The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-06-10
TWENTY -FOUR PEOPLE ARE KILLED.

IL the government had removed the
Structure yeers ago.
Those in the multitude who could
think of something beside the catastrophe
alone, remarked upon the strange CO.
incidence that the building in which John
Wilkes Booth slew President Lincoln,
should fall and kill scores of people on
the very day that the body of the
assassin's brother was being laid to its
final rest.
Evidence found in official recor6s APP
pears conclusive that as long ago as 1885.
this building which the government pur-
chased after the assassination and used as
an army museum, was officially pro-
claimed by Congress as an unsafe depos-
tory for even the inanimate skeletons,
mummies and books OF the army medical
museum for which a safer place of storage
was procured by act of Congress.
But Notwithstanding the fact that in
the public press and in Congress also, con-
tinued attention was called to the bulg-
ing walls of the building, it's darkness
and general unsuitability and unsafety,
it was continued to be used for the
daily employment of nearly five
hundred government employees. The
buildings OF the printing office and VIM
der building annex of the war depart
ment, each containing many more en-
ployees than were Gagged in Ford's theatre
death trap, are in an equally dangerous
condition.
While the work OF rescue was going on,
men who had been strangers to emotion
wept like children, and turned away
their faces as the limp and lifeless bodies
of those who had been crushed beneath
the ruins were brought forth to the sun
shine they could see no more upon this
earth forever. Women were helped away
in a fainting condition, and in every
heart was sorrow and in every eye stood
the moisture of grief.
The cause of the collapse is supposed to
have been the digging under the founda-
ton for the purpose of putting in an
electric light plant; but, as near as can be
ascertained the top floor gave way first,
carrying the others down with it. For
tunately the entire building did not col
lapse, as in that case, the loss of life
would have been much greater. As it was,
only the front part went down, leaving
more than half of the floor space intact.
Because of this many lives were saved.
Some clerks sitting at their desks were
left sitting on the brink while the desks
at which. they sat went down.
Willing hands went to work as soon
as the first shock had passed, to rescue
the dead and dying and wounded
from the ruins. Police and SOL
diers were ordered to the scene
by General Scofeld and kept the crowds
back, SO that there was no interruption
to the work of rescue. The news of the
disaster few like wildfire through the city,
and soon anxious relatives were added to
those who were drawn to the scene by
sympathy or curiosity. In a short time
bodies were being brought out so fast
that they could not be attended to by the
doctors on the scene, and after considera-
BILE suffering for want of attention, extra
vehicles were brought and the wounded
were taken to the hospitals, which soon
were overcrowded and the sufferers were
| little better off than at the scene of the
disaster. till number of medical students
appeared on the scene and took charge of
those least seriously hurt.
When the crash came there were sup
posed to be in the building 1876 clerks,
eighteen messengers, twenty laborers;
534 in all, and all of them men. Scarcely
one escaped without more or less injury.
The injuries, from the very nature of the
affair, are very severe, consisting oil
crushed, broken limbs and internal in
juries. Thousands surrounded the scene
and the excitement spread all over the
city. Every hospital in the city has been
calico on to care for the wounded.
One of the first victims found was
George NJ. Arnold, colored clerk from
West Virginia, who jumped from third
story window and was dashed to death in
the alley where Wilkes Booth had his
horse tied on the night he assassinated
Lincoln.
MIR. S. Dana Lincoln, who occupied g
room in the Atlantic building, facing the
rear of the theatre building, gives this ac-
count of the scene. He was sitting at his
desk at the time OF the giving way of the
floors of the building. He heard a noise
as though OF the dumping of bricks in
the alley. he looked out OF his Office
window and saw clouds OF dust arising tc
the top of the building. Immediately at
every window dozens of heads protruded,
wildly calling for assistance. 1t seemed
ten or fifteen minutes before the hremen
appeared with ladders, which were i'm
mediately run up to the windows. In
reality the time was only few moments.
| nd 81 H.. l..
not escaped by jumping from the win.
dows.
| The last man taken out OF the building
alive was Captain Dowd, of Indiana. HI
was found near the southwest corner Of
the building covered to depth of two OF
three feet with brick and mortar
He had lain there for three hours, but g
falling beam had lodged near him in such
a position as to break the fall of brick
and timbers and when lifted up he raised
his hand showing that he was conscious
When ne was lifted into the Garfield,hos
pital ambulance the crowd saw he wa.
alive and cheered him again and again.
Ambulances were kept busy Carrying
away the dead and injured. The faces o
many of the victims were covered will
pieces of cloth, old coats, newspapers O
whatever else could be had. Some of tn,
mangled bodies were carried out will
their faces exposed to the gaze of tn,
great throng surrounding the building.
All during the long hours while work
men with all their strength were workin,
to rescue such as were not past help
mothers. sisters and daughters hoveret
around in front of the building, and will
streaming eyes inquired of all whom the,
met of some tldings of their dead. Som