Reading, PA Devestating Tornado, Jan 1889

THE EFFECTS OF WEDNESDAY'S STORM APPALLING ALMOST EBYOND CREDENCE.

Dreadful Story that Comes From Reading.

Nearly Two Hundred Girls and Men Buried Beneath the Ruins of the Reading Silk Mill.

Two-Thirds of Whom Figure in a Death List Simply Heartrendering in Its Extent.

Reading, Pa., Jan 10 -- The dreadful work of the death-dealing cyclone which swept over this city last evening is freightful beyond description. Reading is a veritable morgue and hospital. Over 150 households are in mourning as the result of a disaster without a parallel in the history of the city.
The immense paint shops of the Reading railroad, a dozen residences and the large Reading silk mill are in ruins.
There were about 175 girls at work in the silk mill, a huge four-story building covering a block of ground, when the funnel-shaped, death-laden storm-cloud struck the building.
Instantly it went to pieces; the walls and the great tower surmounting the building gave way, carrying floor after floor in succession clear down to the basement.
Then came, even above the trrible roar of the wind, cries of human agony, the most awful that human ears ever heard -- terrible, heartrending cries for help.
Nearly two hundred girls were beneath the immense pile of bricks, mortar and broken timbers. It was a scene to appal the stoutest heart, as the bruised, bleeding, crying and moaning, with clothing almost torn from their bodies, either crawled or were dragged from the ruins. Probably one hundred of the number escaped in this way alive, all more or less wounded, some of them fatally.
All night the work of removing the dead progressed until twenty-two were taken from the ruins.
This leaves in the neighborhood of 100 to be accounted for, and the number may reach and even exceed that figure.
The fact that the foreman, HENRY CROCKER, was killed and that no one else can say how many remained on the late turn in the mill leaves the number in doubt.
The number of killed at the paint shop was not so great, but the scene was even more awful. Fire added to the horrible work of the wind, and at least four human beings burned to death, while twenty others barely escaped with their lives, but more of less bruised.
The work of clearing away the debris at the wrecked silk mill was continued throughout the night without interruption. This morning a large addition was made to the working force, and some twelve additional bodies have been removed. The following ia complete list of the missing and killed handed to a United Press reporter by MR. GRIMSHAW, one of the owners of the mill, up to this hour (10 a. m.):
EWA LEEDS, HARRY KROCKER, WM. SNYDER, KATIE ALSPACH, CELLIA RITNER, MILDRED LAUGER, LIZZIE OWEN, SALLIE O'NEILL, LAURA GEHRET, BARBARA ZILHEIMER, SALLIE BICKLE, MARY WOOLTEN, EMMA PRESSER, LAURA HOFFMAN, SALLIE HASSON, IDA MILLER, HENRY HOFFMEISTER, HESTER SNEIDER, JAMES SALMON, CHARLES DAPLER, ED BROCKWAY, CHARLES FINN, HOWARD SHRADER, AMELIA BOOSLER,
MAGGIE ROWE, EMMA PFLUM, JOHN NEVIN, CLAYTON LUDWIG, GEORGE HERMAN, HARRY FIDLER, ANNIE ROWE, CHARLES REIDER, DANIEL FICK, PAUL LENGEL, ANNIE SHADE, MARY ALT, CLARA FOX, LAURA KERCHER, MAME HEDLEY, CELIA HECKER, MAY REESER, SALLIE YOUNG, IDA ROLLMAN, MINNIE MERKLE, CLARA STOUDT, LYDIA PRESSER, KATIE BOWMAN, ABBIE RISMILLER, MINERVA GIFT, NELLIE SALMON, MARY MELON, BERTHA HAMMON, CELIA ERLACHER, WILLIAM SNIDER, CLIFF FIRESTONE, SALLIE FAUST, AGGIE HOWATER, ANNIE EMES, BERTHA KUSER, SALLIE BERSTLER, MAMIE KINSEY, CLARA ALSPACH, KATIE YEAGER, SALLIE BAUM, ELLA BLUCHER, CARRIE HARTMAN, EMMA DEEMER, LIZZIE MARTIN, IRENE DICKINSON, DOLLIE HAINES, MARY HARTMAN, AMELIA CHRISTMAN, ANNIE SAYLER, CHARLES HOYER, WELLINGTON LENGLE, JAMES FINN, FRED REIFF, JAMES NEVIN, HARRY FISHER, HARRY TEMPLIN, LENA SNIDER, GERTIE SHICK, SOPHIE FREESE, PHILIP ZEIDEL, FRANK MOHR, WILLIE CROW, JACOB ZEIDEL, CARRIE MOYER, MARY FAY, HOWARD LEES, EMMA EICHMER, KATIE COXEN, GERTIE BICKEL, ALICE LONG, KATIE LINK, MARY SCHIEFLER, KATIE GUINTHER, ANNIE DRIEBELBIS, DAISY BECKER, PAULINE ALT, ELLA LAMB, ANNIE KLINE, MAGGIE NAGLE, MINNIE DETRUNK, EMMA COXEN, HARRY LESHER, JENNIE HARTMAN, TILLIE GROW, MARY SCHAEFER, KATE SUENDER, LIZZIE BARRETT, ALICE EISENBAUER, DORA DEITSCH, KATIE KIPPLER, CARRIE KERSHNER, MARY BERSTLER, HANNAH CLEAVER, EMMA NESTER, KATE LEBO.
About thirty bodies have been removed, and it is thought at least sixty are still in the ruins.
The dwellings in the track of the storm this morning present a terrible sight. Fortunately no one was injured in any of the latter. The storm did considerable damage in the northern part of the county, but the wires are down and it is impossible to furnish details.
A correct list of the killed and wounded at the paint shop is as follows:
Killed:
ALLEN LAUDENBERGER, head, legs and arms missing.
JOHN FOREMAN, crushed to death.
JOHN U. KAHLER, carpenter, head crushed.
SHERIDAN JONES, burned to death.
GEORGE A. SCHAEFFER, legs burned off.
Injured:
GEORGE KNABB, seriously.
A. DEWALD, arm broken.
The loss to the silk mill, on building and machinery, will reach $140,000. The Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company , by the burning of the paint shops and passenger cars, lose $65,000.

The Saturday Herald Decatur Illinois 1889-01-12
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!