The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-04-10

Wheeling, w. Va, April AT
twenty minutes past O'Clock this
morning, the south wall of the four
story brick block of Hutchinson & Com
pany, on the corner of Main street
and the alley south of Twelfth, col
lapsed without warning.
Next north of it was Chapman &
Son, who were just finishing a five
story brick block to be used as a paint,
glass and building supply store. and
they had already stored in it about
$4,000 worth of stock and were doing
business there. Hutchinson & Co.,
deal in hardware, saddlery and wagon
supplies, and the building was packed
full of goods. The wall on the alley
first fell out, pulling with it the par
tition wall between Hutchinson and
Chapman's. The crash of the falling
buildings was terrific and soon drew
thousands TO the scene. The horror
of the accident was increased by a
fire which broke out, and as there
were large quantities of oil, turpen-
tine and the like in Chapman & Sons,
the situation was hard to meet.
Four employees were caught in the
Hutchinson ruin:
Robert Winchester.
Eugene Birch.
2. J. Horan.
M. ]. Fard.
The first three have not been found
and are doubtless dead. Ford was res
cued and may recover.
Charles Halter, the bookkeeper, and
Adam Blum, junior partner, were
penned up against the rear wall and
were released by prying the bars Off
the windows. They were unhurt.
Mr.. Hutchinson was found in tina
second story and was badly injured.
but was rescued alive and hopes are
entertained that he. may recover.
When the collapse canre, Ford was
selling a bill of goods to Benz. F.
Pritchard, a wagon manufacturer of
Buchanan, w. Va. Pritchard's dead
body was found lying across Ford's
legs. He was crushed to death.
Shortly before the accident Very
Rev. Father F. H. Parke. vicar gen
eral of the Catholic diocese of Wheel
ing was seen to enter the alley and ne
was believed to be killed, and this
belief was sadly confirmed at $50 p.
m. by the recovery Of his body He
was ~ years old, a distinguished
clergyman, chaplain Of Mount De
chantel academy and had been
twice administrator Of the diocese.
A Western Union telegraph messen-
ger boy, Harry Cowl, aged IA, is also
thought to have been in the alley, but
this boy has not been recovered. No
others are known to be lost. There
was an early report that a cab, its
driver and four occupants were buried
by the falling walls, but this is proved
to be untrue.
The falling brick and timbers
koncked a hole thirty feet long in the
three story brick building across the
alley occupied by G. NJ. Rice & Co.,
wholesale milliners, and the smoke
and water ruined their valuable stock.
The smoke also perneated to the adj
joining house occupied by Speyer
Bros, whosesale milliners. and their
loss will be heavy Water caused
serious damage to Greer & Laings
hardware store and OFT Brothers &c
Co., hardware dealers. The cellars
were flooded for a block, ten streams
playing all day, and averaging 1000
gallons a minute, and yet at s O'Clock
the fire is not eXtinguiShed.
Great indignation is expressed be.
cause at the time the old Melodeon
hall property was remodeled and a
story added in 1891 by Mr.. Hutchin-
son, the walls were condemned, but
he persisted in using them and, owing
to the lack of adequate laws, could not
be prevented.