The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-04-03


held within H. The loss Of life at this plsce far
exec ds thai al any Other one locality. and Of
the grcat number known TO be under the debris
II is certain that none will be recovered nlive.
The ruins are now scarcely one-s,ory high, 30
thorough was the work OF the wind.
On the second floor Of this bui.d ng Miss App
was teaching dancing class Of young chill
dren and there we're present the mothers,
fathers nnd other attendants Of tho gay juve.
niles. In one Of the rooms on this floor the ex-
ecutlve body Of the Roman Knights wus In ses.
sion. or the seven members present ell es-
capped but one.
On the third floor Jewell Lodge No. ., knights
and Ladies' OF Honor was holding meeting.
This was ono of the largest lodges Of the order,
and there werc over 150 members present whom
the building fell. A nero handful Of these es.
capped.
On the same floor, Humboldt Lodge, No. i40,
l. o. o. F., had gathered, there being eighteen
members In the room. Bnt few OF these are
alive, and the few who escaped nre badly hurt.
A. j. Reed Past Grand Master, L o. o. H., Of
the State, was visitor at the Humboldt Lodge
meeting and was one to get out alive. He was
taken to the home of John Baes, on Twelfth
street, between Main and Market where he
was seen. '"rhe meeting was just adjourning
and I was entering the hallway" said he,
when the tornado struck the building ut the
southeast corner.
"There were several crashes and the structure
from the Knights OF Honor meeting began pour
Ing out OF their lodge room adjoining, shrieking
In terror. 1t was only for moment though, for
the building collapsed, and found myself on
top Of the great pile. was stunned and blind.
ed by the dust, but recovered myself and
crawled out. Tho agon glng shrcks Of others
were terrible. was finally taken away by
rescuing party"
or those in attendance u. the meeting OF Odd
Fellows It is not known that nny escaped.
Neither 10 10 known how many were present. II
Is the lack OF such information rs this that
makes II impossible to estimate the number Of
dead
Tho hat store of Louis Simms jr., adjoining
the hall on the east. was utterly demolished.
Smms was not injured, but his wife was badly
hurt, while two young children lived but few
moments after being recovered, and two others
we're taken out dead As the children
were carried down the ragged pile by
stalwart men, in the light from big
bonfires, cheer aftor cheer went up
from the crowd OF watchers. They were
found within half an hour of each other, but
meanwhile the agonized father ran wildly about
begging the workers to save his little darlings
When the third one was lifted out, the father
ran up the pile and, grasping the child's bare
feet cried piteously, 'Oh its little feet are
cold" and his anguish was heartrendng
The imms msnsity OF the calamity ut this place
made It stand out from the surrounding chaos
| soon o crowd OF volunteer workers on hand. and
| quite number OF living and dead were recov-
| cred ut once. Bonfrs were lighted. the
wreckage being used for this purpose, and made
| the scene as plain rs II II had been day. Dead
| and wounded were taken to the various places
aci oss the street, tho lower floors Of which were
untouched The Falls City hall was complete
wreck showing pile Of brick mortar and lath
| thirty feet high.
| Although there was no head to the force at
| work, tho men went ahead with energy and did
| heroic work. Smoke was issuing from the pile,
| and when an access into tho center was opened
up by the removal Of q lot OF brick, the ar
rushed in creating draught that famed the
smodering fire into the flames and in hve min
utes the whole top Of the debris was burning
hercely.
II drove the women away, and the shrieks Of
the imprisoned were so terrible that the people
| about were almost driven wild at their inability
to do anything Six lines Of hose were quickly
brought and the water subdued the flames in
fifteen minutes. The work was then contin.
ued, but under greater difacult!es owing to the
heat.
Next to the Falls City Hail. interest centers
around the st. Johns Episcopal Church and
rectory, West Jefferson street. opposite Baxter
Park. 1t was impossible at the limited time at
commsnd to follow up the path OF the tornado
further SOUTH In West Jefferson street 1t had
como tearing through the beautiful Park
|
and dashing full into the face Of the beautiful
church that lowered pro.ectngly above the REQ
tory. Both were In the trough OF the storm, and
both are dismantled wrecks. The rector, Rev.
S. e. Barnwell, had concluded the evening fam
lily service and all had retired to their sleeping
apartments. The following story is had from
one Of those rescued from the house:
"The rector and little son were in tho front
room on the second floor, and Mrs. Barnwell
and the two other children werc in the next
room back The wife was very much alarmed,
and exclaimed: LYDIA, we are oil going to be
killed Then the awful roar came. There was
crash, and down they all went In the debris.
MRS. Barnwel and the servant were clinging
to each other fer protection, and were unhurt,
except for few scratches and ,heir fright. The
youngest child was only few feet away from
them, also unhurt. They had no time to look
for the husband and father Flames wore al.
ready shooting up, and they supposed the father
! and other two children had also escaped, as
nothing wns to be seen Of them. In few min.
utes young Middleton Barnwell was seen max.
ingh his way down the pile OF debris, also un-
hurt.
by this time tho flames were raging, and the
fremen had all they could do to keep them from
spreading. They were not finally checked until
there was almost nothing left to feed upon
Meantime the fate Of the faithful rector was
more and more in doubt. and finally 1t duwned
upon the willing workers as o certainty that he
ana his boy were In the ruins. They had been
seen to start back for TIE four-year-Old son
Dudley, named after Bishop Dudley, and the
father, true to his instinct of fatherhood was
after several hours OF anxious searching found
charred almost beyond recognition beside the
young boy whose life he attempted SO inenect
, ually to save"
Another distressing accident took place a
, the corner OF Sixteenth and Magazine streets
| where most horrible cremation of the bodie:
, | Of three men occurred. The building is occu
pied as grocery, with bar in the rear The vic
/ tins were In the bar room. The following ac
count Of he awful affair is given by the proprie
a tor OF the place:
4 "At $40 o'clock we heard o terrible roar ant
, tearing sound. and then the house rocked bacl
and forth. Ben Schildt had just said that h,
, was going home, but he had scarcely said /
. when tho door was blown to and we wer
8 caught tried TO open it, but could not. M,
. wife and children screamed, but ran safely ou