Pittsburgh, PA Tornado, Jan 1889 - Killed and Wounded

The list of dead identified is as follows: Samuel Stringer, aged 16 years, printer; Thomas Jones, bricklayer; Charles Fritch, aged 16 years; George Mason, carpenter; colored boy named Fergie, bootblack in barber shop, George Kirsch, barber, aged 18 years. A little girl named Mayloue is in a serious condition. The remains of one man have not yet been identified. Inspector of Police McAltees stated that he was of the opinion that fifteen or twenty-five persons were yet in the ruins and he would not be surprised if the death list should be increased to fifteen or twenty.

Dr. J. L. Reed, a prominent physician of Allegheny, was in Weldin’s at the time, and he is still missing. It is feared that he is dead.

The following is the list of the wounded, rescued up till 10 o’clock last night:

Daniel Courtney, badly bruised and suffering from concussion of the brain.
Eugene E. Davis, printer, seriously injured.
Charles H. Petticord, bookkeeper for Weldin & Co., seriously injured.
Weldin S. Mason, severely cut about the head.
Alice Carter, 10 years old, injured slightly.
John Ridout, carpenter, back and head injured and leg fractured.
Bernard O’Connor, bricklayer, seriously bruised about head and body.
Frank Barrett, head and breast crushed, but not believed to be fatally hurt.
Thomas Lemon, brick layer, ribs broken.
Alfred Lambert, compositor, seriously hurt on the head and back.
W. A. McCurdy, bricklayer, badly injured.
James Watt, carpenter, injuries not fatal.
Michael Ryau, bricklayer, badly bruised.
John Donnelly, bricklayer, blinded by sand and badly bruised.
Henry Faulkner, badly injured about head and hurt internally; recovery doubtful.
Thomas McKee, bricklayer, legs broken.
Martin Halloran, engineer, badly bruised.
George Muron, probably fatally injured about head and body.
William Springer, engineer, badly injured.
William Barker, fatally injured internally.
John Goehring, lawyer, seriously hurt about head and leg fractured.
Morris Vine, bricklayer, blown from the top of building and taken from Weldin’s cellar, but injuries not fatal.
Owen Donnelly, bricklayer, hurt about head and back.
George Thrishler, barber, severe scalp wound and concussion of the brain.
W. W. McKnown, legs broken.
Samuel Brown, bricklayer, seriously hurt.
George Lang, printer, back injured.
J. B. Melvin, printer, arm dislocated and head cut.
Gus M____, printer, shoulder blade and leg broken.
Rev. Fr. Canovin, badly bruised.
Barclay Colley, fireman, bruised and cut.
Samuel Stringer, boy, possibly fatally hurt.
Willie McGlone, small boy, probably fatally hurt.

Rev. Fr. Canovin, who was helping to rescue the victims, narrowly being killed while getting a drink to Joseph Goehring, an errand boy employed by Weldin & Co., who was discovered among the debris. A partition wall in the rear of Weldin & Co.’s store fell, covering up Canovin and three others, but fortunately they were not much hurt.

At 8:45 o’clock last evening the voice of a boy named Grettman was heard, but the rescuers could not locate him. He said he was all right if they could get at him. At midnight he had not been reached and no sound could be heard. It is feared that he died from exhaustion.

Young Ghering was taken out about 9 o’clock. His position was such that he could not be rescued sooner, and he was kept alive by means of a rubber tube being run to him through which beef tea and whisky were fed to him. The body of a colored boy was taken out of the ruins about 11 o’clock. He was terribly crushed.

Of the thirty-five persons injured six will probably die.

A nut factory owned by Bontreger & Co. in the Seventeenth ward was blown down during the storm and a man named Hines was killed. The loss was $13,000.

The Fitchburg Sentinel, Fitchburg, MA 10 Jan 1889

--------

It is believed, however that twelve have been killed and fifty-eight injured, six fatally. Among the injured are John H. Gearing, fatally; Miss White, a school teacher, fatally; Jerry Heckenstine, very serious; Wm. Sandon, leg and thigh fractured; Samuel Brown, very serious; Rose McCartney, a little girl, badly bruised; Richard R. Dabney, cut about the head and body; Thomas McKee, a bricklayer, crushed to death; Weldon Mason, very serious; Charles Petticord, badly bruised; D. McCartney, probably fatally.

Owen Donnely, serious; Elmer McKewn, probably fatal; two laborers and a boy whose names were not learned, badly injured.

Martin Hiller, who was just taken out of the barber shop, said that four more persons were in there, and then became unconscious.

Weekly Gazette Stockman, Reno, NV 10 Jan 1889