River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-10-05
MANY PERSONS HURT.


A Floor Gives Way at Funeral in Wis
eonsin and 100 Persons Are Injured
Some of the Victims Are Seriously
Wounded.
RfPoS, Wis, Oct s.-Many OF the
friends of the wife of Asseinblyman
Bow, who attended her funeral at the
family residence in Kingston Saturday,
We're nearer 10 death than they
imagined, for just as the services were
beginning the floor gave way and fully
100 persons were preeipitated into the
cellar. Among the more seriously in
iured were the following:
Mary jones' cut about the head; II. H. Per
~ cut and bruised; Mrs ID n Pickett. arm
broken Mrs Pugh injured internally; Mrs
Vaughn, injured internally; Mrs. A. vanberg.
badly crushed and injured internally, viii prob
ably die.
The services took place in the main
room of the house. which was erected
many years ago. People crowded into
the apartment, the men standing and
some of the women occupying chairs.
Just as the minister, standing near the
caslxet. began TO speak of the dead
cracking sound was heard. Before any
one realized the danger the floor gave
way and minister ana people went down
with the broken beams and boards.
The disaster happened so quickly
that none of those in the room had a
chance to save themselves. Many lay
motionless beneath the debris, others.
who escaped serious injury. were so
FRUSTRATED by fright as to be seemingly
unable to move.
The mourners and others who occu-
pied an adjoining room forgot their
sorrow for the dead in their haste to
aid the victims of the accident. II was
difficult task and at first il seemed rs
il most of them had received fatal hurts
If they had not heen killed outright.
No entrance N 4 Dc gained to the eel
lar from the ortside. and it was neces-
sary to climb down in the ruins 10 reach
those who needed aid.
Finally some of the people in the
cellar managed TO extricate them
selves from among the beams and floor
ing and lent their aid to the task of
rescue. One after another the limp
forms of the injured were dragged
from beneath the ruins and carried over
the debris to the open air, until
the ground about the house looked like
field hospital. Covered with blood
from numerous cuts and grooming from
painful bruises the injured pre-
scented most pitiful sight. As
fast as possible an lnvestiga-
ton of the extent of their
hurts was made. This completed,
it was found that while all were more
or less bruised only one-third of the
hundred who went down in the wreck
had received serious injuries. One,
Mrs Vanberg, was so badly crushed
and injured internally that she will die.
The house where the accident oc-
Cured was an old one, but the floors
were thought to be of sufficient
strength to sustain all the people who
could stand upon them. The apart
ment, when the services began,
was crowded to its utmost ca
pacity Only small portion
of those in the room were
seated, and those who were standing
took up every inch of room available
Even the doorways We're filled with
people, and the occupants of these
places were the only ones in the apart
ment who escaped being precipitated
into the cellar.
The casket containing the remains of
Mrs. Bow stood Gin room next to the
one whose floor gave way. IL was
afterward taken to the cemetery and
placed in the grave, only the members
of the family being present