ALARMING ACCIDENT.

Evening Star, Issue 4305, 13 December 1876, Page 2

ALARMING ACCIDENT.

A startling and serious accident occurred iu Rattray street last evening at about a quarter past seven o’clock. When the upper part of this street was originally formed a cutting had to be made through a portion of Bell Tower Hill, leaving a bank on each side 50ft in height iu places. Immediately adjoining the steps leading to the summit of Bell Tower Hill was, a few years ago, erected the two-storey brick building in which Mr E. Pritchard redded and carried on the trade of a blacksmith.

The family occupied the top storey of tho premises, and the lower part was devoted to the business, and immediately at the back rose the bank, some 50ft high. The Corporation had not long ago laid down some drainage pipes and culverts to take the surface water from the hill, but Mr Pritchard states that were not large enough for the purpose, and used to get stopped up whenever there was heavy rain— consequence being that the water used to find its way over the bank behind the forge and the adjoining buildings. Of late, small fragments of earth have been seen to detach themselves from the face of the hill and fall down, but there was no fear of a fall of any extent occurring. However, last evening as Mr Pritchard was standing in the street near his premises he saw a great part of the bank suddenly move bodily downwards and in an instant some thirty or forty tons of earth crashed through the back of the house. The centre of the frontage to Rattray street immediately bulged out to an alarming extent, and Mrs Pritchard and two children—who were having tea at the time—rushed to one of the windows with a view of escaping. Fortunately as it happened the whole brick front of the room fell inwards at that moment, and as Mrs Pritchard and the children were close to the window they escaped a shower of bricks that would inevitably have crushed them. Mr Pritchard naturally rushed into the crumbling house, and after considerable difficulty extricated his wife and children from the mass of bricks with which they were surrounded, and then turned to another room in which another child, about two year and a-half old, was in bed. The walls of this room had been crushed out of all shape, and Mr Pritchard was unable to open the door wide enough to get in. He could, however, see the little boy in bed trying to free himself of the plaster, with which he was nearly covered. His father calling him he managed to struggle to the door, and was soon in safety. Mr Pritchard’s right arm was severely bruised by the falling bricks, and Mrs Pritchard also had one of her arras hurt, but the injuries sustained were after all wonderfully slight considering the nature of the accident. Two men in Mr Pritchard’s eraploj lent efficient aid in saving the members of the family, but after these were extricated no one was allowed to go_ near the building, which is hanging in a very dangerous position. Scarcely an article of furniture will be saved, and the loss to Mr Pritchard will he very heavy. The building will cost L9OO to replace, and the furniture was worth at least L4OO. From the present appearance of the hank it is probable that another fall will take place if steps are not taken to prevent it.