The Portland daily press., 1893-06-10
Saved Himself by Jumping

saved Himself Dy jumping
from a window into the awning of to-
bacco store next door. SIS. Baker es-
capped with a bad scalp wound. He was
at desk on the third floor front. Half
stunned and dazed, he found himself in
the cellar pinned down by the debris,
and covered with plaster, furniture and
chairs. He extricated himself and
crawled out of one of the windows near
the front door. 1t was fully half an
even now he can hardly account for his
escape.
Cliff Lowe, the son of Judge Lowe,
who was supreme justice of Iowa for
many years, had a deep cut in the back
of his head, II was at work on the first
floor" said Mr.. Lowe, and the blood
streamed from his wound. Suddenly
heard terrible noise and began to
run. Twas caught, however, before I
reached the door, and pinned down for
moment, but, with the help of an iron
bar, | managed to extricate myself. 1t
was terrible, as the warning noise was
followed instantly by the crash.
Z. A. Henper was in terribly cut up
and bruised condition. He was conscious
and said he was at work on the second
floor, when there was a crash and he
found himself buried in mass of lime
and timbers. He managed to extricate
himself in a few moments.
There were some men in the building
who did not lose their heads. One Of
them. an old soldier, said: 81 was on
the upper floor, near the front. About
9.45 there was noise like the explosion
of a canon, and the floor began to sink.
Some who were near the front windows
facing Tenth street, opposite the house
where Abraham Lincoln died, rushed to
the windows to jump. Geo. Arnold,
the noted colored orator from Norfolk,
Va, was one of them. He struck his
head upon the curbstone and was in
stantly killed. Another man started to
jump from the window, when an old
soldier knocked him down to prevent
him from
Jumping to His Death.
Both were saved.
s'Ilwas able to secure the files upon
which I was working, and Ihave them
now in my pocket. If this accident had
occurred in the winter, and we had
been thrown upon the boiler and furnace
few would have escaped.
Captain Dowd, of Indiana, was found
near the southwest corner of the build
ing at 1890; covered bystwo or three feet
of brick and mortar. He had lain there
three hours, falling beam having lodged
near him in such a position as to break
the fall Of brick and timbers. In the in
terror, desks are seen half toppling over
the brink of the broken floors, others
stand upright, but the chairs which
stood beside them and the occupants
went down with a crash. Records and
papers are scattered everywhere, but as
fast as possible they are being gathered
up and saved. Many are spotted with
blood, and all are more or less obliterat-
ed.
The President was informed of the sad
event just asshe reached the entrance to
the White House. He at once interested
himself in relief measures. Gen. Grant
says the rolls showed the full force en-
ployed in the building numbered 514
persons. A number of these were alb
sent on leave or because of illness, so
that probably not more than 400 or 450
persons were in the building when the
crash came. As only half of the floors
fell, the number of persons who went
down was further reduced. OF those
who actually fell, many escaped with
slight injuries or without harm. Short
ly after midday, Major Moore, chief of
police, notified the surgeon in charge,
that all those taken from the ruins from
that time forward, would be sent to the
United States naval hospital where three
wards were prepared to receive the in
jured. DR.. Shannon, of the personal
staff OF the surgeon general, was put in
charge of all the government medical
officers, and every such officer promptly
ordered to the scene of the accident or
to the various hospitals. The
Rescuing Parties Worked necessarily
in the intense heat. Tho work of clear
ing away the debris continued until
three minutes past S, before another body
was found. It was in the cellar, in the
extrem front of the building, and was
evidently that of a clerk. 1t was removed
with all possible care, and sent to the
morgue to await Identification. Several
of the dead are almost unrecognizable,
and the names by which others were
identified do not appear on the official
list of persons employed in the building.
The list of dead contains % names, be-
sides one unknown. There is probably
a duplication, as only 21 bodies were
taken from the ruins.
ascertaind. There will be no loss of
consequence to the pension records on
account of the accident. None of the
valuable papers and records were kept in
this building, save those in use in cur
rent business of the department. The
records when completed, were filed away
in the war department. building proper
and the files removed to and from the
Tenth street building as needed. AS
there was no fire Col. Ainsworth thinks
that when the debris is cleared away all
the papers of value will be recovered.
There seems but little doubt that the
primary cause of the accident, as above
stated, was the excavating being done
under the front wall. A sub-cellar was
being dug to give more room. A gentle-
man who looked at the work yesterday
says under the brick wall running from
the back of the building to the
| middle of the lower floor which it
| supported, number of workmen were
excavating and preparing to support it
by underpinning. 1t seems evident to
| this gentleman that as they undermined