The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1893-06-10

employees than were Gagged in Ford's
Iheater death trap, which are in 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 sunshine
they would see no more upon this earth
| forever. The women We're helped away
in fainting condition, and in every heart
was sorrow and in every eye stood moist
ure Of grief.
CAUSE OF THE COLLAPSE.
The cause of the collapse is supposed to
have been the digging under the founda-
uon for the purpose ofputting in an cleo
tric-light plant, but as near as can be
ascertained the top floor gave way first,
carrying the others with it.
Fortunately the entire building did not
collapse, as in that case the loss of life
would have been much greater. AS it
was only the front part went down, leav-
ing more than half the floor space intact.
Because Of this. many lives were saved.
Some clerks, sitting at the desks, were
left sitting at the brink, while the desks
at which they sat went down.
RESCUING DEAD AND INJURED.
willing hands went to work, as soon as
the first shock passed, to rescue the dead
and dying ana wounded from the ruins.
Police and soldiers ordered to the scene
by General Schofield kept the crowds
back, so there was no interruption to the
work of rescue.
News of the disaster flew like wildfire
through the city, and soon anxious rela-
yves were added to those who were
drawn to the scene by sympathy or curl
| oslty. In short time the bodies were
being brought out so fast that they could
not be attended to by the doctors on the
scene. After considerable suffering for
want OF attention, extra vehicles were
brought on and the wounded taken to
hospitals, which were soon overcrowded.
For while the sufferers were little better
oil than at the scene of the disaster until
number of medical students appeared
on the scene and took charge of those
least seriously hurt.
A WITNESS TO THE SCENE.
Dana Lincoln, who occupied a room in
the Atlantic building, facing the rear of
the theater building, gives this account 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 win
dow, and saw clouds of dust arising to
the top OF the building. Immediately at
every window dozens of heads protruded,
| calling wildly for assistance. 1t seemed
ten or fifteen minutes before the firemen
appeared with ladders, which were inn
mediately run up to the windows. In
reality the time was only a few moments.
The firemen rescued all those who had
not escaped by jumping through the
windows.
THE LAST TAKEN OUT ALIVE.
The last man taken out of the building
alive was Captain Dowd of Indiana. He
was found near the southwest corner of
the building, covered to a depth of two or
three feet with bricks and mortar He
had lain there for three hours, but fall
ing 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 he was lifted into the Garfield
Hospital ambulance the crowd saw he
was alive, and cheered again and again.
AMBULANCEs KEPT BUSY.
Ambulances were kept busy carrying
away the dead and injured. The faces of
many of the injured were covered with
pieces of cloth, old coats, newspapers,
or whatever else could be had. Some of
the mangled bodies were carried out with
their faces exposed to the gaze of the
great throng surrounding the building.
All during the long hours while the
workmen were working with all their
strength to rescue such as were not past
help, mothers, sisters and daughters,
lowered around the front of the building,
and with streaming eyes inquired of all
whom they met of some tidings Of their
dead ones. Some could hardly be re-
strained from pushing their way into the
building.
SICKENING TALE.
A look into the interior told sicken-
ing tale of how some were taken out and
others left. Desks were seen half-top-
pling over the brink of the broken floor.
Others stood upright. but the chair which
stood beside it and its occupant went
down with the crash. Records and papers
were scattered everywhere, but as fast as
possible they were gathered up and
saved. Many of them were spotted with
blood.
That any one should escape with his
life seems a miracle. AS they were
brought forth they presented a spectacle
that no one seeing it will ever forget. In
many cases the semblance to humanity
was gone. 1t seemed as though the help
ers were carrying out mere bags of mat
ter smeared all over with blood, filthy
with dirt, dirt ground into them, and
blood on their faces.
The hospitals were soon over-crowded.
drug stores We're turned into temporary
hospitals, people in the neighborhood of
the accident opened their doors gladly.
and the dead and wounded were hurried
in.
INJURED CARE FOR THE HELPLESS.
When the accident was over, and be-
fore the rescuers could get inside to their
relief, there were injured men who were
caring for their worse injured brothers.
There were men who did not rush for the
street to save their own lives. regardless
of the fact that more walls might fail and
bury them once more. They staid to sue
cor the men who did not get away by
themselves. One man, whose arm was
crushed, used his other arm to drap
man from that place of death. Every
movement of throwing aside the wreck
age exposed bloody and often mutilated