The state chronicle., 1893-06-10
and men were distributed about tho

| AAoSAACA OuCo Wall Iu6 WOrkmen
Shortly after the cavalry from For
Myer, Va, reached the spot, and as
sisted the other regulars in main
tanning order. The main dutv o
the soldiers was to guard the rebel
lion records stored in the build;n o
The clerks who escaped wer'
pressed into service, and went will
lngly to work removing bundles O
valuable documents. A great dea
OF the work Of the pension Office !;
dependent on these records am
their value to the Government ant
to individuals is inestimable. The,
cannot be replaced. Every few
minutes during the first two hour.
after the accident, the dead anf
wounded men were taken ont q
the debris. To the onlookers al
bruised and manned, their dust
covered bodies seemed berets Of
life. "
One man, whose face was covered
with blood, and who was seemin ol,
DEAD suddenly raised up in the am.
bulance il which ne was placeed
and swallowed q glass of whisky
This brought cheer from the
crowd and thereafter every rescue
was accompanied by applause. All
carts and workpen that could be
secured were pressed into service tc
clear away the debris. Workmen
shoveled the plaster, brick, docu-
ments and broken furniture, into
carts and each load was taken away
to the dumping ground near by.
ihere was much danger to the rescu-
ing gangs for the edges of the fallen
floors hung threateningly down.
ward over the heads Of the workers.
1t seemed that little progress could
De made IN clearing away the i'm
mense mass of fallen rubbish, but
the work nevertheless progressed
rapidly. An incident of the day
was the number of the clergy who.
on hearing of the disaster, flocked
to the scene, utterly regardless of
their own safety, entered the build
ing, the rear walls of which were
warningly bulging out, and minis
tered to the dying and injured.
Ministers OF all creeds were present.
Hairbreadth escapes, narrated by
the survivors, were numberless. One
OF the most thrillings scenes of the
whole affair was the sight of a
dozen men who were Left in a
corner OF the third story climbing
down the hose pipe to the ground.
The last man taken from the build
alive up to 1890, was Capt. Dowd
of Indiana. He was found near the
southwest corner of the building,
covered to depth of two or three
feet with brick and mortar. He
had lain there three hours, but q
falling beam had lodged near him
IN such position as TO break the
fell Of the brick and timber, and
when lifted up he raised his hand
showing that he was conscious.
When he was lifted into the Gar
field hospital ambulance the crowd
saw that he was alive and cheered
again and again.
Between 10 o'clock and noon am
balances were kept busy carrying
away the dead and injured. The
faces Of msny of the victims were
covered with pieces Of cloth, an old
coat, newspaper or whatever else
could be had; but some of the man
gled bodies were carried out with
their faces exposed to the gaze of
the great throng that surrounded
the building.
AS can well be understood there
were many appalling scenes. On
the front seat of one of the ambu-
lances rode away one of those who
had gone down in the crash. His
face, hands, hair and clothing were
completely covered with blood. He
did not seem to be seriously hurt,
but the spectacle was revolving in
the extreme. All during the long
hours while the workmen were
working with all their strength to
rescue such as were not past help,
the mothers, sisters and daughters
OF those that had gono down how
cred around the front of the build
ing, and with streaming eyes in
quired of all whom they met of
some tidings of their dear ones.
Some could hardly be restrained
from pushing their way into the
building. A look into the interior
tells a sickening tale of how some
were taken and others left. Desks
are seen half topping over the
brink of the floor, others stand up
right, but the chair which stood be-
side it and it's occupant went down
with the crash. Records and papers
are scattered everywhere, but az
fast as possible they are being gath
cred up and saved. Many of them
are spotted with blood, and all are
more or less obliterated.
The President was informed of
the sad event just as he reached the
entrance to the White House by one
of the clerks, and be at once inter-
ested himself in relief measures.
Learning with satisfaction what had
been done by Assistant Secretars of
War Grant, who had come over to
the White House before noon. Sur
geon General Sternberg went at
once to the scene of disaster upon
hearing the news, as did DR.. Aims