The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-06-13

were taken out of the debris. To the
on-lookers all the bruised, manned
and dust covered bodies seemed bereft
of life. One man whose face was COW
cred with blood and who was seemingly
dead suddenly raised up in the ambu-
lance in which he was placed and
swallowed glass of whiskey. This
brought cheer from the crowd and
thereafter every rescue was accompa-
MED by applause.
All the carts and workmen that
could be secured were pressed into SER
vice to clear away the debris. Work
men shovelled plaster, brick, docu-
ments and broken furniture into the
carts and each load was taken away to
the dumping ground near by. There
was much danger to the rescuiDg
gangs for the edges of the floors hung
threateningly downward over the heads
of the workers. 1t seemed that little
progress could be made in clearing
away the immense masses of fallen
rubbish, but the work nevertheless
progressed rapidly. In attendance were
number of clergy who, on hearing
of the disaster, focked to the scene
and utterly regardless of their own
safety, entered the building the rear
walls of which were warningly bulg-
ing out and administered to the dying
and injured. Ministers of all creeds
were present.
The hair breadth escapes narrated by
the survivors, were numberless. One
of the most thrilling scenes of the
whole affair was the sight Of dozen
men who were left in a corner of the
third story clambering down a hose
pipe to the ground. The last man
taken out of the building alive up to
1890 o'clock, was Captain Dowd, of
west corner of the building which is
covered to depth of 2 or 8 feet with
brick and mortar. He had lain there an
hour but the fall had lodged him in
such a position as to break the fall of
the brick and timbers and when lifted
up he raised his hand showing that he
was conscious. When he was taken
into the Garfield hospital and when
the crowd saw that he was alive it
cheered again and again.
Between 10 o'clock and noon the
ambulances were kept busy carrying
away the dead and injured. The faces
of many of the victims were covered
with pieces of cloth and old coats.
newspapers or whatever could be had
but some of the mangled~ bodies were
carried out with their faces exposed to
the gaze of the great throng that sur
rounded the building.
All during the long hours while the
workmen labored with all their
strength to rescue such az were not
past help, the mothers, sisters and
daughters of those who had gone down
lowered around the front of the build
ing and with strained eyes enquired 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 the
sickening tale of how some were taken
and others left. Desks are seen half
topping over the brink of the broken
floor; others stand up right but
the chairs which stood beside them
and their occupants went down with
the crash. The records and papers are
scattered everywhere but as fast as
possible they are being gathered up
and saved. Many of them are spat-
tered with blood and all are more or
less injured.
The president was informed of the
sad event just as he reached the en-
trance to the white house by one of the
clerks and he at once interested him
self in relief measures, learning with
satisfaction what had been done by
Assistant Secretary of War Grant, who
came over to the white house before
noon. Surgeon General Sternberg went
upon hearing the news, as did DR..
Ainsworth, who is chief of the records
and pension division. One company
Of troopers was placed under the di-
rection of Chief of Police Moore. A
second company was intended for
fatigue duty, which meant that they
were to assist in the work of rescuing
and in bringing out bodies.
General Grant received reports from.
time to time and from these he based
the hope and belief that the calamity
would prove to be less dreadful than
had been at first feared. He said the
rolls showed that the full force en-
ployed in the building would be 504.
A number of these were absent on leave
or because of sickness so that probably
not more than 450 persons were in the
building when the crash came. Then,
as only half of the floors fell, the num-
Der of persons who went down was
further reduced, and of those who ac-
tually fell many escaped with slight
injuries or without harm.
DR.. Shandon, of the personal staff of
the surgeon general, is in charge of all
government officers and every such
officer was promptly ordered to the
scene of the accident or to the various
hospitals. The ambulances of the Red
Cross society rendered conspicuous
service.
The rescuing parties worked inces-
sanity in the heat but there was one
part of the luins left to the last. A
few feet back of the front wall when
the day was far advanced there was
still large quantity of wreckage
which had not yet been exposed. 1t
was nearly in the center of the first
floor that fell and that fact
led to the belief that a number
of bodies would be found beneath it,
1t is out i'll an open space where no
falling timbers, arrested in it's fall
might shield the unfortunates from the