The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1893-06-10

IN front OF this leaving a space OF SIX or
seven feet In width uudisturbed on
either side. The entire back part OF the
building, containing more than half OF the |
floor, space remained intact.
There were many very narrow escapes |
from death a number Of clerks whose |
desks rested directly upon the line where |
the floors broke away, saved themselves,
while the desks at which they sat were
precipitat down the awful chasm
Others who were walking across the room
heard an ominous sound and stopped just
at the very threshold of death.
When tho crash came those who sur
vived heard a mighty scream of anguish
from their comrades as they sank out OF
sight, and then cropping in the darkness
they found their way to safety, trembling
Ia every joint with the pallor of the dead
in their faces
No women were employed in the build
ing, but in few minutes after the crash
came the wives mothers and daughters
Of the victims began to arrive. Within
very few moments hundred or more men
stripped for hot work jumped into the
building and began throwing out the
wrecbage in front aud under the floors
which remained standing on the rear.
At first the endeavors to rescue were
somewhat inefficient, but In little while
system prevailed and the work went ahead
with the utmost rapidity Weary rescuers
gave place every few minutes to fresh and
! willing successors who worked with ter
rife energy in their endeavor to save the
buried ones
Such a scene has Dever before been seen
in this region, and no catastrophe in the
| citys century of existence ever promised
so much Of all that is horrible as the one
/ which has stopped all business in this part
! of the city; and which now crowds every
| thoroughfare in the neighborhood Of the
! old theatre.
One of the most exciting accounts Of the
| disaster is given by Mr.. j. 7. Exnicois,
who was on the second floor and stood at
the very edge of the horrible crater that 30
| suddenly opened in the center of the build
! ing
He heard a noise, he said, as if some
thing heavy had fallen on the floor above.
He glanced up and was almost petritied
to see the entire floor coming down, slow
and wavering at first and then more swift
in its progress bearing TO death its load OF
| humanity.
The floor started from the front wall and
was aU an angle as it went down. When
| he first saw it the angle was not sharp
enough to disturb the desks, and the
startled occupants in some cases sat on
their chairs, not knowing what had hap
| pened.
As the floor came on in its awful prog
res he saw it bend and waver, aud then
it crashed down on the occupants on the
door beneath.
He called to the clerks about him to run
to the rear, and many were saved by their
! promptness
The last two hours of digging have dis
closed no further bodies in the ruins
There still remains central pile Of debris
under which there cannot possibly be any
| life. But there may be some bodies en-.
tombed therein. The efforts of the work
men are being at present confined to locali-
,ies where there is some hope of life.
The twenty workmen employed in exca-
vating in the cellar have not been ac
counted for, but it is supposed they es
capped and went directly to their homes