The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-05-12
AWFUL CATASTROPHE.
A CYCLONE DENOLlSlIEs a HUGE
BUILDING.
ONE PERSON KILLED AND ONE
DdNGEROJSLl HURT
A NrNpFR OF PERSONS SERIOUSLY
MI HID.
The Richmond Chemical Works Mass
of Kuin The Hospital Physician
rad Much to Do-Dctaiis OF
the Accident.


Yesterday afternoon at 43O o'clock,
the hulk ola building more than square
long WAS blown down by the wind. re-
snilng In The death of one person, what
j. probably fatal injury TO another ana
the serious injury TO several others
ma sCENE.
The scene of the fearful accident was
the banks of the james river between
The Cedar Works and the Chesapeake
and Ohio NharVes. Oh the bluil Of the
river an th'. place there has been in pro-
cess of erection for some time the build
inc of the Richmond Chemical Works
Tie southern end of the build
inr was about completed and was
closed i'm on the sides. The
remainder and main portion was
toamore or less extent only partially
completed. This latter part, which Is
300 feet long by go wide was erected on
niers The base was brick. On top of
Inc brick was "a granite block on which
rested twelve thick timber pillars
THESE supported the floor above and
were very numerous.
This floor was from six 10 ten feet
abovethe ground. ard entirely unen-
closed. Above WAS The roof many feet
above this floor supported by timbers.
The flooring had not been laid, except 10
a limited extent so the space between
the ioice was mainly open
THE CYCLONE.
At 420 o'clock, and just as the men
employed in building the works had been
paid oil. sharp blow of wind came di-
Tectlv from the northeast, from the III
rection of the York River railroad valley
across the omen fields and shook the
building considerably The twenty-five
workmeu employed on the roof or M the
building leii and came out into
the field. that is, all but six.
Ten minutes later the second blow
came up In the track of the former
with rapid velocity The wind got under
the open building, and in ten seconds the
whole was complete wreck. About 100
feet al the northern end was laid fiat.
Every pillar, including the granite and
bricks. were mixed up in one conglome-
rated mass. Heavy timbcrs seemed TO
have been played with by this cyclone as
though they were straws The other 100
feet 80 far as the pillars and floor were
concerned, remained intact but the roof
and timbcrs supporting 10 went over TO
The ground on the river side. The build
ing al the south end. sixty feet long,
which was enclosed, did not fall and now
stands
HUMAN LIFE.
The wreck of long building was
complete. but there was added 10 il what
was far more appalling-the loss of au-
man life. As soon as the many workmen
scattered around the field recovered from
their CONSERVATION they went TO work TO
find out who was injured.
Three little boys had been fishing and
bathing in The james, and at the
time of the disaster. SO one story
gOes. were 40 the shore, and, see
Inc the storm coming. went up UNI
der the building for shelter. Another
account saws they were under the build
ing for the purpose of putting ON their
clothes. having Just come up out OF the
water At any rate they were there
They heard the cracking OF the timbers
and planks above them, and, most un-
fortunately. ron the wrong direction
Had they ran towards the Chesapeake
and ohio Railroad, which passes along
the eastern side of the works, they would
have faced The Winu hut escape falling
timbers. Or even had they sat still under
That portion % the building where they
were. they would have escaped injury
They ran towards the river, and as they
emerged from uador the floor the ROOT
came down ON top of them.
JAMES QUICLEy,
a boy eleven years Of age, was killed al
most instantly NhCn the timber was
removed from his body be was dead. The
death wound consisted Of a blow on the
head which crushed The skull In the
meanwhile The city ambulance had been
sent for. and two ambulance wagons
came. with Drs Davis and Oppenheimei
ia charge, together with DR. Irwin, who
was al the aimshOuse Oh visit. The
remains of the dead boy were placed in
one of the ambulancos and taken 10 the
home OF his father. Mr.. Michael Quigley
No G22 Louisiana street. The TINES
reporter saw and picked up The small
bunch of FISH which was lying on the
ground under the building where the
boys had been sitting when they ran
from under The floor
While The Workmcn were removing
the body Of The dead boy they heard
cries and soon found his brother.
PRANK DUDLEY.
lie was held down BIZ tlmbers, and
when taken out he was found TO have
severe wound on the top Of the head
and olherwi.e injured, the former, how
ever, being the dangerous wound. The
physicians thought at first that his skull
was fractured also. lie was taken home,
sad between and : o'clock the city
hospital physicians and Dr. John ii.
V.ncbman, who was called In, made a
sx.areful examination. Al this lime tbs
how was unconscious The skull was not
found 10 be fractured The wound was
sewed 40 a. was one under the chin. AT
= o'clock Dr. Iiinchman EXPRESSED the
belief that the boy would MOI live. DR..
no,is laid thai be feared blood vessels
ia the brain had been injured, and could
live no definite reason Tor hoping that