The daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1889-1890, 1889-09-21
OUEBEC'S NIGHT OF WOE.
OF TONS OF ROCK
CAME CRASHING DOWN
Upon the Houses In the Streets BE
low, EmtOInbinH Several People
Beneath the Ruins-T'he Work of
Rescue Going Forward.

Upon the HOUSES III TIC StTestS HsS-
low, EntOmbinG Several People
Beneath the Ruins-T>he Work of
Rescue Going Forward.
QUEBEC, September 19.-To-night sew
eral thousand tons of rock slid from
Cape Diamond, at the end of Duffcrn
Terrace, to Champlin street, three
hundred feet below, dcmolishing i'll its
course seven dwellings
QUEBEC, September 2O-1.3O Il. m.-
The mass of rock detached from the
cliffs side eft vacant space of eXtraor-
dnar, dimensions under Dufttrin Terrace,
and that great promenade is now unsafe.
Ten corpscs and sixteen wounded have
now been taken out. 1t wilt several
days to recover all the bodies. The dam
age will exceed SlOO,OOO.
The houses in that locality were OF
stone and brick, and inhabited by ship
laborers, etc. Officers and men of the
! Ro, al School of Cavalry are coming to
| the rescue with ropes. picks and shovels.
About six hundred men are now at
work. Three more bodies have lust been
taken from the ruins The bodies are
covered with coagulatcd blood and dust,
and are 'sickening spectaclcs. The Re
dcmptorist Fathers are among the
rescuerS.
QuEBEc, September 2O.-Thc work of
rcscuing the victims is going on vigor-
ously. Members of the Black family
were buried almost twelve feet below the
surface Of the debris. On being asked if
hey were safe, Mrs. Black answered /;
My husband is skilled at the doors. The
rest arc safe, but we are suffering from
wounds and bruises on our limbs.
Shortly after Miss Mary Caldwell. Il
niece of Black, was eXtricated from Mrs.
Blacks house. Her limbs were So stiff
from inaction that The least touch on
them caused intense pain. The next per-
son taken out was Thos. Berrigan, whose
wife was taken out of the ruins dead.
He was so disfigured his friends could
hardly recognize him. He was removed
10 the Hotel Dieu hospital muttering Il
prayer Of thanks for his miraculous es-
cape. Next to follow was an eight year
old boy also named Berrigan. His left
leg was crushed to a jelly. Then came
Mrs. Black. Her bosom, neck and face
were badly swollen. The scene of the
terrible disaster was visited by thousands
who blocked up the street and made il Il
difficult task for any one to move in any
direction. There being but one narrow
street between the rock and the river,
there is Il complete stoppagc of traffic eX-
ccpt by climbing over the debris. \ large
force of men are engaged in the work of
searching the ruins. The shipping office
in the Dominion Government building
has been turned into temporary
mOrguc, and over twenty bodies are
living in it. 1t is difficult to indentiiy
some of the bodies, so much have they
been diShgurcd and crushed. Several OF
the persons reported missing have turned
up, but it is thought that there will be
ten or more victims to he ad,ird to the list.
complete list of the injured cannot be
made up as yet, as they were removed to
different hospitals and to friends houses
as soon as they were taken from the
ruins. The city council are now holding
special meeting to consider what the
best course of action will be to complete
the work of recovering the remaining
dead. 1t is feared large part of the
rock adjoining the site of the slide will
come down, as large crevices have ap-
peared, and the rain is still falling, and
may repeat the operations which caused
last nights disaster. People are moving
out of threatened houses. There has
been no lack of volunteers for the work
at the ruins, but there is a lack of intcli-
gent directions, as there is no person in
authority. Citizens are sending in money
to relieve any immediate distress among
homeless women and children.
The mass of earth and rock moved is,
roughly speaking, about GOO feet front
age, by eighty feet i'll depth. Some of
the masses of fallen rock must weigh
nearly twenty tons, and there are so many
huge blocks that it makes the work of
clearing it very difficult. The working
parties this afternoon are better organ
lied and equipped, and arc making more
hcadwav. The site of the present land
slide is almost identical with that of one
which occurred i'll 1871, when eight
buildings were crushed and thirty-two
persons were killed. The houses destroy
ed last night all stood on the other side
of the roadway, and were not thought
to be in danger; but the immense mass Of
rock swept clear across the roadway and
over brick buildings, demoishing them
as il they were made of card board.
Preparations are being made for the
funerals of the killed, Who will be buried
at the Joint expense OF the citizens and
the local government. Among those bur
| led by the rocks are a young couple
named Nolan who were married a few
weeks ago Nolan could have escaped,
but lie lost his life i'll trying to get his
wife out Of the house.
1t is thought that the Kings bastion
on the Citadel will have to he removed
as it is now near the edge of the rock
with unsafe crcvices in the front OF it.
| Asa precautionary measure, all com
muncation with the baStiOn has been
cut off, and the morning and evening
guns will no longer be fired from it.
| About 900 persons have visited the
scene of the disaster during the day.
Thousands crowded into the morguc
and seized every point inside and outside
of the building where glimpse could be
had of the bodies of the victims. Many
women who had obtained an entrance,
had to be removed in afainting condition
| the mangled bodies being a sight to try
the nerves of the strongest men. 1t has
been decided to use small charges of pow
der to break up the huge bouldcrs cover
ing the roadway, as it is certain that
there can be nothing living beneath them.
Not Vet Decided.
DEER PARK, Md, September 2O.-Thc
pension commissionership is still unset
settled, and President Harrison thinks
! Major Warner the best man for the place,
He is expected here tonight for another
conference, which the people about the
President say will lead to an acceptance,
as President Harrison has from the first
thought Warner could he induced to aC-
cept Gen. Lucius Fairchild is mentioned