The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-04

John turner.
John w. Bernland.
Frank Robinson.
c. Beckett.
n Carrothers.
- Harris.
John Smith.
A. Phillips.
Ben Nash.
- Hilburn.
James Mclean.
John Barridge.
Oswald Bruce.
B. jacques.
Unidentified man.
The injured, so far as can be learned,
include the following:
DR. Wilson, the mayor-elect, leg broken.
Alderman Carrothers, slightly injured.
Edward Merkin.
Burgess.
William Gray, leg broken.
- Fleming, both arms broken
William Jones, water commissioner
elect, badly bruised.
Joshua Darch.
John Blanch.
Alderman Nell Cooper.
- Van Wyck.
George w. Yates. city editor of the
News.
Harry Passmore, reporter on the Adver-
tiser.
How many were injured will never be
known, as 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 neighbor-
ing drug stores, whence they were taken
10 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 defeated
candidate for mayor, directly across the
street.
At the close of the polls a crowd gath
cred in the city hall, where it has been
the custom for years for the successful
candidate to address the electors.
The building was crowded to the very
doors, probably 1000 people being jammed
within its narrow space.
There was a lull in the proceedings when
the audience called for several of the new
ly elected aldermen at once, and there was
some delay in securing a speaker to ad-
dress them.
Alderman Carrothers joined the mayor
in an effort to secure quiet.
In response to numerous calls r. NJ.
Toothe was pushed forward to the plat
form on which the speakers stood AS he
reached it there was an ominous cracking,
and the raised platform on which the
mayor and newly elected aldermen were
seated seemed to pitch forward to the
floor There was sagging of .timbers and
the next moment one hundred and fifty
people were hurled twenty feet TO the floor
below.
beam running twenty feet along the
center of the hall had given away and
the crowded mass standing above that
section of the floor was thrown in heap
10 the bottom
large safe stood in one corner of the
nall, and with a huge steam coil. weigh
ing half a ton, came crashing down on
the heads of the victims.
Following the crash there was a wild
rush for the doors At the south door,
where the majority OF the crowd had en-
tered, there was a terrible panic Those
IN front were thrown down by the oncom-
ing rush, shrieking and fighting for the
uoor and safety.
only one-half of the rear door, a space
oI probably three feet, was open, and in
the mad rush no one thought to open the
ooor in it's entirety and $50 people strug-
sed through the narrow space, the strong
bearing down the weaker
within a moment after the floor had
Ialen in there were not more than three
persons in the hail on that portion of the
Hoor which had not fallen.
Alderman Neil Cooper was among the
Hrst TO be dragged out of the mass Of
broken beams. He was quickly carried
20 an adjoining room, and in a moment
halt dozen more were keeping him COM
pan..
Several men lowered ropes and endeav-
ored to haul the wounded out OF the pit
from under the massed weight of the
oroken beams came many cries for help
The windows on the ground floor were
broken in and the living and dead were
,endery passed to the waiting ambu-
lanees
An investigation into the cause of the
catastrophe disclosed the fact that whole
section of the floor had dropped, jolsts
having been neatly cut off, as though the
work had been done with a saw.
Ihe building is an old one, having beer
erected in the early Sos and of late years
addltional stories had been placed on the
walls.
In the Grand Opera house. which ad
JOINS the wrecked building, the first act
oi "A Girl From Paris" had just been con.
ttuded when word was passed through the
ueater OF the calamity. A panic was
l'llminent, but 1t was averted by the act.
ors ana ushers and the people quietly left
the building.
Many Many Of these carried down by the fall
nls OF the floor were boys, Il
~ years old. Some of then
,,'ngnaged to squirm under heavy beams
thnou me men could not move. Despite
is' number were killed their lives
NelHB crushed out bv tha bcauns gradual