The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-01-11
A Search of the Silk-Mill Ruins Shows
that Thirty-0ne Persons We're Killed.
The List of Injured Is Very Lengthy. and 1t Is
Probable that the Number of Fatalities
Will Be Considerably Increased.
Belief that About One Dozen Bodies Are
Still Buried Under the Debris.
Sixteen Bodies Recovered from the Ruins of
the Pittsburg Buildings Destroyed by the
StOrm-Damage at Other Places.
THE READING WRECK.

THE READING WRECK.
More Than Thirty Bodies Recovered-The
Injured Number Over One Hundred.
READING. Pa, Jan. 10-There is mourn
ing and sorrow In many households in
Heading to-day. A pail of death hangs
over the city. Fathers and mothers, broth
ers and sisters, relatives and friends are
grief-stricllen over the wreck of last night.
Over one hundred spirits are hushed for
ever In death as a result of the wreck and
rum wrought in this city by the storm.
The cyclone left the entire city in dark
ness, which was only relieved by the
electric lights and huge bon-iires which
shed their lurid glare on the scene of death.
ALI night long brave and willing hands as
sisted In the work of rescue of the dead.
The disaster is fully as bad as reported in
these dispatches last night. The list of
fatal cases will fully reach one hundred,
and may be more. The hospitals and un-
dertaking establishments are filed with
victims. The physicians are all busy, and
many private houses have been opened for
the accommodation of the injured. When
peared they portrayed beautifully smil-
ing sun, and everything was directly in
contrast with the fury of last night. To-
day all is again bright and glorious in the
heavens, rs though mOcking the work OF
last mig t. The Polish Church disaster of
several months ago was one of the most
horrible accidents that has startled this
community, but the loss of life by that
fatal cave-in sinks into comparative in
significance when placed in parallel with the
awful visitation of last evening. Words of
sympathy and heartfelt tokens of con-
dolence will doubtless not be wanting, but
they will be meaningless expressions if un
accompanied with some substantial offer of
assistance to some of the families who have
been so suddenly and heavily stricken.
For the purpose of offering this needed aid,
Mayor Kenney, at 2 O'clock this morning,
issued the following proclamation:
hereby earnestly appeal to the profes sional,
business and other citizens, who may be able to
fayOrably respond, to meet at the courthouse
this afternoon at 1:30 o'clock to devise ways and
means to aid the injured and assist the families
of those who perished last night in the fall Of the
silk-mill and ct the Philadelphia Reading
paint-shop. The fearful cyclone that struck this
city at $50 last evening has brought sorrow and
cumstances to bc unable to meet the emer-
gency and the occasion calls loudly for imrledi-
ate action. Quick to respond to others in dis
tress, do not fail to do speedy justice to own
grief-stricken people.
The work of rescue was greatly retarded
from the singular manner in which the silk
mill collapsed. 1t did not blow over, but
was bodily crushed down. Falling N upon
itself liz one mass, not vestige of the walls
are remaining standing above the stone
foundation. The rafters and timbers of the
flooring projected in all directions. AS the
building was steam-heated the ruins did
not take fire. Otherwise, not one of the un-
fortunates could possibly have escaped
death in the most appalling form. The
only eyewitness to the disaster, so far as is
known, was Mrs. Gemmill, residing on Null
berry street. "At about twenty minutes of
o'clock" said she to reporter, II heard
an awful crash, and thinking it was the
new house which is being put up alongside
of us, / ran to the front door. A great
cloud of dust hung over the silk-mill, and
could hear the crashing of timbers and
the roar of falling alls. The next moment
i saw the mill great heap of ruins, from
the midst of which came such awful moan
luS duU anu tcIIluic CIico DIS l.
never want to hear again. Not soul did
/ see come out of the mill, and it seemed
many minutes to me before anybody came
to the spot. stood there in the door like
one struck dumb until my husband came
running from his work."
Teams of every description, Omnibuses,
funeral coaches, fire wagons, hospital vans
and private vehicles were pressed into
service and were running rapidly to and
from the scene of the disaster all night
| long, bearing bodies of the wounded, dying
and dead to their homes or to the different
| hospitals. From the statements of some of
| those who escaped from the building it APP
| pears to have gone down in an instant.
| There was loud crash of breaking timber,
| and the persons in the mill all rushed
| toward the main doors. good many of
| them succeeded in getting out, while four
| girls saved themselves by jumping from the
! second-story windows. The first rumbling
| of the building, the upper stories going first
| with their human load. Had 1T not been
| for the fact that but few of the employees
were on the third and fourth floors at the
| time, scarcely life would have been saved
| Mr.. George Grinshaw, one of the proprie-
tors of the MILL who was in the Office at the
time, and barely escaped with his life, hav-
| ing received several severe wounds on the
head, stated that there were, to the best of
his knowledge. about 275 persons princi-
| pally girls and boys, in the establishment
at the time of the occurrence. Up to s
o'clock this morning a large majority of the
| victims were still in the ruins
! The big tower and the smoke-stack at the
silk-mill and ten feet of the western wal
remain standing-all that is left of the
huge structure. Charles Schwank, aged
eighteen, was in the high tower when the
accident occurred. He said to a reporter
Il had gone mp for pulleys, and was looking
out of the window. when all of sudden
heard loud noise and was almost
paralyzed TO see the building falling.
don't know how / got down from the
! tower"
Following is a correct list of the killed al
the Philadelphia & Reading paint-shop
which was struck by the cyclone, and til,
men envelOped in flames by the explosion ot
the gas chambers in nine passenger cars:
ALLEN LANDENBERGE2, legs and arms
JOHN FOREMAN. crushed to death.
| JOHN u. KAHLER, carpenter, head crushed
| SHERiDAN JONES, burned TO death
GEORGE A. CHAEFER, legs burned off,
Injured-George Knabb, seriously; Aaron
| Oswald aTJl broken.
The remains of Sheridan Jones, crushed