The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1895-04-17
DEATH AND DISASTER.

L . i flt
80
TWO BUILDINGS COLLAPSE AND SIX
MENSkfLLED. f
Buddensolck buildings Fall to tho Grounl.
killing and IDjuring Mon, nnh Destroy
ing Two Hundred Thousand Dollars
Worth Of Property.
WHEELINd, w. Va, April "a
fcw minutes past s O'Clock this morn
ing al accident occurred which threw
tho city into the greatest excitement.
| Tho fiye-story building, Nos ], ,220 and
1,222 Main street, occupied BY n, II.
Hutchinson Sc Co., wholesale hardware
and saddlery dealers, and w. III. Chap
man q Sons, wholesale painters and
builders supplies, collapsed with d
dcafening report, burying ten mon be-
meath the ruins. 10 add to the horror
OF tho situation, the debris took fire
from q natural gas leak, and dense
cloud of smoke arising, the efforts Of
rescuers were greatly impeded. The
greatest damage to life was among the
| employees Of Hutchison s. Cos. all Of
whom were at work.
at 8 o'clock to night tho list of dead
and missing was as follows: Father
.. Fl. Parke, vicar general of West
Virginia Diocese and chaplain of
Mount Dechantel, the Catholic scmin-
cry here; Benjamin Pritchard carri-
age builder, Of Buckhannon, West
Virginia; Robert Wincher. EMPLOYEE
of Hutchison &c Co; Eugene Birch
employee Of Hutchison sc g: Michael
Horan, employee OF Hutchisom tS CO ;
Harry Cowl, Western Union mcssen,
ger boy. The four injured mon will
| recover.
The Hutchison building stood oil the
| corner of Alley and Main street; the
Chapman building is adjoining. At
the hour mentioned the employees in
Hutchison's heard an ominous crack
ing, and without a moments warning
giving the unfortunate mon time to
make an effort to escape tho alloy wall
fell down with u terrific crash, carry
ing with it the entire structures Of both
buildings. Only tho rear wall re-
manied standing. Frank Haller,
Adam Blum and L. Il. Hutchison wcro
in the rear Office and wore saved by
the aid Of two men, who pried off The
bars of q back window and rescued
the men just before fall Of brick
buried the room.
Tho men in tho Chapman building
Jared somewhat better. Chiffon, one of
the worlSmen, noticed the plastoring
and the wall separating them from
Hutchison's crumbling and falling
down. Hc cimmediately gave an alarm,
and not a minute too soon, for before
the men had reached the doors bricks
and mortar were peltipg them III
showers. All got out in time, how
ever
a general alarm brought tho fire de-
partment promptly to the scene, and
| the work OF. rcscuing was commenced.
Blinded and suffocated by the dense
smoke tho firemen worked like Tro-
jams, and in about two hours the first
ls lIyietim q; \ was rescued. ItWas Nj. ] Ford,
Who"was comparatively innin5nted,
while he was lying directly across Ben
Jamin Pritchard. Pritchard was cold
IN death, and medical examination
showed that he had been killed by be-
ing crushed about the chest. No more
bodies were found until $50 o'clock
this evening, when the body of Fathc,
Parke was taken out Of the debris sc
horribly crushed that the body was
scarcely recognizable.
! In the meantime tho fire had gained
SO that the firemen had TO give thei,
entire attention towards subduing it
After twelve hours hard work they
got the flames under control, but i
will be morning before the blaze viii
be completely extinguishcd. Boil
buildings, together with tho stocks
are total loss. a more complete wip
ing out of what were once handsome
structures could not be imagined
When the first wall fell it broke of
clear down to the foundation, and no
one stone was left upon another.
| The Chapman building was now anC
III fact not yet finished, so the loss vii
fall on the contractors. a building
across the alley, occupied by S. NJ
Rice & Co., wholesale millinery deal
ers, was struck by tho falling wall anC
q big hole knocked in the side. The
building next to that was also badly
sprained and fears are entertained fol
its safety. Altogether the loss viii
amount to over $200,0O0 The insur
ance cannot yet be ascertaincd.
Father Parlse, who was the oldest
Catholic priest in the State, was walk
ing up the alley when tho dcplorable
affair occurred Harry Cowlo, the
messenger boy, was also killed in the
alley while returning from a call.
Excitement was at a fever heat, hall
the police force being required to l1cer
back the immense crowd which quick
| ly congregated. Street car travel ii
Main street, one Of tile chief busines.
thoroughfares, has been blocked thu
|entiro day.
A startling rumor was oxtant thi
evening that an explosion was immin
ent, for stored in The Chapman build
ing is a carload Of turpentine and oil
If the flames reach this nothing cal
prevent a most horrible addition tt
what is already tho most disastrou
laccident that has occurred in this city
At 730 o'clock, however, Chief Hcaley
claims to have the blazo cut Off from
the oil.
The cause of tho collapse was the dc
fcctiye construction of tho ITutcllisof
building, which was condemned two
years ago and the work of removing i
neglected.
A Young Fiend Hangod.
| COLUMBUS, O., April II. Charles
Hart was hanged shortly after mid
night in the State prison for the mur
der of Elsie and Ashley Goode, chill
dren seven and nine years old, respcc
lively, in Pauling county, November
4, 1894. The children were gathering
nuts in the woods and Hart, who was
only eighteen years old, ioii.ed them