St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-16
THERE WAS NO WARNING.
Three TrOjans Lose Their Lives
Through a Landslide,

TROY, N. Y, March 15.-At 8
o'clock this morning landslide on the
west side of Warren's hill swept away
the two-story brick residence of Patrick
Garfield and demolished the one-story
frame dwelling of John ,Laurenson.
Iolr families resided in the Garfield
daughter, Mrs. johanna Hogan, both
widows, and Annie Burns, eleven years
old, were killed. Mrs. John Ahearn
and infant, Thomas Laurenson and Mrs.
Pat Garfield Jr.. were injured, but
not seriously. The fire department
was called out and the bodies of the
dead were taken from the ruins. A
mass of clay and earth fifty feet deep
slid down from the hillside. The prog
ress of the slide was stayed by new
brick house OH the opposite side of Hav-
erman'S avenue, and against which the
slide swept the ruins of Canfield's
house. There were sixteen persons in
the Garfield house. the first building
destroyed. In the Laurenson house
SEVEN PERSONS WE'RE SLEEPING.
That one of the inmates of the houses
escaped is most remarkable. But for
the solid foundations of new brick
house on the west side of the avenue,
to Hill street, and perhaps farther.
Tha survivors and their neighbors agree
that the crash came somewhere
between $3.50 and 8 O'clock. There
was no warning. Inmates of
dwellings in the path of the destroying
mass were quietly sleeping. Their SEN
satiOns, upon awakening as the build
Ing gave way and they were carried
down beneath the ruins, were terrible
in the extreme. Just how they escaped
death is mystery to them. When the
crash came they went down under fall
ing brick and lumber and. after being
imprisoned in the suffocating mass for
what seemed to them an age, they sue
ceeded in getting out into the air. Their
cries for help alarmed the nelghbOrs.
1t was dark and they looked in vain for
the house that had stood on the north
for the night. The house was
gone. Where it had stood was
great mountain of clay, from beneath
which and from an opening near
the front of the house on the
opposite side of the street came pitiful
cries for help. Those who had escaped
from the ruins shouted to others to keep
up courage and relief would soon come.
Little Annie Burns, eleven years old,
and granddaughter of Patrick
Garfield Sr.. was taken out dead. John
Ahearn extrieated himself and succeed
ed in getting out his wife and baby.
The body of Mrs. Noonan was taken out
about o'clock, and the body of her
daughter. Mrs. Hogan, was found an
hour or so later. The widest rumors
were current as to the number of per-
sons killed, but about 8 O'Clock this
morning, after interviewing the sur
viVors and neighbors, it was ascertained
that all who had been in Canfeld's
house at the time of the slide
had been accounted for. Three
were dead. and the survivors
included several persons more or
less injured. The Laurenson house
was occupied by John Laurenson and
wife. his three brothers, Thomas,
Charles and George Laurenson. and two
children. This house was completely
wrecked and nearly buried by mass Of
clay and the wreck of the Garfield
house. None of the seven inmates of
this house were killed, and only one
Thomas LaurenS0n-WaS badly injured.
He has severe cut on the head from
brick that fell upon him and awoke him
from his slumberS.