The Wilmington daily Republican., 1891-12-05
UNDER THE WALLS.
Sudden Collapse of a Building a.
St, Paul. "..."
woRKMEN BURIED IN THE DEBRIS

OF These Five We're Taken Out
Dead, Two Have Since Died, and
Four Others Arc Said to BE Dying.
The Walls Weakened by a Recent
Fire.
ST. PAUL, Dec. 5.-The most horrible
accident that ever occurred in ST. Paul
took place yesterday afternoon, when the
center wall of the west section of the
Shepard building, recently occupied by
Farwoll, Ozmun & Kirk, fell in, burying
the workmen beneath the ruins. There
We're supposed to have been fifteen men
beneath the wall at the time it fell, and
he majority were killed or received in
juries which will probably prove fatal.
All the patrol wagons in the city were
1t once summoned and Chief Clark,
| with Chief Jackson and Assistant Mar
Tin, made an attempt to organize the
iabOrers who We're not under the wall
and get them to work removing the
lead and injured. The men wefe wild
with excitement, however, and it was n
long time before more than Ealf dozen
could be induced to work. The others
ran back and forth arodnd the building.
5houting to each othlr and uttering i'm
precautions against the contractor.
The group that went to work in less
than half an hour had taken out ten
men, 1--WE of whom were killed and five
injured, one so severely that the physi-
clans at the ground stated that he could
not live until they reached The hospital.
by this time larger gang had been put
10 work, and the work of removing the
debris went on rapidly.
| The contractor, Wilcox, was taken
out dead and horribly nangled. His
lhend appeared to be mashed to a pulp.
The wounded We're taken to the City
hospital in patrol wagons, aud the dead
with the exception of one man, were
laid out in the great Northern railroal
freight house. Hundreds of people, in
lcludins many of the workmen, viewed
tho remains. but no one was able to
Identify any of the men. Lauer, tho
(. foreman OF the gang, Gus about the
huilding, but was frantic with grief and
Il excitement, and could not tell the name,
If any of the man though he knew then
Ill. Neither could h. tell the exact
Iuunler of men under the wall at tht
time it fell,
The cause Of the accident, as near a
AN be learned, WIS that the wall, whicl
was much weakened by Il recent fire
became top heavy from the larg,
amount of debris removed from the bot
om, and fell over Of its own weight
For some time il has been considered
! angerous by people who frequsntcd tn,
llace, bnt the contractors who exam
. med it pronounced the wall safe, and tn,
uel continued to work without fear.
II WAS scene never TO be forgotten
As the dead and injured were taken out
.lue Of them crushed almost to pulp
me Of the men, supposed to have beer
g | sub-forelnan, was taken out in his ful
coat nothing but his feet and limbs Wis
tbc His head and body was crushe,
MT of shape. Thnre were men with al
:, .hctr limbs broken, faces crushed ont o
d Ill semblancR, others badly mangled
= mt evidently had been instantly killed
The list of the dead is; Edward vii
OK. contractor; Hans Hansen, a Swed
ahoref; Charles Kannski, IL Pole la
q 1orer; George ShapCnski, laborer; Chas
u larsen, laborer; john Adamski, labore1
j. nd Frank Mario.
Eight men were taken TO the hospital
=. wo of whom have since died, and fou
.. Ire said to be dying,