Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-04-04

and directly he crawled down the hole. 1t
took him three quarters of an hour to eX-
tricate me, and then we both craWled out.
If there had been help at once we might
have saved others, as | knew about where
they all were; but there was no one about
except some who had escaped, and they
were more or less hurt
GETTING OUT THE LIVING AND THE
DEAD.
| Around the ruins of the building were
soon gathered the fire department, police,
and citizens summoned by the ringing OF
the fire bells, which took place as soon as il
was known over the city that disaster had
occurred. AS soon as the roofing and mass
| of brick beneath had been removed, ten
women, locked in each others arms, We're
| taken from the debris. MI. James Hasson,
whose wife had attended the lodge meetln :
was foremost among the searchers, and tn
| first person he drew out of the ruins was
his wife, VINO died in his arms. He laid
ner by the side OF the other dead, and con-
tined his search for the living. Thirty
men and women were taken out dead in the
next hour, but no wounds were found on
| their bodies, and it is thought all met their
death from sulfocation. The gas-pipes ha
| broken. which caused the lights to go out
and which saved the ruin from fire for the
time but flooded the debris with vapor
almost as deadly as fire might have proved.
| Ways were pierced into the ruins and bod
les drawn out dead and dying. One part
of the building was reserved for the dead
but the wounded were taken into the stores
and houses on the opposite side of the
street, where physicians and priests admin
| iStered to bodies and souls.
THE LITTLE INNOCENTs.
| At about II 80 o'clock the room whera
| the children were dancing was reached.
Lewis Simms, Jr., of 1924 Market street,
had for hours been moving about in an ag-
| ony of grief in front Of that portion of the
wreck where this room had been, for his
wife and four little children were there.
when the room was reached Mrs. Simms
was the first one found, and she was fatal
| ly hurt. Then, within about fifteen min
utes OF each other, three of the Simms chill
dren were recovered. They were uncon-
scious, and there is only a faint possibilit
that they will live. While the father was
imploring the workers to get his other
child fire broke out and work was suspend
ed.
WAS TRYING TO SHOOT HIMSELF.
There was no system. A man 8
voice was heard in a corner, and a light
showed the SCARED face of Virgil Wright.
He was penned in with mass of bricks
and mortar. In his hand he held a pistol,
with which he was trying to end his sui
ferings, His arm was so badly bruised,
however, that he was unable to pull the
trigger, and he was rescued, quite badly
wounded, but able to walk.
FIRE BREAKS OUT IN THE RUINS.
At II O'Clock the opening up of portion
of the debris Of the Falls City Hall caused
a draught to penetrate the ruins, whereup-
On the smolderiug fire broke out with ire
mendous fierceness. 1t spread rapidly and
forced the workers to desert the pile. AS
soon as the fire gained Roadway the groans
OF the imprisoned people became shrieks
and so great was the horror of the moment
that the watchers were frantic and scream
ed and ran about like wild, the terrible suf-
ferlng which they were unable alleviate
uriving them despair. Several lines Of hose
were soon throwing water on the flames,
but it was more than an hour before the
work could be proceeded with and then it
was carried on with much more difficulty
than before On account Of the heat.
THE RECTOR OF ST. JOHN s EPISCOPAL
CHURCH AND HIS SON BURNED
TO DEATH.
st. John Episcopal church, at the corner
of Jefferson and Eleventh, was entirely
in the rectory. occupied by the Rev. S. e.
BarnWell and his family. All the Barn
wells at the time were sitting in the front
parlor, engaged in conversation. When the
crash came without moments notice the
father and his son Dudley were caught
under the falling house. Mrs. BarnWell
and her daughter, Miss Eva, who were
within five feet of their beloved ones es-
capped unhurt, and haven't as much as a
scratch to tell the awful story. The ladies
were rescued without much trouble, but
the house caught fire, and before it could
be put out OF before assistance arrived
both Rev. Mr.. BarnweU and Dudley Barnwell
ceased their piteouS moaning, and when
reached were found to be dead.
Mrs. BarnWell, wife of the rector of ST..
Johns Church, was robbed of everything
she had. All her jewelry was found to have
been taken from a bureau drawer, and a box
containing silverware was broken open and
its contents taken away. Even the body of
the dead minister was not sacred, and his
gold watch, which the widow cherishes
particularly, was taken from his pocket.
On Friday two ladies visited the demolished
house to secure Mrs. Barnwell's sewing
machine for her. They placed it on the
pavement, and, while absent within, the
machine was carried Off.
THE HOME Of THE SISTERS OF CHARITY
DESTROYED AND ONE SISTER KILLED.
The Catholic buildings at Seventeenth
and Broadway were the Sisters home, the
parochial school, Father Disney's resi-
dence, and the Sacred Heart church. They
buried in the ruins. Shortly after when
tnt-a nllf lyy ho