The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-01-11
WEDNESDAYS BLOW.
Further Particulars from the
Stricken District.
TWOHURDRED PEOPLEKILLE
Horrible Details From Reading and
Pittsburg-A Niagara Suspension
Bridge Blown AwaY-Etc.

READING, Penn. January 10.-There
is mourning and sorrow IN many house
holds in Reading to-day. The pail of
death hangs on the city. Fathers,
mothers, brothers, sisters, relatives and
friends are grief-stricken over the work
of last night. Over 100 spirits are
housed forever in death as the result of
the wreck and ruin wrought in this
city by the storm. The cyclone left the
entire city in darkness, relieved subse-
quently by electric lights and huge bon.
fires which shed a lur1d glare on the
scene of death. All night long brave
and willing hands assisted in the work
of rescue. The disaster is fully as bad
as reported last night. The list of fatal
cases will reach quite 100, maybe more.
Hospitals and undertakers' establish
ments are
FILLED WITH VICTIMS.
Physicians are all busy, and many
private houses have been opened tor
the accommodation of the injured.
This morning everything is directly in
contrast with the fury of last night.
All is again bright and glorious in the
heavens, as though the frightful work
of last night had not occurred. The
Polish church disaster of several
months ago was one of the most hor-
rible accidents that has startled this
community; but the loss of life by that
fatal cave.lnlsinks into comparative in
significance when placed on parallel
with the awful visitation of last eve
ming.
Mayor Kennick at . o'clock this
morning issued the
FOLLOWING PROCLAMATION:
al hereby bestly appeal to profess
siouel, business and other citizens, who
may be able to fav orably respond, to
meet at the court house this afternoon
at 100 O'Clock to devise ways and
means to aid the injured and assist the
families of those who persisted last
night in the fall | { the silk mill and at
the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad
paint shops. The fearful cyclone that
struck this city at,5.30 last evening has
brought sorrow and want to many of
our people, who are in such circum-
stances as to be unable to meet the
emergency, and the occasion calls loudly
for Immediate action. Quick to re-
spond TO others IN distres, do not fail to
do speedy justice to our own grief
stricken people.
TIE WORK OF RESCUE
is greatly retarded from the singular
manner in which the silk mill collapsed.
It did not fall, but was bodily crushed
down, turning in upon itself in one
mass. Not a Veshge Of the walls re-
mains standing above the stone fourda-
ton. The rafters and timbers of the
flooring project in all directions. AS
the building was steam heated, the
rufus did not take fire, otherwise not
one of the unfortunates could pos :ibly
have escaped death in the most appaIl-
ing form.
THE ONLY EYEWITNESS
to the disaster, as far as known, was
Mrs. Gemmill, residing near the mill
"About $40 O'clock" said she to an
Associated Press reporter, II heard an
awful crash. Thinking it was new
house being put up alongside of US, [
ran to the front door. A great cloud of
dust hung over the silk mill, and l
could hear the crashing of timbers and
the roar of falling walls. The next mo-
ment saw the mill a great heap of
ruins, from the midst of which came
such awful moaning and grooming and
terrible cries as | never want to hear
again, and not a soul did l see co me
out of the mill, and it seemed many
minutes to me before anybody came to
the spot"
GENERAL ASSISTANCE.
Teams of every description, omni-
buses, funeral coaches, fire wagons,
hospital vans, and private vehicles
were pressed into service, and were rum
ming rapidly to and from the scene of
disaster all night, bearing the bodies of
the wounded, dying and dead to their
homes Or the hospitals. From the
statement of some of those who escaped
from the building, it appears to have
gone in an instant. There was loud
crash of breaking timber and the per-
sons in the mill all rushed toward the
main doors. A good many succeeded IN
GETTING OUT.
Four girls saved themselves by jumping
fromtte eeond.story window The first
rumbIing noise was followed instantly
by the falling of the building, the upper
stories going first with its human load.
Had it not been for the fact that but
few of the hands were on the third and
fourth floors at the time, scarcely
life would have been saved.
George Grimshaw, one of the propri-
etors of the mill, who barely escaped
with his life, having received several
severe wounds. stated that there were
about 275 persons, principally girls and
boys, in The establishment at the time
of the occurrence, and up to o'clock
this morning a large majority of the
victims are still in the ruins.
AN APPALLING LIST.
The big tower and smoke stack at the
silk mill and ten feet OF the western
wall remain standing.
Following is a correct list of the
killed and injured at the Philadel