The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-01-04
TERRIBLE SCENE OF DEATH
TWEHTY-FOUR PERSONS KN0WN no
BE Killed.

BE hILLED.
Floor Gives Way in London's City Hall
Where Two Thousand People Were
Holding q Political Celebration IN Honor
of Newly Elected Mayorand Others-The
Number of njured Cannot be Computed.
London, Ont, Jan. 3.-One of the hot
test and most stubbornly contested mu-
nicipal elections ever known in this city
was followed tonight by a fatal acci-
dent that has put the city in mourning.
AT the close Of the polls a crowd gath
cred in the city hall, where it has been
the custom for years past for the sue
cessful candidates to address the cleo
tors. The meeting had been conducted
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 pre-
cipitated to the floor below. An alarm
of fire was sounded and the fire brigade
reported and began the work of remov-
ing the debris and taking from the ru-
ins the bodies of the dead and injured.
AT 2 a. m. twenty -four dead had been
taken from the wreck. Both of the city
hospitals are full and many of the in
jured are at their homes.
How many We're injured will never be
known, as those who suffered but
slightly at once made for their homes or
were taken care of by their friends.
Those who were more seriously injured
were carried to neighboring drug stores,
from whence they were taken to the
hospital or to their homes after their in
juries had been attended to. The dead
were taken to the committee rooms Of
Alderman Parnell, the defeated candi-
date for mayor, across the street.
The building was crowded to the very
doors, probably two thousand people
being jammed in it's narrow space.
There was lull in the proceedings, the
audience called for the newly elected
aldermen and there was a delay in Sc
curing a speaker to address them. AL
derman Carothers joined the mayor in
an effort to secure order. In response
to numerous calls r. M. Toothe was
pushed forward to the platform on
which the speakers stood. AS he reach
ed it 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.
There was a sagging of timbers, and
the next moment one hundred and fifty
people were hurled twenty feet to the
floor below. A beam running twenty
feet along the center of the hall had
given way and the crowded masses that
stood about that section were thrown
into a heap to the bottom. A large
safe was stored in one corner and a
+ huge coil Of wire Weighing half ton
also fell. At the south door, where the
majority of the crowd entered, there
was a terrible panic. Only one-half 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 five hundred persons strug-
gled through the narrow space, the
strong bearing down the weaker.
Within moment after the floor had
fallen in, there were not more than
three persons in the hall on that portion
Of the floor which had not fallen. AL
dernan Cooper was among the first to
be dragged out of the mass of broken
beams and shrieking humanity He
was quickly carried to an adjoining
room and in moment half dozen
more were keeping him company Sew
eral men lowered ropes and endeavored
to haul the wounded out Of the pit.
From under the broken beams came
many cries for help. The windows on
the ground floor were broken In and
the living and dead passed to the wait
Ing ambulances. A glance at the wreck
of the catastrophe disclosed the fact
that 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 was an old one, having
been erected in the early fifties and of
late years additional stories had been
placed on the old walls. In the grand
opera house, which adjoins wrecked
building, the first act of "The Dirt from
PARIS had just been concluded when
word was whispered through the theater
Of the calamity. A panic was immi-
nent, but it was averted by the actors
and ushers and the people quietly left
the building. Among the injured was
the mayor-elect, DIR. Wilson, who was
taken from the ruins. His right leg
was broken. The search for the bodies
was abandoned for the night shortly af-
ter a M