The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1850-08-06
Terrible Disasters In Spruce and Mercer
Streets

THE SPRUCE STREET AFFAIR-Two MIN KILLED AND
-FOUR SERIOUSLY INJURED, AS KNOWN AT PRESENT.
A melancholy casualty occurred about quar-
ter past one o'clock yesterday afternoon, by
the falling of five stories Of the of the six
story building, No. 40 Spruce street, occupied by
w. a. o. Hoyt, leather dressers. The consterna-
ton and fear exhibited by the inhabitants in that.
vicinity was very great. A large crowd soon col
lected, and the anxiety shown by the people was
beyond description, when the news was SPREAD
fIom one to the other, that some ten or fifteen OF
the wolkmen were buried under the ruins.
The cause of this irghtful disaster, as far as we
could learn and from personal view OF the build
ing was as follows In the rear of this store, a
number of laboTers and masons were at work en-
larging the rear part, as to make il even with
the front; and, in SO doing, they had to tear
away brick wall the west side, from
the sixth to the first story, and thus left q
space OF two three feet from the wall OF the adj
joining building The ends of the beams had no
support, only what derived from props tenn
porarily placed under from one story to the other
In taking down this wall, the bricks, instead of be-
ing conveyed down to the basement, in order to
tighten the weight, were placed on the floor ofeach
story, thus creating overload, and the beams
were dragged out from the wall the opposite side,
carrying each one along with the other, untrea
ing the basement; and in this terrific fall the poor
workmen carried with 1t.
The crash of the building, it is said, was awfuly
terrific, enveoping the whole store and adjacent
| buildings in a thick white dust. The persons
cuped in the front part of the store sprang to the
street, believing that the whole OF the store was
| coming down, after the style of the Hague street
affair Captain Leonard, of the Second ward po-
lice and his efficient men, were soon on the spot.
| and took charge of the building. His honor, the
May Or and the Chief of Police, were likewise soon
on the premises, and every exertion was made to
| relieve The unfortunate sufferers.
| APPEARANCE OF THE RUINS
As soon az the dust had subsidized sufficiently to
enable the workmen to proceed, as many as could
conveniently work were engaged in removing the
rubbish. The scene was very shocking to look
upon the massive beams they protruded up
through the bricks, and other smaller ones thrust
about in all directions, mixed together in crumbled
mortar and bricks On the east side of the ruins,
could be seen the top of large iron safe turned over
on one side, jsnmed against several large timbers
On the top of this safe the head and shoulders,
just discernible, of q man-his face and head
smothered almost all over with lime dust, and his
body crushed against the timbeT-he was dead
| The means of the living, under the ruins, war
| quite audible, which stimulated the workmen in
removing the rubbish and brick as rapidly as pos
sibe Officer Walling, one of the chiefs expert
, a,os took of his coat and vest, and went to work
| in a very spirited manner, and SO continued until
| the bodies were recovered.
| RECOVERY OF THE BODIES.
| The first body recovered from under the bricks,
! was Patrick Lambert one of the laborers, aged IS
| Years, residing at No. 81 Roosevelt street. He war
token out alive, although much exhausted, and
convey ed at once TO the City Hospital. He was
ssdiy injured about the body internally-also ex-
| hibneo very desperate flesh wounds and bruises;
| his little finger, the right hand, was jammed
| OH; his face and head cut IN innumerable places q
long cut, extending from the corner of his mouth
o, er his jaw his arms, shoulders, legs and body
was cut and bruised in a terrible manner. 1t is be-
I h~vsd he will not recover The next was Peter
Pagan, aged is years, an apprentice, badly cut
about the face and head and bruised, but no bones
broken He resided al No. lis Twentieth street.
TweSi.sn si.s also an gas the hr
| body recovered from under the tmbers and bricks.
! He head and face was badly cut, body bruised.
and the skin taken of from his elbows, legs, &c.
no bones broken. On clearing more Of the rubbish
! of, the voice of man was distinctly heard to as
cend hom between some heavy tmbers, almost
directly under the iron safe. The difficulty
was ow apparent, and the greatest caution was re-
Quise Ia remove the timber and bricks, least
the safe might fall and crush the man, who was,
sill alive The excitement from this time, wa. ex-
trrmely great Officer Mailing, and several Others
whose names we could MOI learn, were indefatiga-
BILE in their endeavors TO relieve the unfortunate
| man from HE perous position, and after working
| for over sn hour, they managed TO clear place
lugs enough TO pass under the safe which hung
resting on the large timbers. This safe was deco
rsied with the terrible sight Of dead man jamlned
on the top. which they dared not extricate, as by
60 Doing, u might take the life Of the who
underneath, begging 10 be released from his dan
ger Ia about Two hours a sufficient space was
created TO enable man TO get to where he was,
and then IL was ascertained that one foot was
TANNED down among the bricks by a large piece of
some water, te drink. The chief Of the police
Immediately ordered come brandy and water
to he procured, which was given to him.
ard he then seemed to be much refreshed.
| The men continued 10 work with all the en-
| eigy possible, and thus viewing the scene.
II was The general observation by those present,
that the affair resembled the Hague street catas-
tropbe, only on smaller scale, but particularly az
the awful position OF Thomas Chadwick the indi-
| vidua under the ruins conlrasted very much with
the brave Young Tindale Here, in this position,
| was Chadwick kept for over four hours. The work
I men during thar period were doing all in their
, power 10 relisve him. Finally they exifcated all
but one foot, and that was held by one of the
/ beams closely pressed against some bricks. The
/ men after renewed exertions, removed the brick
and mortar from the other side, and nj five O'clock
the poor f. How was exiricated from his dangerous
pssiton and brought to the air. He fsinted but on
the aIplica ion Of come brandy and water, he was
restored, placed 10 a carriage, and conveyed to the
/ CITY b.spial On examining his person, it was
ascettiined that he was much ess injured than wHs
! anticipated. A very severe confusion was on
! the b. OK of his head. his face lacerated in se-
\ veral pieces, his aims aud hands bruised, aud
! the skIn taken off his right leg which was
\ the one injured by the timber, was badly
\ cut from the Knee 10 the snke-ihe latter war
l fractured end much swollen; otherwise no bones
were broken, and the internal irfxies were evil
l IDENTIFY very slight. Chadwick u nineteen years Of
I aRe, a native 81 Randolph Co, North Carolina,
and hes only been IN the city about three weeks,
| ana boarded ~ No Ills Wooster street. He
| leaning The trade az mason Of A. q j. White,
who were the boss masons OF this job
The foreman, lsaac J. Cooper, who was taken
from the ruins dead, was mangled badly his face
and skull was broken in almost Hat his chest the
same, and he legs and thighs broken; The de-