The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-10
TWO BIG BUILDINGS FALL IN.
SIX MEN KILLED AND -FOUR IN
JURED AT WHEELING.

One OF the Deuu the wear Nenernt
of the West virginia DiOcesc-Fire
Breaks cut i'm the Debris-Eight
O'Clock in the Morning the Time
of the ExpIOsion-HerOic Work
Among the Ruins.
Wheeling. w. Va, April "A few min
utes past O'Clock this morning an acct
dent occurred which threw the city into
the greatest excitement The five story
buildings. Nos. 1,22O and l,222 Main street.
occupied by T. T. Hutchisson & Co,
wholesale hardware and saddlery dealers,
and w II. Chapman & Sons. wholesale
dealers in painters and builders supplies,
collapsed with a deafening report, bury
ing ten men beneath the ruins. To add to
the horror of the situation. the debris
took fire from natural gas leak and a
dense cloud OF smoke arising, the efforts
of the rescuers were greatly impeded. The
greatest damage to life was among the
employees of Hutchisson & Co., all OF whom
were at work. At o'clock tonight the
list Of dead and missing was as follows:
Father, f. II. Parke, vicar general OF
the West Virginia diocese and chaplain
of Mt. Dechantel. the Catholic seminary
here.
Benjamin Pritchard. a carriage builder
of Buckhannon, w. Va.
Robert Wincher, an employe Of Hutch
isson & Co.
Eggen Birch, an employe of Hutchisson
Michael Horan. an employe of Hutchis-
son a Co.
Harry Cowl. Western Union messen-
ger boy.
The injured are:
I. II. Hutchisson. senior member OF the
hardware and saddlery house Of Hutch
isson q Co. two ribs broken and head
NJ. J. Ford. an employe of Hutchisson
q Co., slightly bruised and cut
u E; Williams, a, carpenter. head cut
and severely bruised about the body.
q. W. Clifton, a carpenter.
All the above will recover.
The Hutchisson building stood on the
corner of Alley and Main streeta The
Chapman building is adjoining. At the
hour mentioned the employees In Hutchis-
sons heard an ominous cracking and
without moments warning or giving
the unfortunate men time to make an ef-
fort to escape the alley wall fell down
with a terrific crash, carrying with it the
entire structures of both buildings Only
the rear remained standing.
Frank Haller, Adam Blum and T. T.
Hutchinson We're in the rear office, and
were saved by the aid of two men who
pried off the bars of a back window and
rescued them just as a fall of bricks
buried the room.
somewhat better Clifton, one OF the
workmen, noticed the plastering and the
wall separating them from Hutchiss4ls
crumbllng and falling down. He immedi-
ately gave an alarm, and not a minute too
soon, Tor before the men had reached the
doors, brick and morter were peltine them
in showers; All got out in time, however.
A general alarm brought the fire depart
ment promptly TO the scene, and the work
OF rescue was commenced. Blinded and
suiIocated by the dense smoke the firemen
TFl lEI
hours the first victim was rescued 1t was
NJ. j: Ford, who was comparatively unin-
tured, while he was lying directly across
benjamin Pritchard. Pritchard was cold
IN death, and a medical examination
showed that he had been killed by being
crushed about the chest.
NO more bodies were found until to-
night at 6:30 o'clock, when the corpse
OF rather Parke was taken out of the
debris so horribly crushed that the body
was scarcely recognizable
In the meantime the fire had gained
so that the fremen had to give their en-
ure attention to subduing It. After
flames under control, but it viii be morn
ing before the blaze Will be completelv
extinguished.
Both buildings, together with their
stocks, are a total loss. A more compiefe
wiping out Of what were once handsome
structures could not be imagined. When
the IN nrst wall fell 1t broke or clear down
TO the foundation and not one stone
was left upon another. The Chapman
building was new, and in fact not vet
finished, so the loss will fall on the con-
tractors.
A building across the alley, occupied
by $. NJ Rice a. Co, wholesale millinery
Dealers was struck by the falling wall
ana big hole knocked in the side The
building next to that was also badly
sprained, and fears are entertained for
its safety Altogether the loss win amount
to over $2OO, 0OO The insurance cannot yet
be ascertaiped.
Father Parke, who was the Oldest Cath
olic priest in the state, was walking ND
the alley when the deplorable affair oc-
Cured
Harry Cowl, the messenger boy, was
also killed in the alley while returning
from a call.
Excitement was at a fever heat. half
the police force being required 70 keep
back the immense crowd which quickly
cnngregated. Street car travel on Main
street, one Of the chief business thor
oughfares, has been blocked the entire
day.
startling rurpor was extant this even
ing to the effect that an explosion was
imminent, for stored In the Chapman
building is a carload of turpentine and
oil. II the flames reach this pothing can
prevent a most horrible addition to what
has occurred in this city. At 7:30 O'Clock
that has occurred In this city AT 7:31
O'Clock, however, Chief Healey claims 10
have the blaze cut off from the OIL
The cause Of the collapse was the de-
fective construction of the Hutchisson
building, which was condemned two years
ago and the work OF removing II neg
lected.