Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-03-29
POOR LOUISVILLE
Reports From There Grow
Worse and Worse.
The Dead and Wounded Are
PILED in Heaps.
The FiFe Piend ADDS Its Horrors to the
Fearful Disaster,
And Many Unioltunates Are Burned to
Death Among the Ruins.
Assistance Being Sent to the City
From Neishboring Points.
Asststsuce Being Sent to the City
From Neishboring Points.

| LoUfsYILLE Ky, Mar. 2s When the
| firemen and police, assisted by . large
nnmber of .taivart men. commenced the
| work of rescue At Falls City Hall. the walls
of the adjoining house were first propped,
| then began the work of eating through the
heavy slate roof that covered all At first
the work "a. dificult and laborious, on
account of the anxious multitude that
tbronged the wreck. After an hour Of
ceasiess labor, the first victim, Mrs. Sarah
Kelly was unear,hei. Her body was found
sitting in an upright position. her head
bruised and one arm broken When she
had revived sufficiently TO speak, she stated
that when the crash came, many women
were knocked down and trsmpled upon,
many, seeing the overwhelming jam at the
door remained behind, all were killed, the
work was continued, but no others found
Searching was chang ed from the rear of
the building to the front, where it was sup
posed a greater number had gathered. As
soon rs the rooiiHg was removed ten women
locked in each others arms were drawn out
OF the debris. Mr.. James Hasson was
foremost in the work, and he first person
be drew out of the ruined building was his
vile. who died ia his arms. He laid her
by the side of the others who were dead
snd continued 10 work for the living. In
size the next hour thirty men and women
were drawn out dead. No wounds were
found on the bodies and it is thought that
all met their death By suffocation. The
gas pipes had been broken which caused
the lights to 20 ut and flooded the debris
with a vapor almost AS deadly as fire N ght
have proven. The rescuers worked through
the ruins. Other bodies were drawn out
dead and ing. The wounded were taken
into stores and houses on the oppo ute side
of the street. where physicians and priests
administered to souls aud bodies.
Along the main street the pathway Of the
storm extended from Sixth to Eleventh
streets, and on Seventh to Eleventl
Not a Single Building Lett Standing.
Occasionally, a massive stone or iron
front still stood intact, the entire structure
proper being swept entirely away. In the
course of the storm lay the prided tobacco
market of the city, aud today the ware
houses almost TO the last one are in ruins.
The destruction of the Louisville and
Ninth street warehouses could not possibly
have been more complete. Thousands of
ads of tobacco lay in the mass of
brick and mortar.
The Louisville Hotel between Sixth and
Seventh streets was unroofed and otherwise
wrecked, and he building west of it occu-
pied as cigar store upon the first floor
and sleeping rooms upon the second and
third was rssed to the ground. In the des-
truction of this house many lives were lost,
principally persons who occupied sleeping
rooms, many of them young girls employed
at the hotel next door.
Saloons and other available places have
been turned iu to hastily improvised
morRues. where the bodies are taken a.
fast as recovered and left, awaiting identi-
fcation. Patrol wagons are being pressed
into the service as dead wagons" to con
vey the corpses to the required places.
Eleventh street seemed to serve asa kind
of fue tor the storm. as all interposing
OF jec,s in that line are practically reduced
TO nothingness. As it rushed down this
street it carried with il the fronts of build
ings. which were mostly residences, on
each side, leaving in many instances fur
niture and other contents unmolested
j. fferson ard Market streets are in almost
40 bal condition as Main. The massive
trees in the park on Jefferson street were
twisted and broken Ike reeds, and lie
crossed and piled up on each other.
At l2 the opening up of portion of the
debris at Falls CITY Hail caused a draught
t. peue1rate the ruins, whereupon the fire
broke out with tremendous fierceness and
spread so rapidly it forced the workers to
desert the pile. The groans of the i'm
prisoned people became shrieks, so great
was the horror of the moment, and the
watchers wero frantic because they were
unable TO reach them. Several lines of
hose were soon throwing water on the
flames, but IT was more than an hour before
work could be proceeded with, and it was
then carried on with difficulty on account
of the heat. Up 10 IL only about 35 dead
bodies and 25 wounded and dying had been
taken from the wreck. The corpses were
laid in various houses across the street
About II 80 the room where the children
were dancing was reached. When the room
of Louis Simms. Jr., was reached, Mrs.
Simms va. the first one found. She was
fatally hurt. Within 10 minutes three Of
) imms' children were recovered. They
were unconscious and there is only q faint
possibility that they will recover. While
the father was implorirg the workers TO ge,
his other child.