Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1898-01-07
THIRTY ARE KILLED.
FRleHTFUL CATASTROPHE At A Po-
LlTlcAL MEETING IN CANADA.
The FIoo. Of the City HAN, which was
Densely Packed, Gave way, Buryins
Hundreds In the RuIrs-Tbirty Dead
Bodies Taken From the Debris.

Ahe FioOs OF the City Hail, Which was
Denseiy Packed, Gave way, Buryins
Hundreds In the RuIns-Tbirty Dead
Bodies Taken From the Debris.
London Ont, Jan. 4.-One Of the
most stubbornly contested municipal
elections ever known in this city cul-
minated last night in a tragedy that
has put the city in m0rning. At the
close Of the polls the crowd as is usual,
gathered in the city hall, where 1t has
been the custom for years past for the
successful candidates to address the
electors The meeting had been con-
Quoted in the usual manner and was
about to be closed when the floor in the
northeast corner of the hall gave way,
and the people situated in that section
were percipitated to the floor below An
alarm Of fire was sounded, and the
brigade soon reported and began the
work OF removing the debris and taking
from the ruins the bodies Of the dead
and injured
Thirty bodies have been removed
from the wrecked building and identi-
fed. How many we're injured will new
er be known, as those who suffered but
slightly at once started for their
homes or were taken care of by their
friends. Those who were more serious
~ Injured were carried to neighboring
drug stores, whence they were taken to
the hospital or to their homes after
their injuries had been attended to-
The dead were taken to the committee
rooms of Alderman Parnell the defeat
ed candidate for mayor, across the
street. The building was crowded to
the very doors, probably 1000 people be-
/ ing Jammed in its narrow space.
There was a lull in the proceedings.
the audience called for several of the
newly elected aldermen at once and
/ there was some delay in securing a
| speaker to address them. Alderman
/ Carrothers Joined the mayor in an ef-
fort to secure quiet. In response to nu-
merous calls r. M. Toothe was pushed
forward to the platform on which the
/ speakers stood. AS he reached it there
was an ominous cracking, and the rails
ed platform on which the mayor and
newly elected aldermen were seated
seemed to pitch forward to the floor.
sagging OF the TImbers.
There was a sagging of timbers, and
the next moment $50 people were hurl-
ed 20 feet to the floor below. A beam
running 20 feet along the center of the
hall had given way, and the crowded
mass standing above that section of the
floor was thrown in a heap to the bot
tom. A large safe stood in one corner
of the hall and huge steam coil weigh
ing ton, and they came crashing down
on the heads of the victims.
Following the crash there was q wild
rush for the doors. At the south door,
where the majority of the crowd had
] - 10 Ia
Those in front were thrown down by
the oncoming rush, shrieking and fight
ing for the door and safety. Only one
half of the rear door, a space Of proba-
bly, three feet, was open, and in the mad
rush no one thought to open the door
completely, and 500 people struggled
through the narrow space. the stronger
bearing down the weaker. Within q
moment after the floor had fallen In
there were not more than three persons
in the hall on that portion of the fiool
which had not fallen.
A glance at the wreck after the ca
tastrophe disclosed the fact that a whole
section of the floor had dropped, the
joists being as neatly cut off as though
the work had been done with saw
The building is an old one, having beer
erected in the early fifties, and of late
years additional stories have beer
placed on the old walls.
In the Grand Opera House, which ad.
joins the wrecked building, the first act
of "The Girl From Paris" had just beer
concluded, when word was whispered
through the theater of the calamity
A panic was imminent, but was avertet
by the actors and ushers, and the peo.
pie quietly left the building.
The injured include the newly elected
mayor, several aldermen, the water
commissioner and several newspaper
men.