Year: 1870

The Richmond Enquirer of yesterday comes
to us in mourning, and filled with particulars of
the terrible accident. The Enquirer publishes
LETS of the killed and wounded, together with
matters that have already been sent by tele-
graph, but we find in its account other passages
of interest. 1t says:-


In this generation such calamity has not
befallen our city as appalled, our people yester-
day morning. The daily papers having an
nounced that the Court of Appeals would make
their decision at II o'clock in the Elyson-Cha-
hoon Mayoralty case, an immense crowd packed
the courtroom, in the second story of the Capt.
tol, before the hour named. The courtroom
is Just over the hall of the House of Delegates,
and was literally packed in every. part with
persons eager to hear the expected decision.
Suddenly the packed gallery gave way and was
thrown forward with heavy concussion into
the centre of the courtroom. This occurrence,
with the rush and surging of the crowd,
caused the whole floor to break through from
the walls and sink in cloud of dust, and
laden with its load of human beings, down into,
the hall of the House of Delegates below. The
mass which fell buried beneath its ruins the
persons who happened then to be in the hall.
1t is exceedingly fortunate that the catastrophe
happened at the early hour of III for if it had
occurred after the House of Delegates had met
scarcely any of the members could have
escaped. A large meeting OF delegates which
had been held in the hall had just adjourned.


The scene which was presented after the fall
of the suspended courtroom was frightful be-
yond description. A thick cloud of dust filled
the vast space. Every individual of the vast
tbropg of human beings was begrimed with
drst. Many were bleeding and groaning from the
injuries they had received. Many lay dead
in the promiscuous crowd. Through the incum-
bent floor of the fallen room the legs, and arms,
and heads of the persons who had been caught
beneath it were protruding; some still under the
spell of death; others moving in efforts at extri
cation, or in the agony of pain and suffering
The greater number of the persons who went
down with the floor readily made their escape
from the hall below These who were struck by
timbers and caught by the gallery above, and
those who were in tho lower hall and caught by
the falling mass, were the sufferers from the
occurrence. 1t is q cause Of thankfuness that 50
small proportion of the great number of per-
sons who were in the courtroom has been in
jured. The judges of the court itself all escaped
unhurt. They were in the conference room,
just about going into the courtroom, when the
floor sank. They were at the door of the con-
ference-room in time to see the sinking of the
throng of men, but were fortunately tardy
enough to escape being involved in the catas-
trophe.


THE FIRE BELL RUNG.
Some thoughtful ones ran to the Dollhouse,
and obedient to their suggestion, the bell men
commenced tolling, which soon brought out the
fire department and many citizens. The report
was rife, and for some time believed, that the
Capitol was on fire. The movement of the
fremen confirmed that impression.
The heavy timbers ETC., had been pitched out
OF the windows. The records OF the court, such
as had been recovered, were thrown into the
railing enclosing Washington's statue, together
with hundred hats and as many shoes.


THE DEAD AND WOUNDED.


The corpses of those taken from the ruins
were all laid on the grass on both sides of the
Capitol, as were the wounded The wounded
and dead were alike borne away as soon as their
friends could be informed of their condition.


The catastrophe destroyed the room of the
Supreme Court of Appeals, the Clerks office,
and completely wrecked the Hall Of the House
of Delegates. In the latter place, the Speakers
chair and all the desks on the east side were
crushed, page killed. and twenty-one members
Injured.


had been cleared off, and the floor, covered with
eighteen inches of plaster and laths, was left in
charge of policeman. 1t was considered hardly
possible that any more unfortunates were buried
beneath.


AID FROM HEADQUARTERS.


Immediately upon hearing of the. terrible acci-
dent General Candy despatched one of his aids,
Lieutenant Heintzelman, to Governor Walker,
offering any aid it was in his power to furnish
The stretchers and ambulances in charge of Dr.
Rose arrived on the Square and were put to use
Both DR.. Rose and DR.. King of the regular SER
vice, were busily employed in administering to
the wants of the wounded


TEE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT.


glance at the inside of the walls OF the
buildings revealed the cause of the frighttu
calamity. The old hall in which the lower
house meets was 30 very high that when it was
deemed necessary to have additional offices il
the Capitol, floor was thrown across, and thus
two stories made of one In doing this the
architect, instead of inserting the floor beams IL
the wall, rested them upon ledge offset il
the wall, which projects not more than fou
inches, and on this frail support timbers mea
suring at least two feet by eight or ten inche
thick were rested, the constant tendency o
which was to press out the walls and lessen thu
support For many years the floor has beef
concave to an extent that was alarming, bu
familiarity had, as usual, removed the doubts o
It's safety.


GOVERNOR WALKER.


Governor Walker was in his Office, only sepa
rated from the fated room by a smaller room
occupied by himself and Colonel Owens whei
the crash came. Colonel Owens becomin!
aware of the disaster communicated it to hi
EXcellency, and both at once made for the lowe
part of the building. On the stairs the Governo
met crowd rushing frantically above Ill
stopped them in q tone of command, and pre-
vented any from going until they could be q
service. AS the wounded were removed an
men were called for, he allowed them to go in
adding 'if you mean work."


The Enquirer has the following editorial:


In the midst of life we are in death Sorro
follows Joy as clouds follow sunshine. In fac
when we are most hopeful and freest from care
events come upon us to remind us that ou
days upon earth are as a shadow" Yesterda
morning, with buoyant heart, we sat down an
prepared for this column q frivolous editoria
that would be now as inappropriate as q wed