The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-07-11
AN ATLANTIC HORROR
Collapse of a Crowded Building in
the City by the Sea.
ELKs WERE CELEBRATING THERE

Fully . Thousand People Precipitatod to
the Floor Beneath. and Many Caught by
Failing Beams-MaDy Legs and Arms
Broken, but Only Ono Death Thus Far.
ATLANTIC CRY, July 1.-THE social SEES.
sion tendered by Atlantic City lodge to
the visiting Elks at the Baltic avenue ca
sino last night ended in terrible disaster,
In which fully a hundred persons were
more or less seriously injured. The ses-
sion had just opened, and only one Of the
speakers bad been heard when, without
she slightest warning the building, which
had not been used for several years col
lapsed and fully n thousand persons were
thrown to the floor beneath. Many wo-
men, the wives Of the visiting Elks, went
down In the ruins, Fully go persons who
were on the first floor of the building and
Immediately beneath the banquet hall,
were crushed beneath the timbors. - -
The fact that all the electric lights in
the building went out Mt the time the
building gave way added to the terrible
situation. A double alarm for the fire de-
partment was at once turned In and the
city's entire force of 200 firemen and every
police officer In the city were called to the
scene as hospital corps. The police am
buiuuoco anu CufEluHc5 bI every
tion were utilized to convey tho injured
to the city hospital and to their hotels.
When sho police and firemen arrived on
tho scene the excitement was so intense
that they scarcely knew where to begin
first. An Immense crowd of people had been
attracted to the place by the noise Of the
falling building and the groans Of the un-
fortunates who were pinned beneath bricks
and timbers, and the streets for several
blocks were choked. Within few min
utes the police succeeded in clearing the
space In the Immediate neighborhood of
the building and stretched ropes around
to keep tho crowd back. .
In the meantime the hremen had sct to
work to extrlcate the wounded from be-
meath the mass OF timbors, and they were
aided In their work by the hotel keepers
and residents near the scene. Every house
was thrown open for tho reception Of the
injured, and every available conveyance
was pressed into service to carry them to
their hotels. Meanwhile, physicians were
on the scene and were doing everything in
their power to aid the unfortunates who
I'D been capght in the crash. As quickly
as the unconscious form of victim was
taken out Of the ruins willing hands bore
1t to the nearest place and everything
that surgical skill could do to alleviate
their sufforings was done.
The list of casualties so far reported ID
as follows: Frederick Claproth, Of Cam
den, both legs and arms broken, died soon
after; James j, Armstrong, theatrical
agent New York, exalted ruler of New
York Lodge, No. l, both legs broken
Meyer Wolfe, Atlantic City, lighthouse
engineer, injured internally; Charles w
Toiwell, Camden, leg and arm broken;
p Eokman, Camden, leg and arm broken
Frank Bolton, clerk OF the Hotel Tray.
more, this city, shoulder bally crushed
and otherwise injured; Charles w. Foote
Of Minneapolis, manned and bruised: Do
tectiye James Doyle, of Minneapolis
badly bruised and injured internally; Miss
Armstrong, daughter of James j. Arm
strong mentioned above), aged II, arm
broken; William Varney, baseball mana
ger, Baltimore, injured internally; Mrs
Fleisehman, Philadelphia, both leg,
broken; @. NJ Foote, arm broken; Nathan
iel Duke, head and body bruised; Chnrlel
W. Farwell, Minneapolis, nose broken
number Of members of jennings band
Of Camden, N. j., were injured internally
Tho first victim to succumb to his iniu
rfeB was Frederick Claproth, of No. sI(
Kimber street, Camden. He died shortl,
after midnight at Il neighborlng hotel t.
which he had beOl conveyed. Claprotf
had been in the crowd on the lower flool
of tho building when the crash came. II,
was caught and pinioned down under ,
mass of timbers and when, after grea
difficulty, the police succeeded In extricnt
ing his body, it was found that both hit
legs and arms had been broken. He nevel
regainod consciousness.
1t is now feared that many more deathi
will result, and 1t is matter of wonder
ment that out of the 900 or more person.
who were on the lower floor mono wert
killed outright