The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-01-05
25 DEAD AND MORE TO DIE
LONDON'S STREETS CROWDED
WITH SORROWING CITIZENS.
TWO REPORTERS TELL TIER STORIES
They Went Down With the Mass and Give a
Vivid Picture Of the Scene of St.ug-
gle and Despair and Death
and Boody Panic.

and Bioody Panic.
London, Jan. 4-The Union Jack to-
day floats at half mast over the City
Hall, but it is not needed to remind the
citizens of the horror of last might. The
City Hall presents the appearance of a
wreck, and the streets in front of it'll
are crowded with curious and sorrow
ing citizens.
The list of dead numbers %, 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 so far as
the minor sufferers are concerned, as
many are able to be about, though suf-
fering bruises, aches and pains as a
result of their terrible fall.
As one looks at the ruins to-day the
wonder is that there were so many es-
capes among the 300 persons who made
the fearful drop. 1t was nothing short
of miraculous that so many are alive
to-day.
City engineer Graydon states that the
cause of the accident was the breaking
of heavy beam which ran beneath the
floor almost at the centre of the space
which gave way. This beam was COM
posed of twelve by timbers, secure
" joined together. The beam broke in
the centre, rolling all the people stand
| ing in this space into one mass. The
| engineer says that the supports of this
floor We're not taken away in making re-
cent alterations. The wall where this
| joist ran was taken out in 1888. The
| engineer did not consider the hall dan
gerous, and says that the tremendous
dead weight simply caused the beam to
snap.
The inquest begun this afternoon es,s
purely formal.
STORY OF TWO REPORTERS.
London, Ont. Jan. 1.-Two reporters
who were hurled into the deadly pit at
the City Hall disaster have written
their stories of the tragedy
City Editor Rossie, of the Advertiser
says;
THE writer was hurled backward in
to the pit and underneath the falling
timbers. When the air cleared of the
dust and the bright chandelier imme-
diately overhead shone into the death
pit, a ghastly sight met the eye. Faces
gashed and covered with blood were
everywhere to be seen. The drawn
countenance of those who suffered i'm
ternally 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
I with small boys distorted with pain. The
clothes and faces of all were ashy with
the dust of plaster, and added to the
horror Of the scene. The greatest num-
nf Fat 4I,
safe crashed through the fioor.''
Harry M. Passmore. a reporter of the
Advertiser, who was at work when the
crash came, was seriously hurt and had
to be taken TO his home He said to-
day:
''The crowd was packed like herrings
in barrel and the reporters found it
impossible to write. We implosed AL
derman Carrothers not to call any more |
speakers, feeling in danger of being In |
jured by the constantly Increasing jana |
Alderman CarrOthers seemed to coincide |
with this view as the crowd continued |
to sway forward in front of the plat- |
form. But the previous speeches, IN |
which threats had been made OF how !
the new council would undertake to |
undo the work of their predecessors, |
semed to so please the crowd that they !
called for other speakers. Suddenly |
there was an ominous cracking OF
smashing timbers. Back slid the report
ers' chairs. There was not time 10
move a limb, there was a tremendous
crash, and the end of us all seemed TO +
have come. There were three Of the
reporters writing at the liable when the
crash came, and carried the floor, plat
form and hundreds OF citizens down
with it. | cannot describe my feelings
when ] found myself pinned down be- /
meath a seething mass of humanity,
Jamed together amid tons OF timbers,
brick, broken furniture and an office
safe. | never heard more heart-rending
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 entreaties of my fellow
sufferers seemed to continue for ages,
while willing hands set about rescuing
us. Ny chair had turned completely
over, the legs were straight up and l
found myself protected by it from being
crushed by the table at which we had
been sitting, and which was also coR-
pletely turned over. From above ne
blood from the killed and wounded be-
gan to trickle and that with the cries
of the dying for deliveranee from their
pains made an impression on nae which
shall never forget.
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