The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-01-05
CITY MAY DE LIABLE.
Question Of Responsibility in London,
Ontario, Disaster.
PRINCIPAL POINT TO BE DE-
TERMINED BY INQUEST.


Yesterday-Two Reporters Tell of
Their Experience-The Cause of the
Accident.
London, Ont, January 4.-The Union
Jack floats at half mast today over the
City hall, but is not needed to remind the
citizens of the horror of last night.
Daylight reveals scene of the hor-
rors of death, the victims having all been
removed to their homes, but the city hall
presents the appearance of wreck, and
the street. in front of it is crowded with
the curious and sorrowing citizens.
The list of dead numbers S3, but 1t is
much to be feared that it is not yet
complete. Many of the injured are not
| expected to recover, and many others will
be confined to their beds, days, weeks and
some for months.
| The coroner's inquest on the City hall
disaster began this afternoon but the pro-
ceedings were purely formal. One of the
bodies was viewed by the jury and then
an auJOurnmenb was taken.
The whole point of the inquest will
turn on the liability of the city to the
relatives and friends of the deceased. A
number of local architects will testify
| that the building was unsafe and should
| have been condemned. This will be the
! basis of the claims that will be made
| against the city.
| hiayor-elect Wilson is much more
seriously hurt than he permitted his
! friends to observe last night, when he
| worked until nearly one O'Clock among
| the wounded. He visited both hospitals
and with the other doctors did all in his
power to relieve the sufferers, although
4 he himself was suffering from the wounds
/ he received when on the floor. His left
side was badly bruised and cut and so
too were his arms, legs and back. He is
now confined to his bed.
| Alderman-elect Cooper is reported to
be in a serious condition, being injured
| Internally.
| A meeting of the council was held this
evening when measures were taken to re-
| lieve any temporary financial distress
caused by the accident and to seq that all
remains are carried out in proper man
ner, the city guaranteeing all expenses.
| Benjamin j. Nash, whose body was
taken from the ruins badly mangled, was
one OF the most prominent citizeus of
| London.
John Turner. another of those killed,
was also prominent in civic affairs,
| having served as alderman for c .,---nber
| of years.
r. Two reporters who were hurled into the
deadly pile at the City hail. have written
their stories of the tragedy. They both
| are cool headed men, obseryant under all
circu,n stances, and what they write is
therefore of in terest. One writes anony-
mously. but he is understood to be City
Editor Rosie of the Advertiser. He says:
1.-THE writer was hurled backwards in
to the pit and underneath the falling
timbers. When the airncleared off the
dust and the bright chandelier Immediate
ly over head shone into the death pit, a
ghastly sight met the eyes. The faces
gashed and covered with blood were
every ywhere to be seen.
The drawn countenances of those who
suffered internally and were in the
throes of death were also among the
number. Old men with gray hair and
boards matted with blood, lay pinned in
the heap along with small boys distorted
with pain. The clothes and faces of all
We're ashy with the dust of plaster and
added to the horror of the scene. The
greatest number of fatalities occurred
where the iron safe crashed through the
floor"
Mr.. Harry M. Passmore, a reporter of
tie Advertiser, who was at work when
the crash came, was seriously hurt and
had to be take to his home. He was seen
this morning and after describing the
events leading to the crash, said:
suddenly there was an ominous crack
OF tlmbers. Back slid the reporters
chairs. There was not time to move a
limb before there was tremendous crash
and the end of us all seemed to have
come. There were three of the reporters
writing at the table when the crash came,
and carried the floor, platform and hun
drods of citizens down with it. There
was no warning, and the surging mass
went down without moments s notice.
cannot describe my feelings when found
myself pinned down beneath seething
mass of humanity, jammed together amid
tons of timber, bricks, broken furniture
and office safe. l never heard more
earnest or more heartfelt cries in my life,
than those of the dying and wounded, as
they lay all around above and beneath
me. The prayers, the groans, the en-
treaties of my fellow sufferers, seemed to
continue for ages, while willing hands set
about rescuing u.s.
City Engineer Grayson states that the
cause of the accident was the breaking of
the heavy beam which ran beneath the
floor almost at the center of the space
which gave way. This beam was COM
posed of II 3x4 timbers, securely Joined
together.
The joints ran east and west from the
beam, resting on the front and rear walls
of the engineers office. There was space
of eighteen feet The beam broke in the
center, throwing all the people standing
i'll this space into one mass. The engineer
states that the supports of this floor were
not taken away in making recent altera-
tlons. The engineer does not consider the
hall dangerous.
L. A. W. NATIONAL MEET.