The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-01-19
tn CALAMITY m rwEzTY.v1asr STREET.


nsnosd the inquest Of Investigation, involving the
Of the fatal catastrophe BY the falling Of six
buildings In Twenty first street on Wednesday last
causing the death OF six persons and possibly
tally injuring many The Coroner il holding
the Investigation in Of the chambers OF the Su-
prone Court new City Hall The room was crowded
with persons anxious to hear the evidence. The tsst
mony taken before the Coroner give - follows
James Stephens sworn Resides at a. West Twenty
drst street; carpenter by profsssion; saw the
buildings In question In Twenty first street In process
Of erection; whom viewed them on the morning Of
the day they fell believed them 20 be unsafe and in
danger Of falling from the fact CT the condition Of the
falls they being very much out of psrpendicular;
the walls generally In the condition. this
between 10 and II O'Clock In the forenoon Of that
day; did not mention the fact of my observation to
any except the members OF my family before the
buildings fell; heard the fall OF the buildings, and
EFT my house Immediately; went tn the ruins, and
assisted In ressuipg the living and tho dead from the
ruins about OF the aide and party walls
had fallen; the frat In my opinion Of the fall
was improper foundation, built Of very inferior
stone interior mortar and too much mortar placed be-
tween the stone; altogether, consider the founda
ton improperly put together, with not sufficient
used In the bfickwora consider better than that
used In tie foundation but whether Of the best quail
ty i am unable to say; the bricks were good the
material copst uting the mortar made ut this season
of the year caused 1t to have different appearance
to what II would had IL been made In warm weather.
the change In the weather from frosty to mild acted
ipjuriously no doubt to the building and Was the
OF the shifting 81 the bricks IRON an observa
ton. am .stisned sand and loan were mixed with
the lime bat 10 The quantity OF each part used am
unable to ray In my opinion l should say there
about equal quantity Of sand and loan; in erect
ing bulldogs IL 10 done Ia many instances erect the
n Il mart III,
generally to lssve The entire front eut think 1t was
not safe to eject tho buildings in the IKE manner,
taking into consideration the material and workman
ship, without the front; but had the front been
erected, / think IL would not have fallen the
westerly wall Was braced 3 short time before 1t
fell; also the walls. 1t Is customary TO brace
walls in the proeefs Of putting on the beams The
ties VI beams were 8 by inches the trimmers were
by ana feet apart the beams consisted OF spruce
and pine and hsmlock; the be nlock was The common
est kind OF timber the other timber vas the ordinary
timber from lum yards; the third tier. think Was
OF hemlock after the beams set upon the walls,
then the fore and at partitions set; of the
wells out of level some four inches when the
put the great space between the beams
tended to weah the building; the walls, observed
HAD started from some cause tour inc hes over the
wall from the foundation to the I'd story leaned
to the west and iron that story they leaned east II
the building had stood 20 allow the front be erected
my opinion it would not have fallen the lime used
the ~hst s called ground lime, but
whether tbe same kind OF lime was used all through
the building i doat know; q large portion Of the
loan mixed with the lime taken from cellars OF
the buildings
Joseph Tucker being sworn, says ne resides at 20
West Twenty second street; am n ms.on examined
the buildings in questions; my impression from what
/ have stcertained on viewing the ruins as TO the
Of their falling derived from several causes
In the brst place the workmanlike was bad, IL had
not been put together 10 a workmanship manner, and
the material bad that Is the moIter and stone the
stone not the shaIa: usually put in houses OF
that clas botwitksanoing the stone had been laid
with shiul hands and proper mortar the foundation
could have been made to sustain building OF that
sze; IL Is hard to judge whether there was sufh-
cient lime in the loan or not, possibly there was
enough lime; l think IL might have wanted more
sand instead OF loan, and from what coud judge,
II r had been mixed with sand 1t would have
made good mortar, but lime mixed with loan would
not make good cement; the mortar, as | should
judge was the same used among the bricks as that
used in the foub datioD the stone wall appeared TO
be rather scant only IS inches but the brick walls
we're the usual thickness; the timber used was very
light and should think not strong enough Tor
b9ioipg Of that class; il the walls had bss Kept per.
p.ndiculsI until the font finished the building
would Ice sse but, II out of perpendicular. ss test
fed by the previous witness, Should say the safety
would be doubtful 1.-THE walls had all leaned one way,
IL would have been possible to inter that the frost
coming out the cause but when part
leaning to tho west and the other part east, in
clined 10 believe II the FAULT OF the workmanship.
The effect Of the frost would operate the
tar made of loan than Of sand think there tso
much mortal used between the stone; could build a
wall TO stand with the same kind OF stone.
james Hsrrott being sworn says he resides at No.
Eighth avenue; am master mason have examined
the ruins OF the building in question: the their
falling in my opinion, In consequence of the bad
contraction In the manner the building was put to
geiber; have formed this opinion BY examining the
remaining portion Of the building; the mortar
poor should Judge there was loan In the lime; the
tot datiop ought to have been q twenty inch vail
instead OF fourteen inches for buildings Of that sire
the party walls instead OF being placed the centre
the foundation the side; IL lie usual to
place the walls in the centre; thought the mortar
used between the bricks considers bly, better than
thar used for the foundation; think by the celor Of
the mortar come loan mixed In IL; IL IL frequently
done TO build the eide and party walls without the
front but IL IL not a good plan; believe had the
buildings stood ana been completed the floors all set
and the front In notwithstanding the walls we're out
OF sperpepdicuar they would have been safe to reside
in; have built wills in the country With clay
sometimes dry, without any anu just pointing them
with mortar, to support frame buildings don't re-
commend DRY walls Hertar IL best made with sand;
think good mortar don't want any loan; observed a
chimney standing about ten feet by six and not
brace made it usual TO make support everysfoot
Whereabouts; should gay the buildings la question
were . cheap class from the quality Of the material
used.
james W. Smith Icing sworn, Gays he resides In
Twenty .hIst street, Tenth avenue builder;
I have the buildings IN question, visited the
yesterday siternoon the cause Of the buildings
falling In my opinion vas In consequences 81
being badly built, and imprudence; 1 mean. by
running up III. eide wallis tbr,. stories and attic,
at this season of the year without the fronts; exa-
mined the lou pdation walls aad found them only
eighteen tpchas the mortar, ON examination, I
thought consi.t.d Of loan and lime instead Of sand
nd lime the whole 81 the mortar about the same
be tim considered to De poor IN quality aud very
light for the size Of the buildings tim ought
be than three and four inches aud not than
sixteen inches apart; la this case 1 measured and
found them from the centres to extern from twenty
twenty Jour inches hrsrt; should say, by the evil
depee given b, Mr. stephens that II would be DANCE
rous 20 and snclos. thoss buildings and would
have been dangerous " the uildings had been en-.
closed as they much out of perpendicular, ..
represented by Mr. stephens; could not discover any
iron anchors straps TO Hasten the ends OF the beams
together; should tsy they poor class OF build.
ing. from the appearance 81 the msteriai used, and
The workmsnship
Richard Edwards being sworn says be resides at ics
Twentieth street; am bricklAysr by trade.
have viewed the buildings In question or three
timssa week ,ince they we're eommenccdi I passed
The the morning they fell; arrived at the SPOT
lev minutes after they .lli my opinion view.
ing the buildr that they we're not put up la pro-
ger manner from the tact Of the wall, being run Up
f~eve courses OF brick without heading course, 4
ave courses being the usual number, aud then \
b aiding I ohstrved, two weeks before II fell.
bulge In the wall aud also the gable end ali
5ulgsd towards the east the work at that
lime. the thnd story On the morning Of tho fall Il
the gable end on the asst end Overhung
ourtsen 70 eighteen inches TO the beet OF my khow
edge. have seen ss vas pas, ing loan mixed with
he lime ana cid DOT consider The mortar good don't
hinR that loan mxed with lime makes good mortar.
L. Ia 4 49,