The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1895-04-12
COLLAPSED.
Two Buildings at Wheeling Fall
Without Warning,
Burying About a Dozen Men Within
the Ruins.
A Large Force 81 Men Put To Work ~
Ones To Rescue the Unfortanates. But
Their Efforts We're Hampsred bya
Fire siH Persons Reported Dead

WHEELING. w. Va, April AT SEQ
o'clock Tuesday morning one Of the
most fearful disasters In tho history OF
Wheeling occurred. Two OF the hand
soonest buildings In the city fell. with
scarcely moments warning. burying
about dozen men within the ruins.
The structures were each Eve stories
high and were occupied by 7. T.
llutchisson & Co. wholesale dealers In
leather and hardware, and w. II.
Chapman \ Sons, dealers In painters
and builders supplies The Chapman
building was commenced last fall and
was just nearing completion when the
accident occurred. The two buildings
arc adjoining, the Hutchinson building
being on the corner OF Alley and
Main street
At the hour mentioned the emp Dyes
heard an ominous cracking. the big
structure gave n convuisive trembls
and, with a crash, the south wall fell,
tearing down tho flooring and struc-
tural work At the same time
@. W. Clifton, carpenter at
work In Chapman's. noticed the
sand falling out Of the wall separat-
ing the two buildings lie immedi-
ately gave the alarm and started for
the door. Before he had reached Il
bricks and mortar were falling down
in showers, and just as he got outside
the crash came William H. Chapman,
(, Walter Chapman and Newton Wilson,
the proprietors, also escaped without
injury other than being bruised by the
falling bricks
The ruins caught FIRE and before the
department arrived were giving rise to
dense. binding smoke, which made
the work OF rescuing very difficult
AZ noon the following men had either
been taken out dead or were known to
I hc lost.
/ Father y II. Park, vicar general, w.
4 s. Prichard, merchant, Buckhaunon.
". Va. Eugene Burke, an employe Of
hutchissou 4 Co; Robert Wincher. n
boy ,employe Of Hutchisson & Co; Har-
ry Cowl. Western union messenger.
The last four named have not yet
been found. but Il is hardly possible
they are alive. as they arc supposed TO
be in the rear portion Of the ruins,
which Is burning 50 iiercely that res
cue work is impossible VIM. Crabbe.
She cabman. and Cowl were caught In
the alley.
The injured-T. T. Hutchisson. SEN
ior member Of lIutchisson & Co. one
rib broken and internal injuries; will
probably recover.
O. =. Williams, carpenter. severe cuts
on head; not serious
q. W. clifton. carpenter. severe cuts
on head; not serious
NJ. j. Ford, salesman for Hutchinson,
hip broken
Chas. lIallcr bookleeper. and II.
Blum escaped unhurt
The cause OF the accident was the
alleged defective construction Of the
llutchisson building. which was
weakened year or 50 ago by the ad-
dition Of two stories. The loss will be
: at least sisu.O0O, rs both tho buildings
and stock are total loss The serious
ness Of tho situation was added to by
natural gas setting FIRE TO tho ruins
and the blaze spreading to S. NJ Rice
& Co.'S building across the alley
A. 1880 o'clock Tuesday afternoon
the arcinen were just about holding
their own with the flames The work
Of tearing away the debris was proceed
ing rapidly Tuesday, but only one body
has been taken out, that of pritehard,
OF Ruckhannon. II is now positively
known that the bodies of Wincher,
lIoran Cowl Rirch and Father Park
are still buried in the ruins
and " they were not killed by tho
crash, they have surely been suffocated
or burned TO death. William Crabbe,
the cabmRn reported missing Tuesday
morning. turned up Tuesday after
noon, lie had been driving outside
the city, and not returning by the re
quircd time. was given up for lost. II
is said that n cab and its driver wa,
caught In the alley, butit is not known
whom II is. Father Park was the old
est Catholic priest in this diocese