Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1906-01-10
TWENTY PERSONS
MEET HORRIBLE DEATH
Twelve Houses Are Completely
Wrecked In Landslide.
DEBRIS IS FOOD FOR FLAMES
Landslip Caused the Breaking of a
Water Main, and 1t Was impossible
Tins Under the Ruins.

1
were slowly but surely consuming the
bodies of at least is persons, who,
with their homes, were carried TO
death in landslide shortly before mid.
night Monday.
There is little hope that the victims,
including men, women and children,
will ever be identified. The list OF
missing constitute the only known vic
Tins of the landslide. In the east
end of town two blocks of houses are
supposed to have been undermined.
The catastrophe occurred without
warning, and while the victims were
asleep.
| Seven house went down il the crash.
Tney had stood on the brink of a pit
hundred feet deep, and when the clay
gave way, were carried to the pits
bottom
Those who Were not killed were seri.
ously injured or burned to death in the
ruins, which Immediately took fire.
The landslide broke the wafer mains,
shutting off the supply of water and
greatly impeded the work of rescue.
Unresisted, the flames spread to the
other buildings, and but for the timely
| arrival of hundreds of volunteer fire.
fighters, might have wiped out the en-,
| tire town.
Those known to have periShed are:
- Nelson, furniture dealer.
RAniamin Nelson his son
Mrs. Silverman.
- Silverman, a boy.
A Jewish rabbi
Mr. and Mrs. Cohen.
Five Cohen children.
The missing include Mrs. Bailey.
| two of the Mannion family, the entire
Lanny family, seven Hebrew laborers.
The landslide came gradually at first
The ground, weakened by the rain and
snow of the last few days, has shown
| crevices near the edge of the street
| late in the afternoon, and if the even
ing portions of the bank, where the
workmen had been digging clay fol-
brick, began to give away. The sec
tion was not thickly populated, fol
| most of the former dwellers had Jeff
on account OF fear of just what hap
| pened.
When the final slide came, it came
so suddenly that those who had ling
cred in their houses had absolutely
no opportunity to escape.
The bank caved 20 to 60 feet in a.
the top and for a distance of two
| blocks-DivisiOn to Jefferson streets
lengthwise. A portion of the south
side of Division street fell on those
who lived in three houses at the end OF
the row and which did not go down in
| the wreck.
There was a plunge, a shivering on
the earth all around, and then there
was stiffness. When the neigh hbors
rushed, half clad, from their houses
the buildings close to them had dis
appeared. Only gap in the cliff
side told the story 1t was very dark
with no street lights, and those w1t
had been spared were so wild witt
alarm for their own safety that it was
several minutes before any genera
alarm was given.
Before this could be done the frame
structure of the fallen houses had TAX
en- fire from the scattered Goals anG
lights in them. and soon the whole Of
| the wreck was burning tiercely, the
flames rising above the side of the pit.
AS crowds hurried to the scene, anG
the fire department galloped up, a sec
ond landslide occurred.
Several persons who had ventured
near the ledge of the pit were nearly
carried over to death. 1t was neces
sary to move the fire apparatus to in
sure its safety and so uncertain was
the earth that the efforts to rescue were
| greatly retarded. From below mer
entered the pit, but could not get neal
| the wreck of the houses because Of the
| flames. The whole pit grew so hot
/ that those who sought to attack the
fire or rush in and if possible save
some who might have survived the
fall, could not approach the wreck.
Large forces of men who worked ir
the brick yards by day were mustered
to aid in the work of rescue, but theil
efforts were in vain
All of the tenants of the houses still
standing were driven out as the struc
lures are in momentary danger of fol
lowing the others in the pit. Tnese
frightened tenants were cared for by
neighbOrs.
A large force of men are workins
desperately to uncover the ruins O.
the houses carried down UP to II
| o'clock there had been little success
owing TO the great mass of clay to be
removed and to the fact that where
the houses had burned, the debris was
SO hot that the work was very slow.
Latest estimates are that twenty OF
more persons were killed by the land
slide.