, while . halfdozen more were buries
beneath the debris OF the Weldin build
ing. Chief Brown, Coroner Mcdowell
Building Inspectors Frank and Eich
ley and score Of physicians wer,
early at the scene. The hospitals wer,
notified and q short time later tho clan,
OF ambulance bells and patrol wagon.
were heard. Contractors Both ard Film
had twenty-five wagons and carts on tn,
scene inside OF an hour. and private ex
pressmen went with their wagons ane
their aid in helping to rescue the victims
Up to 10 o'cl, ck p. III. forty mangled ant
bruised bodies had been taken fr ON tn
ruins. Some were dead, others were dy
Ing, and many were fatally injured. One
or two Cd on the way to the hospital.
From the best information obtainable sew.
en- were killed outright CT died in IL shor
me and thirly-six others were injured
| 1t is believed that the list of dead will b
greatly Increased