Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-09
SOME THRILLING sroRrEs


accident that ever occurred in the city of
Washington.
SOME THRILLING STORIES.
Tales Told by Eyewitnesses of the css.s-
trophe.
j. c. Mack got out OF the building with
but scratch. II was standing" he
said, 'about three feet from the vault
where the valuables are kept Near me
were three other-spencer, Speaker and
EDWARDS There was hardly seconds warning
l heard the rumbing. felt the building falling
about me and leaped into the vault The
other three came behind me, and when the
ruins ceased to fall about us we got out We
were not hurt, but the expeeience was fright
full"
Joseph Fought was standing near the wall on
the fourth floor and escaped BY way Of a win
oo". When he felt the bricks and mortar fall
ing about him he made dash for the window.
~ was but few steps away, but il
seemed to take him an hour 10
reach it The jar knocked the window down
and he had to break through. In that way he
got the only scratch he received He Thought
that S. I. Hamilton, A. NJ Elliott, Duncan.
DIR. Douglas and A. P. Willie escaped as he did.
He could not see far enough to tell much. but
thought there might have been nearly hum
dred persons who TELL
4. c. FORD.
E. c. Ford, who escaped almost unhurt, was
on the second floor. The only warning, he
said, was just q crash and a cloud of dust and
bricks. Il was near the side entrance" he
said, ''and escaped oy rush / do not know
how it happened, except that I was in q good
position, and was fortunate enough TO be very
quick" e.
H. r. Street escaped without injury. He said
that for days they had heard the workmen ham,
mering and working about the building. II
did not think of its being unsafe.
The only warning I had was the fall
The thing came down with a crash
There were cries and groans and an awful
noise, and about all knew was that was not
hurt. 1 sat far enough away from the center
Of the accident to escape. There were J. W.
Webb, Williams. Ballard. Aull and Jones sitting
near me, who also escaped.
c. C. MARSH.
c. C. Marsh, who escaped from the third
floor, was among those who had to be got down
by the hremen with ladders. He said that .
great many went down with the crash
from that floor. A large number
Of others escaped as he did, the
break not extending over the whole room.
"An those lust where the break occurred, I" be
said, fell. The floor dropped out from under
them and the ceiling above came down
on them. II left q great hole in The
hoor was about ten feet from
the edge Of this hole. There were many others
on the part of the floor left. Some were right
on the brink and the edges were falling OF
more and more every second. Every
one who did not fall with the first
crush rushed for the windows and
tried to make sure Of the remaining foothold-
There was terrible panic, but no one trampled
over his neighbor and there was no one hurt
because of the rush for the windows. 1t must
have been ten minutes before the fremen got
ladders up for us. 1t seemed an hour, for the
ledge on which we stood was getting narrower
every minute.
Il saw the chief of the floor, Yaunt. 60 down
with the crash, and his assistant, Mr.. Chapman,
also fell"
great many patients were taken 10 Merits
drug store. where they were attended by DrsL
Hammet. 7. v. Hammond, Robin, SEWN, Mum
caster and J. A Mallory.
DIR. HowaRp.
DR.. Howard. colored. of 9Th and Pomeroy
streets suffering from severe scalp wounds
and was seriously but not dangerously hurt
Mr.. Girrault Of l09 7th street WIS very badly
hurt about the scalp and back, but the injuries
were apparently not fatal
J. II. THOMAS
J. 81. Thomas of Missouri was on the third
floor and fell the whole distance TO the bottom.
He suffered compound fracture Of the arm,
but was otherwise unirjured. He was
apparently free from nervousness
when seen by STAR reporter,
though he was suffering pain. II did not know
anything about il until got to the bottom. I
did not know anything had happened until
I felt myself going through the air.
had taken my watch Of and
attached to il a school medal Of
which thought great deal They were lying
on my desk and was writing busily. I guess
the first thought that got through my bewild-
cred head was of that watch and medal
1t Was but q fash before / realized
what had happened Then the whole
situation came upon me and the feeling was
something dreadful. could see dimly through
the dust people struggling about me. Some
were free and irving to find their way out
Others were partly buried 80 that they
could not move and the voices Of
those out Of sight could he heard calling for
help and grooming. There were cries of dis
tress all about me. man fast near me asked
me to aid him. Then I found that nv right
arm was useless. IL Was broken and
could not lift it, NY left arm was
so braced that could not reach him with it,
turned around, however, and gave him
nv left hand and drew him out His name
was Smith, but l do not know his initials.
Near him was a man buried up to his belt.
but could not help him. II was dreadful
to hear the groans and feel the movements Of
men struggling about me to get out All
through the mass Of injured people above the
groans and cries could be heard the voice Of
those less hurt crying: Steady. boys, steady.
Keep your courage; take it easy;' and they were
trying to help each other"
Y. b. SMITH.
F. B. Smith was the second floor and fell,
receiving severe scalp injuries He said that
he landed about two feet from a window and
crawled out by himself. He could hear the
cries about him and feel people scrambling and
struggling to get out.
THE EAsrERLISG BROTHERS.
c. s. Easterling and H. V. Easteriing. two
brothers, were in the building The first vas