Huntsville gazette., 1889-01-12

Reading. Ia. Suffers The Greatest Calamity
the Number of Dead and Injured in the
Stricken Towns-Hea,t trending Accounts
of the Various Scenes.
READING. Pa. ian, 1.-THE loss Of
life b. tn | te disaster is now placed
at over ne hundred 1hore are many
actively engaged in remov ng the debris
and re cuing the victims.
During the day The mayor issued
proclamation appealing to the citizens
for all. The hospitals and under aking
estaLh Lhshmerts ar. flied with the lie
tins. The phvsic ans a,e al bus.;. and
many private houses have been opened
for the acconmo atioD OF the njured.
The story Of tile atoim is ria ing n all
ears. 1t appears that II hal pern a n
ing cry hard during he early part o
the day, tie wafer coming down III
sheets, but at haif-i asst three ev r. thing
pointed to a compete ce sd IL II OF he
stoIm.
In &. c. Wetberdll, who suffered the
loss of brok, arm by being struck
with flying brick, sail 10 day
that at four O'clock he con l,;ded
to so out. thinking the ra Il en-
tirely yer. Suddenly heavy, black
C on is be anne o;icea DE : the west, a
II mendous gale spraag up, d III less
tha five minutes the who.e orve of the
storm stru X the town. Out in the
country h uses and barns were unroo Ell.
arm houses aGd barns were overturne !.
and destruction spreaa in every cir
tio i The track OF this ,esiructive e
me was not more than two hi n re
feet vice an it is lucky that it ON
touched the suburbs OF the city. Ii
came rom the west. but passe a ong
the moro eln Forder OF Reading. First
it tous h4d The Mt. tenn oye works
ripping che roof o.: Then the storm
& on / sc, rried across some fields, tool-
OFF a pot on of the 700 of j. II. Stern
bergus aojing mill, and II lmber 0
dwellings were unrOO ell The orln
then hufrie across the proper of the
Reading railroad company a q crosse
the raIroai. At this tim it was a most
as dark As night.
Nearly alongside the track of the
Reading road was situated The paint
shops OF the Reading railroad com pany,
a story luilalng a out 90 by $50 feet.
where thirty men were employed in
painting pas enger cars. There were
eight o. nine of these in the building
The building was stuck square il the
miCdie AMI b icks scattered as If they
were playthings. Cars were turned top
sy turvy. while the men were buried un-
der the deGris.
There was considerable quantity of
gaso inc in the. building, and thi; added
fuel TO the flames The flames hot heav-
onward witl the roar of mu ,ketrr.
Some twenty of the men had a chance
to era 81 0 1t OF the debris, out 10 ir of
their companions were en- elopel in the
emf race Of the flame. They were
quickly roasted to d ath. and the fire
from the passenger cars lit up for miles
around. in the meantime, the fire de-
par ment was called OFT, but its servi, es
wee unavailing. TIE building and cars
were OnsumCd in fifteen M nu es. and
nothing left bat blackened. smoking
run. The loss to tie railroad company
is fully $15, 900.
v hile this was al going on The ST rm
was trave lg f rward with fearful ra-
pility. 1t truck and unroofed dozen
private residences. Huge sheet of ii
wor2 carried ha a spar a a. Then
the storm proceeded III its fury.
Dire tly i its ath al tn corr er OF
Tive fth and Marian streets. stood the
Rea il ilz mi |. Here abo 1t 215 girls
were wo king. Tie 81 of he Building
itse f was N ar,y 80 feet in leng, h and
alb, ut jC feet iii width. 1t was sIr-
mounted bv a ma sive lover. full y 10"
feet from the grou d. The funnel shaped
storm c'oId struck the bald ng dii ectly
in the center on its broadest side, VIII .ch
faced the west. 1T fell 10 li-tes as if
composed of so many building blocks
Near.y 300 hun an b .ngs went down in
the awful wreck. The wall gave way.
the floors fel> down, one On Top o tn
her, and carr led their great mass Of
hum a j eng to the bottom.
Girls with blackened faces. bruised
an broken mbs their clothin tattered
anil to n dragged themselves from tn
ruins. At some places the bricks were
piled twent fee, dec. and unde ath
these are pro abl9 |, ing human bodies
by the scJr. About 250 iris and young
women a sua ly employed in the mill
but at o'clock about eighty were re-
ieved fro duty Tor the day Tne re-
turned to heir homes be.ore the storm
came. The no reliable estimate laces
the umber in he building when it went
down in the ne ghborhood OF lis. and a
before stated. 100 of these were re 5cued
by friends or dragged themselves out
immedia ely after the accidy Mt
Tie alarm for relief was inmedia ely
sent out, and in short time thousands
OF citi. ems arri ed to help get out the
dead AMI d ing.
When the people arrived, everything
was eii elo, ed in darkness. Fire CON
,anies left the o rning pa Mt shop and
/ sis el IN the rescue Of he dead and
lying. The ntire po ice force was call
on ambul nee an i ell eff corps. and
ousand e p e were among the debris,
II. Gu bricks, pu ing away tim
Us, q asst ting wherever they could,
Il as he same time, but their work was
low com artd with tie demand for the
escGe oI tie victims of the isast
ne lodT, noticed it wss dragged out,
had it h ad cut Off o h rs were in va
rious post res: the living all suffering
from mo t ter ible wounds, and some
almost S, ared to death.
In one part of the basement five bodies