The Express.
London, England, 1851-05-20 00:00:00

THE FATAL CATASTROPHE LN GRACE-
CHURCH-STREET.

OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION BY THE CITY
AUTHORITIES.

Early yesterday morning the commissioner of the
City police received instructions of the legal officers of the
corporation to take possession of the ruins and the remain-
ing standing portion of Mann. Bell and Corbett's premise*
Greeechurch-street, until they had undergone thorough
inspection by the surveyors appointed and other competent
penons. lhis order was immediately carried into effect,
sad a body of constables having cleared every person off the
property, all accent to it wu closed, and no person was per-
mitted beyond the barriers, under any circumstances, ex-
cept those instructed to inquire into the cause of the acci-
dent by the corporation.

At three o'clock in the afternoon the inquiry was com-
menced. There were present Mr. Alderman Lawrence (a
builder), Mr. Cubitt, M.P. (the newly elected alderman for
Langbourne Weed), Mr. Montague, the City surveyor; Mr.
Woodtherpe ; Mr. Stephens, the district surveyor; Mr.
Tress, and formal others. There were also present Mr.
Bell, of rope's-head-alley, a proprietor of the property, his
assistant architect, and the superintendent of the works.

Considering that the girders were tied and bolted, or
locked to the walls, it is surprising that even the front and
the portion abutting on Balls-court, should have been left
standing. In the centre well-hole or staircase opening,
where the mischief commenced, there were four immense
eases, etch two ton weight, and measuring nearly twenty
feet long ; they were fixed across this opening, on each of
the four floors, the ends bearing in the walls, and locked to
the longitudinal girders. They were intended to support
the stone steps and part of the flooring of the passages, but
this part of the work had not commenced. The one that
broke and produced the fearful consequences was the up-
permost one on the fourth floor ; it had been fixed some
days and the walls had been carried up to the height re-
quired to receive the roof. According to Mr. Bell's state-
ment to the City surveyor', he saw it perfect on Saturday
morning ; be went over the works with Mr. King, his super-
intendent, and found everything apparently safe and
secure, and progressing to his tuti,taction.
In the course of the day it transpired that another work-
man, named Donovan, or Donoghue, had lost his life in the
fall of the structure. This poor man having been removed
to a separate hospital, St. Bartholomew's, as soon as he was
dugout, had been fora time lost sight of. lie expired soon
after admission. At present, therefore, five persons have
perished by this accident.
Upon making inquiry last night at St. Thomas's
Hospital, the reporter found the man Sullivan, and the
other five unfortunate men, progressing very favourably,
the former having somewhat recovered from his state of
unconsciousness, which leave, some hopes of his ultimate
recovery.

CORONER'S INQUEST.
Tills DAY.

This morning Mr. Payne, coroner for the City of
London, held an inquest at the London Tavern, Bishops-
gate-street, on the bodies of the unfortunate men who were
killed by this accident. The mows of the deceased were
Matthew Connor, Timothy Donoghue, James Ilarrigon,
Martin Cronin, and William llintlley.
The Coroner said he had been thinking over the matter a
great deal, and he was of opinion that the best course would
be to commence the inquiry with a description of the pre-
mises.

A gentlemen present informed the coroner that the
owners of the premises were most anxious that the matter
should undergo the stricte4 investigation. Mr. R. Bell was
thereupon called, and he stated that he was an architectresid-
big in Pope's-head-chambers. The building in question be-
longed to him and Mr.C.J.Corbett. The building was situated
on the west aide of Gracechureh-street, between Nos. 16 and
18. The premises were originally the Cross-Keys hotel, and
had some shops in the front, the tavern being in the rear.
The whole of the original premises were pulled down.
Ho was about to construct merchants' offices, on
the "fire-proof principle." The building was com•
menced in September last. The witness produced a
plan of the ground-fluor of the building. The fire-proof
principle was Fox and Barrett's patent, and the floors were
constructed under their direction. On Friday night he
went over the whole of the building, at half-past six
o'clock. Nearly the whole of the concrete was on
the roof, ready for the asphalt,: covering. Ile hail
the superintendent of the works with him, and also
the contractor fur the plaster. To all appearance every
thing was quite sate. There was not a " hair crack "to he
seen. Ile went there the next morning between 10 and 11
o'clock, when ho found that the south wall of the staircase
(nearly the centre of the building) had fallen, and had
drawn with it the boors of the external wall
next the church. Ile inquired of the contractor,
Mr. Bennett what ha I been the cause, as he could imagine
no cause. Ile was told that there was one man under the
ruins. He never left the spot uutd all the bodies had
been found. There were three buried under the
ruins. lie hail since ascertained that the cause must
have been that the iron girder across the staircase
from north to mouth broke, and the weight of it
carried away all the " bearers " with it. The weight must
have been thirty-tire carts. at least. 'f he others were about
the same weight. Messrs. Fox and Barrett hail nothing to
do with those girders. Mr. Ford furnished the whole of
the girders and iron work. He saw the iron work gene-
rally before it was put up ; but he did not examine the
iron in this instance to see if it was such as ought to have
been supplied. The contract was made for proving the whole
of it before it was delivered. it was to be proved by the
manufacturer. The smaller beams witness himself proved
by putting a weight upon thew, and one of them broke
with a third of the weight it was intended to carry. The
lamer girders he had no means of testing on the premises.
He had them made three times the strength that was eon-
sidered necessary. The girder was 12 inches deep, the
bottom " flange " was 7 inches wide. There was a
flange on each side, which together were also 7 inches wide.
The whole width of the metal was an inch and a quar-
ter. A flaw was pointed out to him, and, in his opinion, it
must have taken place in the casting. From the expe-
rience he has had he could not say whether such a flaw
would be perceptible when the iron was scut out from the
manufactory•. If the bearer he alluded to had been pro-
perly proved, it must hays broken. This bearer ought to
have been proved with six tons on the centre. Whether it
was so or nut he had no means of knowing. Ile could not
say whether they were painted before they were de-
livered. The contractor undertook to prove and paint
them before delivery. Witness calculated that it would
have borne 3,5 tons all over it. If a bearer were intended
to carry 36 tons he would only trust it with the weight of
12 tons. The contracts for the brick work and mortar were
undertaken by other people, and Mr. Bennett was the con-
tractor for the whole of the work. There was an unusually
large quantity of cement in the building. It was the duty
of Bennett, and King, the superintendent, to see that the
cement was properly prepared. Witness examined the cement,
and he considered it to have been properly compounded.
Ile wu quite sure that the accident did nut arise from any
defect in the brickwork. Before a building of this sort was
commenced it was usual to give notice to the district sur-
veyor, and to furnish him with the drawings. Witness had
seen the district surveyor on the premises ; but his impres-
sion was that he might carry up a building without the per-
sonal superintendence of the district surveyor. He had never

been interfered with by a district surveyo; except as to the
eittestion of lights. He was satisfied that the accident arose
trom the breaking of a girder with a flaw in it. The top
girder (the one which broke) had no weight upon it.
None of the girders had any weight upon them worth
speaking of. The building was called an " extra first-rate."
By a Juror—The district surveyor never made any re-
mark about the insecurity of the building. On the Friday
night there was no weight upon the girders, except a few
flooring boards. The wall was a 9-inch wall, and four of
the girders were inserted deeply into it. If the wall had
been twice or three times as thick, the falling of the top
girder would have carried the others with it.
The Coroner inquired whether any of the men who saw
the accident were present. It was stated that they were all
ordered to come, but they were not in attendance.
The Coroner said the accounts in the newspapersspoke to
some conversation which took place between Mrs. liar-
rigan and her husband (one of the deceased) shortly before
the accident. Wu the woman present?—[it was stated
that she was outside the room, and she was immediately
called in and examined.]—She deposed that her name Wee
Margaret Harrigan, and her husband, James Harrigan, was
one of the men who worked on the premises. He was
about 3.5 years of age, and bud worked at the build-
ing from the commencement. He was unfortunately
one of the men who were killed. Ou the day before the
accident nothing was said either by bim or herself as to the
safety of the building. They merely passed some pleasant
words together, and he seemed very happy and comfortable.
The coroner said it had been stated in the public prints
that the woman had some conversation as to the insecurity
of the building.
The witness went on to say, that one night last week her
husband remarked that he was sure there would be an ac-
cident, as there was an opening in the floor. She could not
recollect anything else having taken place upon the subject.
Another woman was called in, and she deposed that on
Friday last she heard Mn. Harrigan say to Us larband