Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1902-04-03
Wild PANIC IN CHURCH
Wind Storm Caused Part of Ceiling
to Fall Upon Worshippers.
FIVE OF THE VICTIMS MAY DIE

Easter Sermon Building Was Un-
rooted and Large Chimney Blew Into
Church-Scores of Houses Damaged.
Pittsburg. Pa, March 31.-One OF
the fiercest wind storms ever known
III this section struck the city yester-
day just before noon and did almost
incalculable damage to property and
injured many people, some OF whom
may die from the effects OF their
wounds Scores OF houses were un-
rooted many trees were blown down,
min stacks toppled over, and tele-
graph and telephone wires were gen
orally disabled.
The most serious accident reported
last night was the unroodng of the
Knoxville Presbyterian Church, in
Knoxville The church at the time
was filled with an Easter congregation
numbering about coo pers sls While
the minister was in the midst of his
sermon a particularly strong gust OF
wind blew over the large chimney and
lifted a portion of the roof off the
building. The bricks from the Chin
ney crashed through the roof and car
Ticd a huge piece of the hardwood
ceiling. measuring about 40 by 20 feet,
down upon the worshippers in the
peWs.
an indescribable panic ensued and
a frantic rush was made for the doors
and windows. The excitement was
soon quieted and the work of rescue
begun. At least 40 persons were
caught by the wreckage and more or
less hurt. OF this number five may
net recover The more seriously in
jured are: DR.. X. j. Phillips, concus-
sion of brain. may die; Curtis Ray
Mcknight. aged 4 years, internal in
jlries, both legs crushed, probably
fatal Clarence McNulty, internal in
iuries, badly crushed. may die;
Fletcher Byron. fracture at base of
brain, serious; David Smith, arm
broken, head cut and badly battered,
serious; Albert Schmidt both arms
broken and head cut None Of the
others injured are seriously hurt.
Lightning Struck This One.
AS Rev J. w. English. pastor of the
Robinson Run U. p Church, near Nc
Donald, was raising his arms to pro-
nOunce the bencdictiOn, lightning
struck the church spire and it toppled
upon the roof, crushing it and injuring
a number of worshippers, two OF whom
viii die.
The injured are: Robert Patterson
aged 10 years, skull fractured, will
die Leon Averill, aged / years, skull
fractured, will die.
The spire and part of the roof of
the u. =. Church, at Mcdonald was
torn off and the building considerably
damaged, but no one was injured. The
Noblestown Presbyterian Church was
also unroofed but the congregation
escaped injury
The Forest Oil company had be-
tween 200 and 800 derricks blown
down in its Mcdonald region and con.
siderable damage was sustained by
its pipeage system. The Offices of the
Nonongaheia Connecting Railroad, on
Second avenue, this city, were de-
stroyed by fire during the afternoon,
because no alarm could be turned in
either by phone or telegraph. The
Armstrong Cork company's plant, on
Liberty avenue. between Twenty-fifth
and Twenty-siXth streets, was un-
rooted and much damage done to the
machinery and stock. More than $500
pancs of glass in the Phipps Conserva-
tory in Shenley Park were broken and
much of the gorgeous Easter flower
display ruined. The Montana apart
ment house, at Penn avenue and Fair
mount street East End, and the Idaho
building, which adjoins it, were par
TALLY destroyed.
The tow boat Belle MCGOWAN was
blown over into the Ohio river oppo-
site Saw Mill Run and completely
wrecked. Her crew narrowly escaped
drowning, but all were finally rescued
by harbor boats. The corrugated iron
roof of the Union bridge at the Point
was lifted from it's fastenings by the
wind and parts of it carried a distance
OF a mile. The Whittier school house,
on Mount Washington, was unroofed
and it's walls badly twisted. Jones &
Mclaughlin has IA of their furnace
stacks blown down, necessitating the
shut down of a portion of their plant
for weeks.
At GTeensburg Pa, the damage was
considerable Nearly 5000 feet of roof
of the Kelly & Jones Co. plant was
carried away and cast into a fish pond
a third of a mile distant.
HvCI ONE wRECkEn CHIIPcL