The New York herald., 1850-05-02

INQUEST, AND THE VERDICT or TIE JURY.-Yester-
day morning, we published part OF the testimony
given AT the Coroners inquest upon the bodies OF
the men slain by the filing Of the gable OF the
bonded warehouse, in Water street To-day We
puhls the remainder, with the verdict Of the jury;
and more ''lame and impotent conclusion" was
never arrived at.
Were not the matter too serious TO sport with,
and our feelings not too much shocked by the re-
voliing tragedy, we might write a very amusing ar
tcle upon the dSarsatis persona in this "Crowners
guest farce; for it is nothing else than farce.
The very men who ought to be their trial, and
have incurred, albeit, share of the responsibility
of allowing the wall to stand are the witnesses in
their own case, and they swear themselves out OF
all blame, taking care TO throw the onus on the
shoulders of somebody else. If we are to believe
the evidence Of every man taken separately, he is
as innocent as the child unborn. But if we are to
believe the testimony of all the witnesses together,
they all to blame 80 that the conclusion of the
whole matter s, that while everybody is exone-
rted from guilt, every body is guilty-which is
what the logicians call reductio ad abs'~dum.
One thing has been made pretty clear by the
evidence, however much it may have differed in
other respects and thai is, that the projecting por-
ton Of the wall was known 10 be in a dangerous
state, and TO pronounced by competent authority
by the Chief Engineer the Assistants, and the fire.
men, upon whose sound practical judgment, de-
rived fiom experience in such matters, we would
place reliance than upon the dicta of all the
professional theorists in the city. IL is only to be
regreted that the Chief Engineer did not act upon
his own judgment then and there, and PROSTATE the
perous wall, as has been so often done at
other fires. So sensible was he of the dan
ger, that he would not permit the fircmen to
go under it; but then he did not pull II down,
10 guard against the loss OF other lives.
He went TO the Mayor. His Honor came down, the
Comptroller came, aldermen accompanied them;
architects, and builders, and surveyors, and cap
ians of insurance watch, customhouse authorities,
and the owner Of the buildings, were all there.
They put their wise heads together--one said this
and one said that-but the result was that nothing
was done with the wall for four days, and till it
was allowed TO crush TO death at least seven
human beings.
Yet one witness tells us-and he no lees than
an Assistant AldeIman-,hat "the Mayor acted
promptly and firmly in the matter, and was
governed by the advice of some of our most re-
liable citizens Why the Mayor possessed ample
tra,e the building. Personally he was liable
for no damage, neither was the city, ii the
wall could he proved to be dangerous. That
an overwhelming mass Of such proof could be
Produced was evident The imminent danger
was palpable to the senses Had his Honor caused
il to be pulled down, tha. would be "acting
promptly and firmly in the matter" Mr.. Whit
ney, il seems, promised TO have il taken down, or
A 49,
Tucker, his builder, declares on oath, that he
stated the upper part Of the gable would fall, and
that he would not venture under it, Yet he did not
advise Mr.. Whitney TO PROSTATE it; or, il he did,
Mr.. Whitney did not follow the advice. The con-
sequence was, that seven poor men lost their lives.
But they "were Irish;" and ii is long time yet,
till the of the Irish will he wanted ut the cleo
tons.
The frequency Of the occurrence Of these catas-
troIbes ought to alarm the citizens Of New York.
They exceed, in number and extent, the casualties
Of any other city in the world. There is sad ne
elect somc~ here; and would not this be very
proper subject Of inquiry on the part Of the "cty
6.ih-r~," who have evrcnucr regard for the hap
piness, the welfare, and the lives Of the grown
children committed to their charged The slight,
unsubs,an,iel manner in which houses built
walls being sometimes run up four inches thick
calls for the in,erpositon Of the authority Of the
State. An officer ought to he appointed, whose
specal duty it should be 90 inspect all and old
buildings, and cause every dangerous wall to he
piostrated; or this duty might be made to devolve
upon some Of the heads of departments, who are
not ovciburthened with other work.
The security Of life and property in New York,
demands that something be- done in the premises,
and that speedily. Meantime. the extraordinary
verdict delivered yesterday by the jury, affords
abundant food for contemplation. II ought TO be
printed in letters of god framed in the most costly
manner, ard hung up as curiosity in the Cover
nor's Room in the City Hail. TO be " read, marked.
learned and inwardly digesicd" by all ssht-loving
strangers, who perambulaie our city TO see "t the
lions"
ANrl-SIAvrRy PRorRAcrrp MErTrSes.-Thcse
meetings will commence to-day, and will create