Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-01-17

AScore or Wore Lives Lost by Failing
buildings,

AScOre or More Lives Lost by Falling
Esuiidings.
PITrsBuRa, Pa, Jan. "a terrible
storm Of wind and hail, the worst known
for years, swept over the city after noon
TO day, carrying with il denth and de.
struotiOn. The storm was formed with
euddenness that was overwhelming, and
90 the wind, accompanied by hull and
torrents OF rain, swept along tho streets,
pedestrians were hurled before il, and
barely escaped from being crushed under
vehicles Passing along the thoroughfares.
Spddeoly, i'll The centre OF the city,
there was q TERRIBLE crash, and few
minutes later the central fee alarm bell
sounded call from box Il On the corner
OF Diamond and Wood streets. Hun
dreds Of people, with blanched faces,
hurried to the Ecene, when it wRg found
that the cyclone had caught the new
building on Diamond street, owned by
@. i. Wiley, and hurled i! to the earth,
covering up two scores Of mangled
human bodies. The building was in
course Of erection. It was 3UxS0 feet in
dimensions and was eeyen stories high.
The front had not yet been put in and
the wind seemed to enter from the open
end. The nigh walls of bricks and un-
tried mortar were parted, one falling
each way, partly wrecking nearly dozen
surrounding buildings.
The main force ofthe crushing building
was thrown against Weldin u Co. g book.
store, on Wood street, and the barber
shop Of Fred Sohemaker, OF No. Al Dia-
mond street. The rear end Of Weldin'a
store was crushed in, and the front OF the
building was forced out into wood street.
The barber shop wss completely demol-
ished. Tho leather store, next to the Will
ley building, occupied by w. u. Thomans,
was also totally wrecked. The rear end of
II. Walt & Co.'s book stors was crushed
in, while some Of the falling structure
struck Joseph Eichbaum's building, front.
ing on Fifth avenue, breaking the win
dows and injusins number Of employees.
A portion Of the wall OF q millinery store
next to Thomsn's was oaved In, and the
Windows and doors in number Of sur
rounding buildings were broken. The
building of Rea Bros, & Co., stock bro.
ksrs onstho corner of Diamond and Wood
streets was partly wrecked and the ocou.
pants escaped.
Within Ave minutes after the COLLAPSE
of the building the streets were filled
with an excited crowd, Notwithstanding
the fact that the rain and hail were pour.
ing down IN perfect deluge. With the
arrival of the tiremen the work of resout
was begun. Ladders were run up 10 the
second and third stories Of the Weldir
\ building, and the hrst one taken out was
young lady employed as typewriter
who fortunately had escaped serious in
jury.
Crowds of willing hands eagerly took
up the work of rescue. and every little
while fresh localities where men had been
caught were found. At the time of the
disaster about 25 men wore at work on
the building, and not one escaped unin-
iured. In the barber shop next door
seven men were imprisoned, while half
dozen more were buried beneath the de-
bfis of the Weldin building. Chiei
Brown, Coroner Mcdowell, Bailding In
spectors Frank and Riehberg and acort
OF physicians were early at the scene
The hospitals were notified, and short
time later the clang Of ambulance bellt
and patrol. W, ,gon gongs were heard
Contractors Booth and Flynn had q
wagons and carts on the scene inside oi
an hour, and private express men lent
their wagons and their aid in helping tc
rescue the victims.
When poor unfortunate was found h:
was given temporary relief by the physl
clans and then carefully removed to ont
Of the hospitals. Meantime the crowd
continued to increase until finally 1t waI
found necessary to call out on additions
force OF police and have the streets
cleared for square each way. IhI
streets were roped in and no one was Pl
lowed about the ruins but th0ss assisting
In the resoue.
The work was continued all the after
noon and at 10 o'clock Tonight numbel
OF persons were known to be still under
meath the debris.
Up to that honr 40 uasngled and bruiset
bodies had been taken from the RUNS
Some were dead, others wore dying snS
many were fatally injured. One or tW'
died on the way to the hospitals.
From the batt information obtainabl'
eight were killed outright or died IN
short tims and 35 otherd wore iplGred.
1t is believed that the list OF the deai
will be greatly increased before mora
ing.
I
prTrspuna. ian. lD.--Tls search for vic
Tins In the ruins wrought by yesterday
, awful storm was prosecuted all night an
Will be vigorously continued until the de
bris Is all cleared away. This will pTopnhl
taSe several days, and the exact number g
. victims viii not DO known until the WORK
: The nangled remains OF two men wer
, found under q portion OF one OF the Wsil
4 : . et610aL- this morning e
J. horribly mutilated as to BIS unrecognl2aplf
! but Wpre finally identified as the bodies Q
Johp L, Rogerson and Thomas Jone:
l hricklsvers on the iil-iatfd Wiley bnlluin
and lived at Castle shannon, pa. Roger
son leaves vile and three children.
: Joseph Goerhing, the brave l6-yeefs,oi
: lad who was rescued last nieht ailer pe,n
!, kept alive for several honrs W Lneans "
: gum hose, through which WHISKY ana Dec
) tsa were led to him, died this morning,
The death list now foots up ii; Wounoec
!, 35; rnlssiug, 8. n,
? critical condition. and thetr death
ara momentarily expected. There az
all kinds OF rumors IN fessr
, to the number still IN the RUNS. W
! OF the men working on the builotn
; yestsrdav said he was certain they woul
And AZ least 10 more, but this is believed
a be too high an estimate.
None of tine men reported missing nav
been heard from, and It ls peileVeu tual
= least eight persons are stilled buried IN ~ ~
. debris. There Is no hope of any now IN th
. ruins being alive, so that i is sale TO ga
: that the death list will exceed a score.
y The morgue was hesleged with callers a
dey, and many heert-rending scenes wei
enacted as anxious visitors discovered |
a t6e bruised and distorted features OF u
! dead the welI-Known faces OF loved ones
: friends.
|. The bodies lay on cots covered by sneet
|, onlv the faces being Visible, and unless fc
the purpose of Identification not furth'
8 exposed.
!. PI11sBURa, Pa, Jan. H.T7-Forty'eigl