The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1893-06-10

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figured for life; happy families hurled
into the depths of despair; women call
Ing for their husbands. children call
Ing for their fathers, mothers calling
for their sons. and not an answer to
their cries. This is but shadow of the
calamity that befell this city this morn
ing, Imagination stands back and fails
to give any idea Of the scene. Its hor-
rors will never be fully told. It's sud
denness was almost its chief horror.
In moment, in twinlzling Of an eye,
all was changed, and men who came
to the scene Of thir daily toll will never
return alive. In the national capital
of the proudest nation of the earth,
there has been catastrophe unparal-
leled in the annals af It's history and
in every mind there is a horrible con-
viction that its genesis is to be found
in thecriminal negligence of a govern
ment that is too parsimonious to pro-
vide for the safety Of its loyal servants
by erecting buildings proper for their
accommodation.
1t was between $3.50 and 10 o'clock
this morning, that the floor OF the old
Foard's theater building, Tenth street,
occupied by the recorders and pension
division Of the surgeon generals office,
fell In as though they had been parts
Of "a card house. The floor was made
up of iron girders, hardly strong
enough to support the walls, but heavy
enough to stamp out human lives. The
walls Of bricks were held together by
plaster long since dried out, and of
wooden beams that had been in place
too long. The government of great
nation could not afford to provide a
safe building for their faithful en-
ployes, but herded them together in
one whose unsound condition was no
torious. Again andagain have the col
umns Of the press been filled with sto-
ries Of its rotten walls. There is shame
and remorse for the souls of the men
who were responsible for the state OF
lliAAl6n a+tAAell OOlllAAOQ illCl WI mug lOl
their daily bread in building that
every one in this city knew was un-
safe. Twenty-eight years ago there
was another tragedy within the walls
of this building, News of it wer
flashed to the four quarters of the
earth, and it wrought CONSERVATION
wherever it went. The man who was
killed was president Of the United
States. AS though the building had
borne curse upon it from that time,
1t ended its career in a fitting manner.
Those, in the multitude, who would
think Of something besides the catas-
trophe, remarked upon the strange CO.
incidence that the house in which
John Wilkes Booth slew Lincoln
should kill a score of people on the
very day that the assassin's brother
was being laid to final rest.
The building Of the printing office,
the and the Winder building, which is
an annex OF the war department, each
contained many more employees than
were Gagged in the Ford's theater death
trap, are in an equally dangerous con-
dition.
While the work of rescuing was go
ing on, men who were strangers to
emotion. wept like children. and turned
away their faces as the limp and life
less bodies were brought forth to the
sunshine they could see no more. Wo-
men were helpled away in a faintlng
condition. The last man taken out OF
the building alive was Captain Dowd,
Of Indiana. He was found near the
southwest corner Of the building, COW
cred to a depth Of two or three feet
with bricks and mortar. He had lain
there three hours, but falling beam
had lodged near him in such a position
as to break the fall of brick and tim
bers. When lifted up he raised his
hand, showing he was conscious, and
when he was put into the Garfield
house ambulance the crowd saw he was
alive and cheered him again and again.
The ambulances were kept busy car
rying away the dead and injured. The
faces Of many of the victims We're COW
cred with pieces Of cloth, an old coat,
a newspaper. or whatever else could be
had Some Of the mangled bodies were
carried out with their faces exposed to
he gaze Of the great throng surround
ng the building. A look into the in
+erior. told sickening tale Of how
some were taken Desks were seen |
half toppIing ovr the brink of the
broken floor; others stood upright, but
he chairs which stood beside them
with their occupants, went down with
he crash Records and papers were
scattered everywhere, but as fast as
possible they were gathered up and
'aved. The hospitals were soon over
The drug stores were turned
nto temporary hospitals. The people
n the neighborhood Of the accident,
'pened their doors gladly. and the dead
md wounded were hurried in. AS the
bleeding and mangIed bodies were
brought out, groans and outcries arose
N all sides One man was found stick
ng head first; soon his legs were un-
covered. and were seen to move feebly.
howing he was still alive. AS fast as
human hands could work. those res