A TERRIBLE DISASTER.

PITTSBURG, Jan. 9. -- A terrible wind and rain storm passed over the city at 12:30 this afternoon, during which a large building in course of erection on Diamond street collapsed, carrying twenty working men to the ground and burying at least twenty more in the ruins. Twelve are known to be killed. Six are fatally and about thirty seriously injured.
The building fell with an awful crash, heard for many squares, and, although people at a distance could not understand what was wrong, the ominous sound sent a thrill of horror through their hearts. The force of the falling building was so great that the rear walls of two other buildings, those of REA BROS. And J. R. WILDER & CO., were crushed as if they had been made of paper, and their front walls fell upon the pavement on Wood street, burying several people in the debris, mangling some horribly. Of these, two were a girl and a boy, and one a man, unknown, all of whom were taken to the hospital.

A barber shop, also in the rear, was demolished and its six occupants buried in the ruins. The top story in the rear of EICHBAUMS building on Fifth avenue was also knocked in and the three printers working there were injured, how seriously con not be learned at present.

The number of killed and injured cannot be definitely stated now, as many are supposed still in the ruins. It is believed, however, twelve have been killed and fifty-eight injured, six fatally. Among the injured are:
JOHN H. GOARING, fatally.
MISS WHITE, school teacher, fatally.
JERRY HOOKERSTINE, 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; serious.
THOMAS McKEE, bricklayer, crushed to death.
WELDON, mason, very serious.
CHAS. PETTICORD, badly bruised.
DENNIS McCARTNEY, probably fatally.
OWEN DONNELLY, serious.
ELMER McKOWEN, probably fatally.
TWO LABORERS and a BOY, whose names are not learned, are badly injured.

The falling walls crushed in buildings on Diamond street occupied by GEORGE TREXLER, barber; W. THOMAS, shoe findings. They were badly damaged; also portions of the buildings occupied by JOSEPH EICHBAUM, printer, on Fifth avenue, J. R. WALDEN & CO., booksellers, and REA BROS., stock brokers, on Wood street.
The catastrophe created intense excitement and in a few minutes the streets surrounding the fallen building were black with people. Hundreds of willing hands, heedless of danger to themselves, went to work to extricate the victims of the terrible accident. Up to this hour, 2:30 p. m., twenty persons have been taken from the ruins. How many more are under the debris, which is piled twenty feet high on Diamond street, cannot be stated, but it is believed at least a score more are still held prisoners or perhaps dead. As fast as they are taken from the ruins they are being conveyed to various hospitals in the city.
The storm lasted thirty minutes, and was the heaviest known in this section for years. The wind blew a hurricane, while rain and hail fell in torrents. A number of other buildings were damaged by the high wind. A portion of the foundry of McINTOSH, HEMPHILL & CO. on 13th street, was blown down, but, as far as known, no one was killed or injured.
PITTSBURG, Jan. 9 --- Up to 4 p. m. twenty-eight persons were taken from the ruins. Of these, four are dead. Several are so badly injured that recovery is almost impossible. A large number are still buried under the debris. MARTIN HELLER was just taken out of the barber shop. He said four more were in there. He then became unconscious.

FULLER ACCOUNT.
PITTSBURG, Jan 9. -- A terrific storm of wind and hail, the worst seen here for years, swept over the city shortly after noon to-day, carrying with it death and destruction. The storm formed with a suddenness that was overwhelming, and, as the wind, accompanied by hail and torrents of rain, swept along the streets, pedestrians were hurled before it and barely escaped being crushed under vehicles passing along the throughfares.

Suddenly, in the center of the city, there was a terribble [sic] crash and a few moments later the Central fire alarm sounded a call from the box on the the corner or Diamond and Wood streets. Hundreds of people hurried to the scene where it was found the cyclone had caught the new building on Diamond street, owned by C. L. WILLEY and hurled it to the earth, covering up scores of mangled human bodies. The building was in course of erection. It was 40 by 80 feet in dimensions and was seven stories high.

THE GREAT CRASH.
The front of the building had not yet been put in and the wind seemed to enter the high shell from the open end. The high walls of brick and undried mortar parted, falling each way, and partly wrecked nearly a dozen surrounding buildings. The main force of the crushing building was thrown against WILDING & CO'S brick store, on Wood street, and the barber shop of FRED SCHUMAKER at No. 41, Wood street. The barber shop was completely demolished.

The leather store next to the WILLEY building, occupied by W. H. THOMAS, was also totally wrecked. The rear end of H. WATT & CO'S book store was crushed in while some of the falling structure struck JOSEPH RICHBOURN'S building, fronting on Fifth avenue, breaking the windows and injuring a number of employes. A portion of the wall of the millinery store next to THOMAS' was caved in and the windows and doors in a number of surrounding buildings were broken. The building of READ BROS. & CO., stock brokers on the corner of Diamond and Wood streets, was partly wrecked and the occupants barely escaped.

Within five minutes after the collapse of the building the streets were filled with an excited crowd, notwithstanding the fact that the rain and hail were pouring down in a perfect deluge.

WORK OF RESCUE.
On the arrival of the firemen the work of rescue was begun. Ladders were run up to the second and third stories of the WELDING building. The first one taken out was a young lady employed as type writer, who fortunately escaped serious injury. At the time of the disaster about twenty-five men were at work on the building and not one escaped injury. In the barber shop next door seven men were employed, while half a dozen more were buried beneath the debris of the WILDING building.

The hospitals were notified and a short time later the clang of ambulances and patrol wagons was heard. The contractors had twenty-five wagons and carts on the scene inside of an hour, and private expressmen with their wagons lent their aid in helping to rescue the victims.

The crowd continued to increase until finally it was found necessary to call out the police and have the streets cleared. For a square both ways the streets were roped in and no one was allowed about [illegible] but those assisting in the rescue. The work was continued all the afternoon and at about 10 o'clock tonight a number of persons were know to be still underneath the debris. Up to that hour forty mangled and bruised bodies had been taken from the ruins. Some were dead, others were dying, and many were fatally injured.

THE DEAD AND WOUNDED.
From the best information obtainable, eight were killed outright, or died in a short time, and twenty-five others were injured. The length of the list of dead will be greatly increased before morning. Of the eight killed, only two have been identified so far. One was a little girl named McGLONE, who was walking along the street with her brother when the building fell, and the two were buried in the wreck. The little girl was killed instantly and the brother was fatally injured.

The body of GEO. KIRSCH, barber, was found in the cellar of the barber shop. Five unknown men and one boy are now at the morgue awaiting identification.

DR. J. L. REEM, a prominent physician of Allegheny, was in WELDING'S at the time and is still missing. It is feared he is dead.
A later list of the dead identified up to 2 o'clock was as follows:
SAMUEL STRINGER, aged 16, painter.
THOS. SONES, bricklayer.
CHAS. FRITCH, aged 16.
GEO. MASON, carpenter (colored).
A boy named TARGGE, bootblack.
GEO. KIRSCH, barber, aged 18 years.

The little girl, McGLONE, is not dead, as previously stated, but in a serious condition.
The remains of one man have not yet been identified.

The inspector of police stated at a late hour to-night he was of the opinion that from fifteen to twenty persons were yet in the ruins and would not be surprised if the death list was increased to fifteen or twenty.

The number of those severely injured is about fifty. It is impossible, as yet, to say how many of these will die, but it is feared that the majority of them will be unable to survive their wounds.

In the immediate vicinity of the wrecked building the cyclone wrought terrible destruction, also in other parts of the city and out along the railroads centering here. A portion of the foundry of McINTOSH, HEMPHILL & CO., on Thirteenth street was wrecked. Many building in other places were destroyed.

Aspen Weekly Times Colorado 1889-01-12