Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-03-18
CRUSHED TO DEATH
Over Thirty Bremen Plunged
 luto a Burning Building.
THIRTEEN TAKEN OUT DEAD.
A Number of Persons Injured So Severely
 that They Will Die.

| The Limbs of Men Seen writhiux While the Trunks to Which They Belonged l Were Buried from Sight-Carrying the
 Bodies from the Ruins-Noble Work l of Rescuers.
 | INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, March 19.-Last evening fire from the furnace in the basement of the large publishing estab- 1 ment of the Bowen-Merriu Company reached some paper, and in an instant the flames were carried by the elevator shaft to the fourth story. The building, fine stone and iron structure fronting on Washington street, was stored with books and stationery of all kinds. This large stock was consumed and the build ing wrecked
 At 5:3O o'clock this loss of more than $15O, GOO on building and stock was fol- lowed by the falling in of the roof, which carried down more than twenty persons, including those who were work ing on the various floors. The fire at this hour had been driven to a corner between the ceiling of the fourth story and the cornice. Parts of tho fire com panies were on the roof working their way down to the fire The roof seemed sound and the walls substantial. but suddenly the walls yielded
 man threw up his arms and sank l into the seething ruins below. Another man dropped and the whole rear roof, with 15 men on it, fell on the top floor , where the fire was raging. Four men were on the upper floor under the roof. These were crushed beneath the grind | ing timbers and all the men hurled through the falling floor beneath, which gave way beneath the weight of the mass. One of the firemen on the ton of the adjoining building ran to the front of the building and shouted to those below:
 "For Gods sake throw water into the upper windows. Twenty men are bur ! jed therer
 A Dreadful Scene, l Instantly ambulanoes were tele- phoned for, and presently the crowd be- low moaned under the portentious de- velopments. Tho scene on the heap of debris immediately after the collapse was pitiable and dreadful beyond all power of description. The limbs of men here and there were seen writhing, while the trunks to which they belonged were buried out of sight. A ladder lay across the three men and was weighted down by tons of brick and timber An other poor fellow, who was beyond all pain lay close beside his fellows, a shapeless and mangled mass. The lad | der lay across the stomach of one man, who was screaming with agony another man with a broken arm and a twisted body lay next to him.
 Ala fast as willing hands could hurl away the bricks the weight was re- moved, but the ladder was too firmly held to yield. The man with the broken arm was dragged free and carried away. Under him, mute but breathing, ap- ! peared the upturned face of a poor fel- i low not seen before. The mortar and dust were cleaned from his lips, but he was buried so deeply that no immediate help could come to him. On all sides i blackened and bleeding faces, distorted with agony of death urged the crowd who scaled the heap to assist them to redouble their efforts The debris had fallen so that it lay with valley shaped surface, and this made the avail space for work very small.
 1 piscoyerin9 New viatims. 1 There was no place to deposit the ma terials dug from the bottom of the val ley, except to throw them upon the sides of the depression from which they continually rolled down toward the center again. All the work of relief was thus carried on with great diff culty , One by one the men nearest the surface were extricated, but as the workers ! went down further they discovered new victims and the horror steady grew.
  stood high and burning fercely and threatened every moment to fall down and bury the buaye rescuers, but they gave no heed to the peril. On either side the walls lowered and seemed ready to fall, but there was no time to think of them. As fast as the men at work became exhausted, others stood ready l and anxious to fill their places, so there was not moment of delay in the labor of relief.
 Every mQvement was filled with awful suspense, for all were thinking of friends who lay buried beneath them Names which men inquired after were passed hurriedly from lip to lip, and people bent down to scan closely the blackened and scared faces. Persons who had friends among the fremen, or among citizens who were supposed to have been in or near the fatal walls, became frantic as the day passed and they could get no word.
 As the wounded were carried out of the ruins they were met with embraces snd tears of joy, but when the still, broken forms were borne away, motion less and limp, then it was when the full sadness and horror of the calamity came upon the waiting crowd,
 The Dead.
 So far as they have been identified the dead are as follows:
 Thomas Black, Andrew O. Cherry,
 superintendent of the fire alarm sys. tenn: Peter Dougherty, George Faulk. ner: Ulysses Glazier, George Glenn, William Hinesley, Albert Huffman, William Huffman, Richard Iowery
 Espey Stormer, George Stein, Henr J Woodruff
 Old Soldiers Will Relieve Her Distress.
 MEMPHIS, Tenn, March 1S.-It was
 discovered here last evening that 6 widow named Payne, living at Mo- 2O4