The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-01-10

building fronting on Fifth avenue. break
ing the windows and injuring a number
OF employees; portion of the wall of a
millinery store next to Thomas,s was
crushed in, and the windows and doors in
a number of surrounding buildings were
broken. The building of Rea Bros. & CO.,
Stockholders, on the corner of Diamond
and Wood streets, was partly wrecked, the
occupants barely escaping.
Within five minutes after the collapse of
the building the streets were filled with an
excited crowd, notwithstanding the fact
that the rain and hail were pouring down
in perfect deluge. With the arrival of
the firemen the work of rescue was begun.
Ladders were run up to the second and
third stories of the Weldon building.
The first person taken out vas
young lady employed as
typewriter, who, fortunately, had
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 twenty-five men
were at work on the building, and not one
escaped injury. In the barber-shop,, next
door, seven men were imprisoned, while
half-dOzen more were buried beneath the
debris of the Weldon building.
Chief Brown, Coroner Mcdowell, build
ing inspectors Frank and Eichler, and
score of physicians were early at the scene.
The hospitals were notified, and a shorG
time later the clang of ambulance bells and
patrol-wagOn gOngs was heard. Contractors
Booth and Finn had TWENTY-FIVE wagons
and carts on the Sceneinside OF an hour, ana
private expressmen lent their wagons and
aid in helping to rescue the victims. When
poor unfortunate was found he was given
temporary relief by the physicians and
then carefully removed to one of the hos
pitals
Meantime the crowd continued to in-
crease, until finally it was found necessary
to call out the police and have the streets
cleared for a square each way. Ihe streets
were roped in, and no one was allowed
about the ruins except those assisting IN
the rescue. The work was continued all the
afternoon, and at 10 o'clock tonight num-
ber OF persons were known to be
still underneath the debris. Up to
bodies had been taken from the ruins;
Some were dead, others were dying. and
many fatally injured. One or two died on
the way to the hospitals. From the best
information obtainable, eight were killed
five others were injured. 1t is believed that
the list of dead will be greatly increased
before morning. OF the eight killed, only
two have been identified so far. One was
little girl named sT who %,oySsr wSs Wak han
buried in the wreck. The little
girl was killed instantly, and her
brother, it is thought, fatally injured.
eighteen years old, was found in the cellar
of the barber-shOp. Five unknown men
and one boy are now at the mOrgue await.
ing Identification. DR.. j. l.. Reed, prom
inent physician of Allegheny, was in Wei
dOn'S at the time, and be is still missing. 1t
is feared that he is dead. The following is.
the list of the wounded rescued up to 10
o'clock:
Daniel Courtney, badly bruised and suf-
fering from conclusion of the brain; Eugene
IL LnAx
Tafters and seriously injured; Charles II.
Pettierd, bOOk-keeper for Weldon & Co.,
seriously injured; Weldon Mason, severely
cut about head, will recover; Alice Carte,
sixteen years old, injured slightly;
head injured and leg fractured, will recover;
Bernard OCOnnOr, brick-layer, seriously
bruised about head and body, not fatal;
Frank Bassett, head and breast crushed,
serious, but not believed to be fatal; Thorn
as Lemon, brick-layer, ribs broken. very
serious; Alfred Lambert, c0mpositor in Jor-
dams printing-Office, seriously hurt on head
and back, but not fatally; w. A. McCudy,
brick-layer, badly injured; James Watt,
hrick-layer, badly bruised about back and
legs, will recover; John Donnelly, brick
layer, blinded by sand and badly bruised,
will not die; Henry Faulkner, bad
ly, injured about head and hurt intern
ally, recovery doubtful; Thomas Mckee,
brick-layer, legs broken, will recover; Os-
car f. Smith, stenographer, injured slight
ly; Elmer MckeOwn, clerk, not serious;
Martin HallOran, engineer, badly bruised,
but not fatally hurt; George Mason, very
seriously injured about the head and body,
his life is despaired of; William Springer,
engineer, badly but not fatally injured;
William Barker, injured internally. death
mOmentariaIy expected; John Gohering,
lawyer, severely hurt about the head and
leg fractured. will recover; Morris Yint.
brick-layer, blown from the top of building
and taken from Weldon's cellar, injuries
not fatal; Owen DOnnelly, brick-layer, hurt
about the head and back, quite serious; Geo:
Thrishler, barber, severe scalp wounds and
concussion of the brain, serious; w. w. Nc
KeOwn, both legs broken, will recover;
Samuel Thrown, brick-layer, serious. Geo,
Scott, printer, severely hurt, but not fa-
not 1S eUfS a Mern pinter arm G
located and head cut; Gus Meesmer,
printer. shoulder blade and leg broken;
Rev. Father Canevin, badly bruised, but
not serious; BARLEY Colley, fireman, bruised
boy, very badly hurt, may die; Willie Nc
Clone, small boy, badly injured about head
and body, probably fatally hurt.
Rev. Father Canevin, who was helping to
rescue the victims, narrowly escaped being
an errand boy employed by Weldon & Co.,
was discovered among the debris. He was
heard to call for drink of water, and
father Canevln and Is. Devlin got q cup of
water. They were about to let it down to
young Gehring through small gum hose,
when a partition wall in the rear of We'll
don d Co.'s store fell, covering up Father
Canevin and three others. When Father
Caneyin heard the wall cracking he sup
posed he would be killed, and, pushing
Devlin aside, he threw his arms around q
pillar so as to prevent the air from being
cut off from young GGhring Fortunately
he was not much hurt. and when rescued
was able to go homo unassisted.
All kinds of theories have been advanced
for the collapse of the building. In some
instances the responsibility is placed on
the contractors, while in others the build
ing inspectors are blamed. Nothing def
mite can be known, however, until an in
vestigation is made, and in the meantime
it would only be just to suspend Judgment.
1t is hard to estimate the damage done at
this time. One of the buildings occupied
by Weldon & Co. belongs to David Gregg,
and the other Is owned by Mrs. r. Reed
Morrison. They were probably worth s., 600
each, and are total wrecks. The loss to
Weldon 81 Co.'s stock is probably S25, 900.
1t will be double that if it should raj n
David Gregg, is damaged to the extent of
$4,000. The building occupied by HI. Watt
& Co. is also owned by Gregg. The dam
age to it is $1,000; Watts stock is slightly
damaged. The next building, occupied by
the A. j. Gallinger Glass and China Com
pany, is owned by Joseph Herdman. 1t is
damaged to the extent of $4,000, and Mr..
| Gallinger's stock is damaged 1000. The
building in which Hendricks's music store
| is located, belonging to Mrs. Dickinson,
was slightly damaged in the rear,