The evening world., 1890-01-09

lips Of Mrs. Purdy, TO an EVENING woRtp
reporter. after she had been carried. fear
fully mnngled, out of the ruins, this
morning:
when the wind grew 70 fierce we
gathered in the parlors, huddled together
and praying alternately silently and
aloud.
Suddenly we heard q sharp swapping
sound. CHANGING about we saw n huge
rent in the wall of the house nearest the
church wall.
"A moment later several pictures
dropped OF the wall. Another swapping
sound and, looking up, We saw a gaping
crack in the ceiling. More pictures fell
and the four walls seemed bending like
rubber.
I'VE jumped up and rushed wildly
about at haphasard, seeking a meant Of
escape; but before wo could collect our
sense or see where we were going the
gas went out, leaving us in total dark
ness.
II dropped on my knees then and
prayed for succor. A moment later and I
heard o loud report like the sound OF q
cannon, and remembered nothing more
until / recovered consciousness and
found myself pinned down un der q mass
of bricks and o big beam that held me
across the waist.
II thought I was dying. Way up
above me I could see glimpses of day.
light and heard the sounds Of picks and
shovels as the firemen and police worked
in search of us.
"Icried aloud to them to let them know
where I was. and then screamed for my
children. Carries voice, from a distant
part Of the ruins. answered me. crying {:
oh, mother, whore are you? What has
happened?'
II tried to move, but could not, because
Of the big stick of timber lying across me.
/ shouted back to Carrie that the house
must have fallen in, and soon afterwards
the firemen got me and then her out of
the ruins"
The noise of the wall as 1t fell was
heard for blocks about.
John r. Purdy, q neighbor, but not q
relative Of Mrs. Purdy. who lives at 1875
Hart street, was aroused out of O sound
slumber by the noise.
His back windows are within sight of
the church and the ruined dwelling.
He jumped out OF bed and rushed to
look out.
He saw q cloud resembling smoke
settling about the church. and he at first
thought 1t wa o FIRE.
Within Q few moments it had settled
through, and then he looked in vain for
q sight of the old-fashioned little house
that had stood near the church.
There was no trace Of It, but q mass Of
debris had taken Its place.
Hurriedly dressing he rushed out and
around to the scene.
On the way he met o man who shouted
my Godi It Ia terrible !! They are
all killedw
Shouting for help he turned in search
of a policeman. and meeting q milkman
he asked the latter to drive to the nearest
fire-house for the engine.
The milkman heartlessly refused. say
ing he was in q hurry to serve his route.
Then. still shouting for help. Mr.. Pnrdy
dashed through the street until he reached
ITS engine-house on DeKalb avenue and
gave them the alarm.
His cries. however. mad aroused others.
A policeman had turned in q FIRE and
ambulance call, and then called out the
reserves from the Ninth and Thirteenth
Precincts.
When Mr.. Purdy returned to the
scene q large force of fremen and police
men had already begun the search for
those buried in the ruins.
1t was then breaking day, and the wind
had abated.
The dwelling-house had been crushed
and fattened down something in the
shape Of a pancake.
The walls spreading out had smashed
the side wall OF b. Adler's house, twenty
Ave feet away, and bulged the wall in for
about six feet.
The Adler family deserted their resi-
dencs in a hurry.
The rumor Of the accident had spread
SO rapidly that before daylight had fairly
dawned several thousand people had
gathered. and gazed in blank horror at the
grussome spectacle.
Within the ruins cries and groans could
be heard.
The police. hremen and a force of Sc
Iected volunteers. with picks, shovels and
hands. worked like Troians, seeking to
get at the unfortunates within the buried
walls.
The first dead body found was that Of
May Emma Purdy.
She was found. crushed and bleeding
at about $40 A. NJ. under the armchair
in which she sought her last sleep in the
dark hours of terror this morning.
AT Q o'clock the body of David Purdy
was carried out. .
There was no sign of Disagreement