The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-06-14

Win the DlOou.
Boys Brave Act.
One of the bravest and most daring in
cidents connected with the calamity was
performed by colored boy, nineteen or
twenty years of age. named Basil lock-
wook. As soon as the floors collapsed,
and the dust cleared away. realizing the
danger of those at the rear windows who
were wildly climbing out and calling for
aid, he climbed up large telegraph pole
as high as the third story, and lashed a
ladder to the pole, putting the other end
in the window. BY this means ten or
fifteen were assisted down the ladder in
safety.
Work of Rescue.
To the occupants there was but one
crash heard, and instantly the whole
building was filled with binding lime
dust. Running directly through all of the
floors and the middle of the building was
a wall ten feet or more long and three
feet wide. The fatal area was in front of
this. leaving space OF six or seven Zee. In
width undisturbed on either eide. The
floor at the back part of the building, con-
tanning more than half OF the floors 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 were, were precipitated down
the awful chasm. Others, who were
walking across the room. heard an omi-
nous sound, and stopped just at the
very threshold of death. When the craeh
came those who survived heard mighty
scream of anguish from their comrades as
they sank out of sight, and then cropping
in the darkness they found their way out
safely, trembling in every Joint, with the
pallor of the dead In their faces. No
women were employed in the building
but in q few minutes after the crash came
the wives, mothers and daughters OF the
victims began to arrive. Within a very
few moments a hundred or more men.
stripped for hot work, jumped into the
building and began throwing out the
wreckaGe in front and under the floors
which remained standing on the rear.
Most OF those first taken out OF the ruins
were carried to the Emergency hospital.
Ii will probably be two or three hours
before the mass of debris can all be
cleared away and the exact number OF
those who went down in the crash known.
Near the front wall of the building still
remains a great mass OF wreckage which
has not yet been explored. and its posi-
ton is such as to leave no doubt that
several bodies will yet be found be-
meath il.
When the crash came there were sup
posed to be in the building 496 clerks,
eighteen messengers and twenty laborers,
a total of 534 persons. Up to this hour.
1890 o'clock, sixteen dead bodies have
reached the morgue.
Scene at the Hospital.
About 1880 o'clock the dead and in
jured began to arrive faster than the corps
Of surgeons could attend to their injuries.
Carried in on stretch ers, they were
dumped at the most convenient places.
Those who were most seriously injured
were attended to. while others, grooming
and crying from the pain OF broken limbs
Law beseeching the doctors TO dress their
wounds. Shortly after the arrival of the
first unfOrtunates. a crowd began to assem-
bic in and out of the hospital, many of
them being the wives. daughters and rel
atives of the dead and injured. Their
weeping and frantic cries for
information were heartren6ing. They
greatly iDterferred with the work of
the physicians. and DR.. Kerr, who is in
charge of the hospital. determined to put
them out Load after load of those
wounded, blind from the debris, with
limbs broken and manned, were dumped
at the door. They had to remain outside
for some time. as the force and facilities
OF the hospital were unequal to the emer-
gency. AS quickly as the surgeons, who
were shortly reinforced by the young
graduates OF the CITY. could do SO, they
examined and dressed the wounds and
the patients were then sent upstairs to
more comfortable quarters. 1t was with
great difficulty that the policemen
could keep the relatives OF the injured
out of the building. while outside their
agonizing cries could be distinctly heard.
Priests and ministers were soon on the
spot, and, being at once admitted, repaired
to the cots OF the injured. where they ad-
ministered spiritual consolation. Three
men reached the hospital in dying con-
ditiOn. so badly injured that they were
taken from the dressing room and sent TO
the mOTgue, where they shortly expired.
Charles S Miller and J. Brad. Jones were
among them, while the other was a young
man OF about twenty-five years of age.
The first two were horribly mutilated. but
the last did not show even an abrasion.
His vitals had been crushed.
Taking Out the Dead.
Every few minutes during the first two
hours after the accident. dead and
wounded men were taken out of the
debris. To the on-lookers all the bruised,
MANNED and dust covered bodies seemed
bereit of life. One man whose face was
covered with blood and who was SEEM
inaly dead, suddenly raised up in the
ambulance in which he was placed and
swallowed a glass of whisky. This
brought a cheer from the crowd, and
thereafter every rescue was accompanied
by applause.
All the carts and workmen that could
be secured were pressed into service 10
| clear away the debris. The work1sn
shOveled plaster, brick, documents and
broken furniture into the carts, and each
load was taken away to q dumping
ground near by. There was much danger
70 the rescuin2 gangs. for the edges OF the
fallen floors hung threateningly down
ward over the heads of the workers. IL
seemed that little progress could be made
| in clearing away the immense macs of
fallen rubbish. but the work nevertheless
| progressed rapidly.
| Chief Imbrie's Escape
Five minutes later and J. r. Imbrie, the
| pension chief in charge of the second floor.
would have gone down with the wreck.
| He had desk in the shattered area and
also one in the rear of the room. He had
| been at the former place and then came
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