The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-01-04

are known TO have been killed and many
injured by the collapse. of a floor in the
city hall tonight Tonight closed the
municipal campaign, and the hall was
crowded TO hear the addresses of the
successful candidates.
At midnight the bodies of the following
had been taken out and identified: F.
Heaman, c. Beckett, E Luxton, n. Car
others, r. Leigh, - Harris, I. W.
Burke. John Smith, - Talbot, A. Phil
lips, John Turner. Ben Nash, j. w.
cortland, - Hilburn. Frank Robinson,
James Mclean, John Barridge, Oswald
Bruce 3. Jacques, unidentified man.
Those who were more seriously injured
We're taken to neIghboring drug stores,
whence they were taken TO the hospital
or to their homes, after their injuries had
been attended to.
rooms OF Alderman Parnell, the defeated
candidate Tor mayor, directly across the
street.
The injured. so far as can be learned.
include the following:
DR.. Wilson, the mayor-eiect; leg broken
Alderman Carothers, slightly injured;
Edward Mopkin, - Burgess, William
Gray, leg broken; - Fleming, both
arms broken; William Jones, water COM
missioner-elect, badly bruised; Joshua
Darchud, John Blanch, Alderman Neil
Cooper, van WICK, george W.
Yates, city editor News; Harry Passmore.
reporter on the Advertiser staff.
HOW IT HAPPENED.
At the close of the polls, crowd had
gathered in the city nail, where II had
been the custom i'll years past for the
successful candidates 10 address the peo-
pie.
The hall was crowded to the very doors,
probably 2,OOO people being damned in its
narrow space Inere-was lull IN the
proceedings when the audience called Tor
several OF the neWly-elected aldermen at
once, and there was some delay IN Sc
curing a speaker TO address them. Alder
man Carothers Joined the mayor IN an
effort TO secure quiet. In response TO
numerous calls. X. NJ. Toothe was pushed
forward to the platform 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 seated seemed to
pitch forward TO the floor.
HURLED BELOW.
There was a sagging of timbers, and
the next moment $50 people were hurled
20 feet TO the floor below. A beam run
nln~ - feet along the center of the hall
had given away and the crowded mass
standing above that section of the floor
was thrown in a heap TO the bottom. A
large safe stood in one corner Of the hall,
and. with a huge steam coil, weighing
half a ton. came crashing down on the
heads of the victims.
Following the crush there was a wild
rush for the doors. At the south door.
where the majority of the crowd had
entered. there was a terrific panic. Those
in front were thrown down by the on
coming rush. shrieking and fighting for
the door and safety. Only One-haIf of
the rear door, a space of probably three
feet, was open, and in the mad rush no
one thought to open the door in its en-
tirety and so 800 people struggled through
the narrow space, the strong bearing
down the weaker.
Alderman Neil Cooper was among the
( first TO be dragged out of the mass OF
broken beams. He was quickly carried
to an adjoining room and in q moment
half d dozen more were keeping his COM
pany.
CRIES FOR HELP.
Several men lowered ropes and en-
deavOred to haul the wounded out of the
pit. From under the maSSed weight OF
the broken beams came many cries for
help. The windows on the ground floor
We're broken in and the living and the
dead were tenderly passed to the waiting
ambulance.
An investigation of the wreck after the
catastrophe had happened disclosed the
fact that a whole section of the floor had
dropped, the joints having been as neatly
cut off as though the work had been done
with q saw.
The building was an old one, having
been erected in the early Sos, and of late
years additional stories had been placed
on the old walls.
In the Grand Opera house, which joins
the wrecked building the first act of The
Girl from Paris had just been completed
when word was whispered through the
theatre OF the disaster. a panic was i'm
minent but was avoided by the actors
and ushers, and the people quietly left
the building.
LATEST BULLETIN.
At a. m. the deaths resulting from the
wreck of the city hall number 30 and it is
said that the list is likely to be even
larger. many of the injured being in a
serious condition. Owing to the fact that
many of the injured were carried to their
homes. it is difficult to gather names.
. a. m.-TWenty-four known dead is the
list at this hour. In addition to those
named already these are dead: w. H.
Dell, Stephen Williams, John Fellows,
Allen 'Towe.
Both of the city hospitals are full and
many of the injured are at their own
! homes.
Further search in the building has been
abandoned for the night.
MANY WERE BOYS.
Many of those carried down by the fall
ing floor were boys. IA to 16 years old.
Some OF them managed to squirm from
under heavy beams. where men could not
move DESPITE this. however. a number
of them were killed. their lives being
! crushed out by the beams, which grad
- ~UU(s. w. - !.