Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-05-05
BIIlLDING C0LLAPSES
Es1y People Crushed Under lhs Ruins
Of the Structure.
ely KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN KILLED.
Orhr Dead Believed TO Be Hidden in
The Awful Debris.
.,rvrx INJURED TAKEN OUT.


bo most disastrous calamity OF
,..sr occurred In this city tonight
.,. n dyc-story brick structure hlled
,.,,le completely collapsed and fell.
..,,,omcrated mass Of brick and shat
..-d umbers. burying the unfortunate
.....t,s beneath It's ruins.
r. ia impossible 10 say how many per
hove been Killed some placing the
.-t..r as high as forty. others as low
.fe.n. No accurate statement can be
..sr ON this point until the debris snail
.... be,n cleared away, which viii GER
,..ry take an night
r,, building was situated on the east
NJ Walnut street, just south Of Fifth
.,. lower door being occupied by Drach's
,,., The upper apartments were
....t ont To- dodgers 10 one knows at
.... y,r.tlng what caused the collapse Of
.. byndlng il IS only known that people
l.- s.yersl blocks around where the dis
...- occurred were startled by most
..--i0e explosion about 7:i5 o'clock.
r.. alarm was instantly turned in, and
..s few moments half the Fire Depart
r, az the city was upon the scene.
-.... ,,,rsi of rescue was instantly begun
... f,rce Of men taking the front, while
...,ra corps went TO the rear Of the
.llrs which opened into an alley.
- rrsf persons who appeared upon
Die scene entered the alley ana came UP
OBJ, rear OF the building, where the
.te5us cries and means Of a female were
.. .r.v evidence Of life beneath the
oF These cries came from the cellar
% .. utterly impossible that persons ON
,.. other floors could have escaped a
..--1-.. death. In addition 20 the victims
t. .r. buried beneath the building, 10
q. estimated that fully 100 people have
I..1 moro or less injured by the concus-
.r falling electric wires, and irag-
r.rts of shattered glass. stone, and tim
er
A MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.
Twenty of those injured on the streets
s.r. taken into the Gibson House, just
,-a.s tne way. and their wounds dressed.
Among these was Chlef-of-P<ice Joseph
p.h. of Cov.uGton, Ky. NSo reports
,-aF- miraculous escape. lie was just
0. fr. 4gt OF entering the saloOn-in fact
.-. fool was upon the door-s ll-when he
..s.,.rticl by The dash Of a burning cleo
,.r-Vre overhead. lie sprang backward,
..ar almost simultaneously the eNplo-
s.r occurred, aud he felt the ground
....,. his feet lie was blown almost into
M. middle of the street.
Thine. PERSONS. whose names cannot be
learned were injured slightly in passing
tt..,,-aar. and several ladies in another
,4f We're Frustrated from the shock.
Newport KyJ car. which was near
.s ga.e. mes with remarkable eNpe-
..... It was suddenly brought 10 a
t.,u..tU ty "a fearful shock. and an i'm
,..... mass came crashing through the
r1t This proved. upon examination
t.asa n iron door from the cellar OF the
.gllrg.. which. by some strange ireah
-.fI. explosion. had been blown through
ua falling debris and up into the arr
a man named Jonu Ne!bel, OF TINS CITY,
be-. ust lstt the spot where II ieil' ana
RaIbI back 90 the rear platform no
cle Was burt
rt1 fsemeuts. There were, fortunately
IL, f...srlers on board, and the conduc-
.r and motorman escaped with slight
LJlry
CAUSE or THE EXPLOSION.
r. EXPLOSION was caused by the igni-
lion OF a gasoline tank. AdOlph Drach'
t...r..t.ro. the Ial0On ON the lower floor
t.l recently placed a gasoline engine III
Biz cellar for the purpose Of generating
BUS own gasoline fuel The best authorl-
.., ..ree that the commutator OF the
rgue Ind been burned out setting hie
- the tank OF gasoline. The buidlhs
pas seen to shake for an instant ana
u-u cave n An instant later only an m
tlscrmlnte mass of ruins remained ne
aals ~ the buildings adjoining on either
uie remained intact
The streets all around the block are
b. nil. a. i
almost impossible 20 push ones way
through the throng of excited thousands
1s late as midnight Hundreds OF anxious
l1eiues kept telephones in the vicinity
llsr. and the hospitals and moreue are
tseroI with callers. eager to ascertain
t.s identity OF the dead and dying
DEAD AND INJURED.
The Identified dead and injured, 50 far
&. KNOWN are as follows:
DEAD.
g. a. DAVIS. travelAng-man, Hamilton,
q has "a wife living in Tryon, y. c.
AuOLPH DRACH, proprietor OF saloon.
-Four bodies not yet Identified
THE INJURED.
H. E HUNWICK. book-keeper.
JOSEPH SPRlGGS. colOred porter.
g. S. WELLS. clerk.
SIDNEY ~. JOHNSON, barkeeper
Vs. d. Crosby paper-hanger
WILLIAM =. COOK. clerk. Avondale.
j. D. Ward. race-horse man, Toledo.
BARBARA HI'DDFELMAN, domestic
JOHN MCCARTHY. OF Cincinnati Wharf
Company
PETE BURNS.
CHARLES SPILLO.
90 the injured IL IS believed that sevora
MI dice Several more victims are ye'
beneath The ruins. and everything pos
Ltle .s being done 10 secure the bodies
k. a. Frickc. OF Norwood, was TO have
eft Tor Philadelphia tonight He d
Known 90 have eft his valise In Drach'
saloon early this evening. As he ha'
DOG been seen since the explosion, hi
tenis fear bis body is buried beneath
Ae ruins in the cellar.
PATHETIC INCIDENTS.
pathetic incident Of the work Of re
covery occurred when. by digging through
an adjoining wall. the hremen came upol
John Mccarthy who was lying upon hi
Tack help.cssly plnioneC. Mccarthy Wa
released after the hardest labor, he him
sei assisting bis rescuers by giving then
Instructions how 20 proceed.
Near where Mccarthy was found wcr
'fee other victims, among them
nan and "a child. who have not We
'..n taken from the ruins. The pitfu
means OF the mother. and the cries OF Ia
.lue one. begging her mother TO come L
yep, stimulated the brave fellows. VIII
working with might and main {
ave them. Two pri,Sts-Fathers Tier
Pan and keily-woro conspicuous for thel
it'fia q consolng those beneath Ia
NHs While leaning forward 90 admin
a.ri consolation 20 an unfortunate VIII
PAS crying FOR aid. Father Herman wa