Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1832-05-08
TUESDAY, MAY 8, 1889.
New YoRK, Nav 5.

ed calamity, than on the present occasion. Al
a quarter before six O'Clock, yesterday afternoon,
tbe large new structure. belonging to Phelps &
Peck, on the csrner Of Cliff ard Fulton Streets
and occupied as counting rooms and a warehouse
for the very extensive business Of that firm, sud-
denly fel! in with a startling and tremendous
crash. causing the foundations OF the buildings
IN the winnie neishborhood to remble. The edit
&c. was of brick, six stories high, resting upon a
granite basement of upright blocks or pllasters,
Of the description ordinarily in use. The build
mo occupied about 100 feet on Cliff 81. and IS
anon Fulton. Two thirds Of the pile comprising
the whole front Upon Cliff. and say fifty feet up
ON Fulton street, was severed pelpendlcuiarly
from tor 10 bottom, and fetl at once into a heap
Of broken ruins. Sc sudden was the giving away
and the fall. that a gentleman, who was at the IN
slant passing on the opposite side, IN Cliff street,
saw the granite blocks as il were start out from
the wall He supposed 1t to be an optical illu-
sion occasioned by the glancing OF the eye, but
in the same instant, looking upward, the whole
edlhce was simultaneously tumoling down, and
his agility alone enabled him to escape.
The whole building to the topmost loft. was
filed with goods Of great weight and intrinsic
value. The lower stories were stored with iron
and TIN, and the three upper lofts crammed to
their utmost capacity. with cotton. The loss Of
property, Independently Of that building will be
very great. But this loss weighs as the dust on
~ in the balance in comparison with the loss oi
lie which is at this moment wringing 80 many
bnsoms with anguish, and the unspeakable ago
mics of the mangled though not llfeless bodies,
that have been taken from the ruins. The NUM-
Der Of lives lost by this distressing event, Is not
yet known. At the time OF its occurrence, We
we're on the way to meet a Committee. OF which
Mr.. Phelps was one. He had left his counting
room a short time before, and was at the moment
of the catastrophe IN attendance at the monthly
NEE, ting of the Board of Public Schools. The
other partner, Mr.. Peck, Is in the country.
Mr.. Thomas IL Goddard. the book. keeper,
end Mr. Josiah Stokes, the confidential Clerk.
wee II thr counting room on the second hoor
- enu, I'D l.. eriliug at their desks, at the time OF
the E.l: AID NJ. Alfred K. Seymour. another
clerk. was IN the counting room on the hrst hoor.
An three were whpimed In the ruins, and crush
cd IN death. MIR. Pitkin, also a clerk, was stand
mo at the froat door. on Clif.street. and saved
himself by Jumping one side the moment ne heard
the cracking. and running across the street. Mr..
O,Neal. of Utica, 4 customer. was ascending the
frstfl,yht of stairs at the moment. and ASH were
bs a miracle escaped with only a few slight bruis-
80. having worked his way out of the ruins about
. fifteen minutes after the walls fell in. A cart
man, named Barney Jackson, who was on the
side. walk. was partially buried IN the ruins. but
was fortunately rescued IN about two hours with
only a broken arm, and a few bruises. HIS
horse was killed. as was also one belonging to
the city corporation,- which was standing IN the
street.
Ii is impossible even yet to give an accurate
account of this melancholy occurrence, IN all It's
particulars. One or the other OF our hrn was al
the scene of the calamity most OF the night; and
we have spent several hours there this morning;
but such is still the confusion, and so great the
unremoyed piles Of ruins, that the extent OF sui
fering aud death is not vet ascertained.
OF the laborers at work in the store, three were
taken out alive before nine o'clock, one OF whom
il was reported died in a few minutes, and the
other two (coInred mem were taken in the first
instance into Mr.. Slmonson'ssDruggist shop, on
the corner of Fulton and Gold streets, and were
kindly attended to. One of them was found to
be yerv badly injured, his head being deeply cut
and covered with blood, and one of his shoulders
dislocated. besides other wounds, some OF which
anpeared to be internal. His case is. believed to
be extremely critical. The other was not so
badly hurt, his wounds being principally contned
TO a hand and arm, which were a good deal cut
and bruised. The shoulder Of the former was
restored to its proper place by DIR. ). aud such
other relief afforded as could be rendered at the
moment, after which they were sent to the hospi-
tai. We understand they are brothers-nlaw,
and reside in Delaney street.
Barney jackson, mentioned above, was carried
into a neighboring house, where his wounds were
examined BY DIR, Carroll. He had supposed his
arm was broken in two places. but it was found
ON examination that such was not the fact. His
head and face were apparently much bruised,
bu, it is believed, that with proper attention he
will soon recover. He was carried home to his
friends in Deiancy-street. He must have re-
NAMED under the RUNS more than two hours,
and remarked that during this time he consider
cd himself, in effect, a dead man.
About half past IL o'clock the hand OF Mr..
Stokes was seen projecting from beneath the ru-
ms, and graspiug the pen, With which he had been
..-,;nn. - will he many hours before he can be l