The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1898-01-05
Death List Resulting From the
Collapse of the City Hall is
Twenty-Five.
Probable That Several Others
Will Be Added Before the
List Is Complete.
Political Meeting in Progress at
the Time and the Building
Was Packed.

LONDON, Jan. 5.-The union jack
floats at half mast over the city hall,
but it is not needed to remind the citi-
zens of the horror OF the night. The
city hall presents the appearance Of q
wreck and the streets in front Of it are
crowded with the curious and SORROW
ing citizens.
The list Of dead numbers 25, but it is
much to be feared that it is not yet
complete. Many of the injured are
not expected to recover, and others will
be confined to their beds days, weeks
and some for months. The list of
injured can never be made complete in.
sofar as the minor sufferers are con.
cerned, as many are able to be about,
though suffering bruises, aches and
pains as result of their terrible fail.
City Engineer Graydon states that
the cause of the accident was the break
ing of heavy beam which ran beneath
the floor almost at the center OF the
space which gave way. The beam
broke in the center, throwing all the
people stanLing within a large space
into one mass. The engineer did not
consider the hall dangerous, and says
the tremendous weight simply caused
the beam TO snap.
The occasion was the closing Of
/ the municipal campaign and the hail
was crowded. to hear IN. addresses of
! the successful candidates. Al mid.
night 26 bodies had been taken from
the wrecked building and identified.
How many were injured will never te
known rs those who suffered but
| slightly at once made for their homes
or were cared for by friends. Those
who were more seriously injured, were
carried to neighboring drug stores,
whence they were taken to the hos.
pitfalls or to their homes after their in.
jurics had been attended 10. The dead
We're taken TO the committee rooms Of
/ Alderman Parnell, the defeated candi.
date for mayor, directly across the
! street.
Building Crowded to the Doors.
At the close OF the polls a crowd
gathered in the city hall, where it has
been the custo III for years past for the
successful candidates to address the
electors. The building was crowded to
the very doors, probably 1900 people
being jammed i'll its narrow scope. In
response to numerous calls, Il. NJ.
Toothe was pushed forward to the plat.
form on which the speakers stood. As
he reached 1t there was an ominous
cracking and the raised platform on
which the mayor and newly elected
aldermen We're sea;cd seemed to pitch
forward to the floor. There was a sag.
ging of timbers and the next moment
100 people were hurled 20 feet TO the
floor below. a beam running 20 fee,
along the center of the hall had given
way and the crowded mass standing
above that section Of the floor was
thrown i'll heap to the bottom. \
large safe stood III one corner of the
hall and with huge steam coil weigh.
ing half ton came crashing down on
the heads of the victims.
| Panic Followed the Crash.
Following tho crash there was wild
rush for the doors. AT the south door
where the majority of the crowd Lad
entered, there was terrible panic
Those in front were thrown down b,
the oncoming rush, shrieking and fight
ing for the door and safety. Only one
half Of the rear door, u space of prob
ably three feet, was open, and in tn,
mad rush no one thought to open the
door III its entirety and 500 peopl,
struggled through the narrow space
the strong bearing down the weaker
An investigation Of the wreck after
the catastrophe disclosed the fact tha
whole section Of the floor had dropped
the joists having been rs neatly cut OF
as though the work had been done wit.
saw.
The building was an old one, havin,
been erected in the early 50's, and o
late years additional stories had beer
placed OH the old walls.
Many Of the Victims Are Boys.
Many Of those carried down by tn,
falling floor were boys ii to Is year
old. Some of them managed to squirn
from under heavy beams where mel
could not move. Despite this, however
n number of them were killed, thei
lives being crushed out by the beam
which gradually settled upon them
borne down by the heavy iron safe an,
the steam coil that had fallen on top 6
Of the wreckagc
Although tho platform on which tn
speakers of the evening were standin;
was apparently the first thing to Civ
way, the mayor.elect and many alder
men escaped the death that overtool
so many others who followed them int,