The Waco evening news. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 1891-1894, 1893-06-09
Over Four Hundred Clerks
In the Building.
MANY KILLED AND INJURED
1t is the Old Theatre in Which
Lincoln was Killed.


BY Associated Press to The News.
WAsHlNGroN, June 8. Ford's .
old opera house on Tenth street, in
which President Lincoln was assas.
sinated, collapsed about 10 o'clock
this morning. The building is used
at present for the records of the
pension department and the records
department, and over four hundred
clerks were in the building when it
fell in. News Of The disaster spread
rapidly and in short time thou
sands Of excited people surrounded
the scene a few minutes after the
accident.
One of the workmen, colored
man, who was employed in excavat.
ing cellar, and who escaped with
only slight cuts, says: 81 told
them yesterday that the archway
would fall, for every time any one
walked over the floor it would bend.
l was scared and got out Just as
quick as / could. There were TWEEN.
ty men at work with me; deed l
don't know what become of them"
Every hospital in the city has
been called into requisition to care
for the wounded As soon as pos
sible a complete roster of the clerks
in the building Will be sent with
the naMes Of the dead and Injured
as far as ascertained.
The building was four stories
in height. The first floor collapsed
carrying the other three with it.
The scenes were terrible. Some
of the clerks jumped from the third
story, dashing themselves to death
on the iiagstones below. The walls
are still standing, but every floor is
down, and every window blown
out.
The building has been condemn
ea as unsafe and unsuitable for the
purpose for whioh it was occupied
for some time, but sentiment has
kept it unchanged.
The floors were heavily loaded
with the records of pensions, and
the pensions division of the war de
partment. The clerks employed
there were all men.
Soon after the accident General
Schotield ordered two troops Of
cavalry from Fort Myer, just across
the river, and two companies Of
infantry from the arsenal to thu
scene Of the disaster The secretary
of the navy also ordered out all thu
naval medical officers stationed
here, and also opened the nava
hospital to serve the injured, ant
the commandant at the navy yarC
was ordered to render all tn
assistance in his power.
A strange coincidence is that tn
old theatre is wrecked on the da
of the funeral of Edwin Booth. IL
} brother of John Wilkes Boseh
Up to lO:l5 twenly>efght person
had been taksa~~out of the ruins
) The Emergency hospital is GRO VIDE
! with the dead and injured. Tn
{ injuries, from the nature of tn
accident are of the severest chara'
J ter, crushed and broken limbs an
: internal injuries prevailing.
At 1915 another dead body VIZ
l recovered. How ard S. miller, {
Ohio, a CLERK in the bureau, and q
: unknown man horribly mangle
9 have just been brought to IL
!. Emergency hospital dead.
A partial list of the injured
the Emergency hospital is as fc
!, lows: Fred Calvert, Chas. Metcal
E S. O. DeHey, VIM. Lecture, f. \
p, Test, p. p. Kughler, Penningtc
;, Ames, Cbas. r. Miller, G.
d Hathaway, r. M. Patrick, j. /
i Stewart, f. f. Simms, Lou
!. Busapy, G. N. Mclaughlin.
d 1t is feared there are still Gig
L bodies under the ruins.
It i-..At IL O'clock the remains of
d young man not yet identified la
T. Just been placed in the morgue
the Emergency hospital. tt