The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-10-02
THE QUEBEC CATASTROPHE.
Detailed Account of the. Accident SO far
as the Result was Known at Latest

Detailed Account of the. Accident SO far
as the Result was Known at Latest
Dates.
The following telegram from Quebec
to the San Francisco Bulletin, gives all
the details regarding the landslide that
were known at its date:
QUEBEC, Sept. 20.-A large mass of
rock, composing the headland known as
Cape Diamond, became suddenly de-
| tached last night and crashed down upon
| the buildings below, overwhelming
| everything in its track. The river front
| at the base of the rocky heights crowned
| by the Citadel, is crowded with dwellings,
and five of these were buried out of sight.
The disaster is likely to fall short of that
| which occurred at nearly the same spot
on May IL, 1S41, when eight buildings
were destroyed and thirty-two persons
| killed.
! In 1852 several others were killed by a
| similar avalanche. Warnings were dis
regarded by those residing below an
overhanging rock on the narrow street
that occupies all the space which remains
between the cliff and river.
| Two fearful days rain and food sue
ceeding dry month filled the crevices
of the soil below and beyond the south
| ern extremity of Dufferin Terrace, and at
| Z 20 in the evening the enormous mass
was detached from the cliff and hurled,
slowly at first but rapidly increasing in
momentum, over the retaining wall,
pushing half a dozen houses out of it's
way, and crushing most of them beneath
| its weight. A number of those who saw
| the slide were standing in the doors of
| their houses, and were too paralyzed to
move. Others ran to places of safety.
| The debris filed the narrow street to a
depth of thirty feet and cut off all COM
munication between the city north and
| south. A fire broke out Immediately in
| the ruins, but it was soon extinguished.
AT least thirty houses were destroyed.
| The bodies of those killed and recovered
up to midnight were Thomas Farrell and
two children, one child of James Brad
! ley and two children of Stephen Burke,
| Charles Pois, Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas AL
len, James Edwards, L. Edwards, AL
phonse Trudeau, III. Wright, Napoleon
Trudeau, and o. S. Neville.
1t is supposed that at least fifty per-
sons are yet under the ruins. Those
missing are: Henry Black, wife and
family, Mrs. Stephens, Mrs. Charles Al
len, Richard Kemp and family, Robert
Lawson and family, Mrs. Burke, Rich
ard Maybury. wife and family, Maggie
| Walsh.
The loss sustained by surviving vic
TINS is very great. Some workingmen
! lose even their summer earnings. Many
are left virtually penniless. William
Powers and his wife and child, were
hxyf 6o Of L4A
aided by detachment of the cavalry
school, effected number of rescues.
1t is known that at least twenty per-
| sons are under the debris. The rescuers
are impeded by falling rock from the
cliff. The labor of moving the victims
is immense. One family is buried twelve
| feet.
Up to noon those known to have been
injured numbered twenty-eight.
Mary Caldwell, Thomas Berrigan. a
! boy named Berrigan and Mrs. Black
were rescued this morning all badly
bruised The latter says her husband is
still in the ruins. He was killed at the
house door,
Thomas Berrigan was so disfigured
that friends hardly recognized him. He
was taken to the hospital muttering
prayers. Berrigan's sons leg was crush
ed to jelly. Mrs. Blacks bosom, neck
and face were badly bruised.
The scene this morning was terrible.
az large force is working at the ruins.
Thousands of visitors are at the scene.
The shipping Office ofthe Dominion Gov
eminent Building is turned into a
morgue. Over twenty bodies are there.
Several are unidentified.
The city council is holding a meeting
to devise measures of relief.
1t is feared large part of the rock ad.
joining the slide will fall. Large crew..
ces have appeared. Rain is still falling
and repetition of last. nights disaster
is threatened.