The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-11-04
DEF, AIS OF The
CAPT al HORROR
Eve Witnesses Describe the Terrible.
Scene.
HUNDREDS IN THE RUINS.
|DREDs in THE RUINS.
Dead, Dying and Injured Pinned
Down by Falling Iitnbers
and Masonry The
Casualty List.

The awful horror OF wednesday, Apr,
"a. 1870. IS still fresh IN the minds OF
many Richmonders. but there are mary
Of The younger generation who have only
thea-d Of II.
The following account of the terrible
calamity is taken verbatim from a copy
az The Richmond Even .ag News. of April
e, 1870, and viii prove of interest TO
many. The paper was found among the
effects of the late Miss Elizabeth Van
Lew:
.our city has this day been visited by
st.ns of those terrible calamities such as
do not occur more than once in two or
three generations. We have to mourn the
Joss of some of our best and most prom
tnent citizens, by the falling IN OF tue
floor of the room Of the Court OF Appea 5.
which had assembled for tho purpose Oh
delivering its decision in the case no"
pending. in which the question OF the
ma craIty is TO be beaded The ln'eresL
feI. in this question caused TIE largest
attendance that ever before met in the
rom.
no event which has occurred IN Rich-
ro,,d since the burning Of the theatre al;
1911. has brought to our people such q
shock SIS the occurrences Oh fo-uay- ~
time Of war when mems souls were
HIdCeO 10 encounter W. io~'NN'A
with a kinG Of forced coinnoshre upon
dealt, and wounds but on a bright and
beautiful spring day, IN time OF pro
found peace, TO see our beautiful Square
covered win the forms of the dead. the dy-
ing. and the manned. has fallen on us Ike
a bolt of thunder from a cloudiess Sky.
The Court OF Appeals was being formed.
The Judges had arrived. and two were
Just entering the ROOM when the floor,
crowded with "A cIosely-2acked audience.
estimated at at least 800 persons, was
seen to sink Il little, and then assuming
tnonentarily the shape OF an inverted
cone, sank down like a huge crater. ME-.
William II. Grant was just enter ne the
room as the whole mass was precipitated
and with n cornmendable presence of
mind ran at once IN the bel1-house and
gave the alarm. When he reached the
spot streams of dust were rushing from
The window at the north and east sides.
and rose like huge column of smoke
above the building. With character
istc J,remptness Governor Walker had
taken command and with a word and
bearing that no one dared TO dispute, pre-
vented the rush of a. mob into the build
Ing. lie stood half way up The steps to the
west entrance and ordered each ono who
attempted 10 ascend tn stand by nm
until he WAS needed. and as the wounded
were removed and men We're called Tor.
lie allowed tlll1n 10 go in, adding If you
mean to work When he entered the
house AVG learned that Capt. John Poe.
ainder the Governors directions, was in
command, and vel as he could under
the circumstances, giving proper directions.
Looking into the door of the Hall of the
House of Delegates. we saw the whole
floor filed to a depth Of six or eight feet
With the timber and plaster which had
formerly separated the Two stories-while
a score or more OF strong and earnest
men were doing their utmost to rescue tho
injured We take great pleasure in stating
that not ilc least prominent among them
were John Cooley. The door-kceper of the
House and Walter Charge. 4 barber.
They SC med endowed with more than
human strength, and their example was
,lobly followed by other colored men who
sti'ove 1o do their utmost to assist in re-
moving The sufferers TIE noise and din
or the struggle Ia remove the ruin was
not loud enough 10 drown the groans and
cries of the sufferers. and. as the sra-
dual removal of the rubbish revealed a
part of the form of some Of the buried
the worIunen increased their exertions.
No one who has not seen i sim lar oc-
cureuce can form any idea of the diff
Guilty attending it in consequence Of the
dust which filed the air. Strong men
whose arms and legs were untired, We're
compelled 10 cease their eNertions and rush
10 a window TO relieve themselves of the
dust and get a inouthful of fresh air.
The Hook and Ladder Company hurried
10 the rescue with pronlDtness that is
worthy OF al commentator. Without wait
ing for their horses they manned the ropes
and in a few moments had their ladders
planted at The windows. and with ropes
and steady hands. eased down the suffer
ers as they descended to the ground
General NewberTy, the superintendent of
Public Buildings. also conspicuous
Tor his wel-directed exertions and did
good service by controlling and directing
those who We're working faithfully, but
without system.
THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT.
A glance at the inside OF the walls OF
the buildings revealed the cause of this
6riEhtful calamity. The old Hall, in which
the lower House meet, was so very high
that when it was deemed necessary to
have additional Offices In the CAPITOL, a
floor was thrown across. and thus two
stories made of one. In doing this the
architect, instead OF inserting the floor
beams in the wall. rested them upnn a
ledge or offset in the wall, which projects
not more than four inches. and on this
i-ail support, tInbers measuring at least
Two feet by eight or ten inches thick. were
rested, the constant tendency of which
was TO press out the walls and lessen the
support. For many years the floor has
been concave 10 an extent that was
alarming, but familiarity had. as usual
removed the doubt OF its safety.
Where everybody VIVA could. worked
hard, il is not proper to discriminate We
however. mention among those who did
excellent services. as seen by us-AIr Hem
~ Exall. Mr. William Beaie Captain
John Poe and several of the nolicemen.
whose names we could not ascertain. while