The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-05-17

DEATH AT ou'A EIBow-Can nothing be done to
prevent the. digging of pitfalls under our very
feet, and. the erection of huge masses OF bricks
and rubbish, tottering under their own weight,
over our heads Men seem to have forgotten the
law of gravitation. They dig the earth out from
under walls and sidewalks as if heavy bodies
would hang suspended in the air without any
other support. 1t would not be at all surprising
to see some mason, more enthusiastic and en-
terprising than the rest. commencing with his
mortar and bricks at the top of a chimney to
build downwards. Now, the days of miracles
have gone by, and these things cannot be
done. The sun is said to have stood still
at the command of Joshua; but those credu-
lous persons in this city who have thought
that at their command stones and bricks, and
timbers would hang poised in the atmosphere,
find themselves sadly in error. Many ex-
periments Of the kind have been tried lately.
A few minutes before the close ofthe Women's
Temperance meeting at the Tabernacle. on
Saturday evening. the brick arch which sup
ported the tagging in front Of two Of the
three doors by which the building is entered
from Broadway fell in, precipitating the flag
stones twelve or fifteen feet. The crash was
heard inside, and at first created some alarm;
but, on being assured that nothing serious had
tened to speech Of few minutes by Douglass.
This gave the officers time to guard the chasm
which had been created in front Of the build
ing and make safe the egress Of the large
assemblage. Had the accident happened five
minutes later, while the people were going out,
ii must have resulted in the fracture of limbs,
and in all probability in the loss Of many lives.
The cause Of this accident was an excavation
which had been made, encroaching upon the
foundation of the wall, for the purpose of erect
ing another building. The audience, it is true,
in this instance escaped but it is not quite
pleasant to step so near to death-to shake
hands with him-to feel his breath on your
brow-although he kindly consents to leave
you here little longer. to meet him, per-
chance suddenly, on some steamboat or
railroad in the course of your ira
vels hereafter! 1t chills man a little to
think that while he was amused by the extra
ordinary performances inside death was an
xiously waiting for him, in a hole dug as it
were for the purpose of secreting him. at the
door. 1t is not quite pleasant to reflect that if
DR.. Snodgrass had not bored the audience after
they had repeatedly sisnilied TO him that they
did not wish him to bore them any longer Or if
Lucy Stones speech had not been longer than
her pettcoats, or if she had omitted the stanzas
of poetry which she recited or if the long
haired Burleigh had not spoken, or the black
Douglass had not grimaced-if either Of these
performances had been omitted, you would pro-
badly have stepped into your grave when you
stepped out of the door OF the Tabernacle.
In our evening edition Of yesterday we pub
lished the particulars of most shocking &C.
currence at No. Wall street, resulting from
the criminal carelessness of the parties demo-
fishing building in placing the rubbish upon
an insufficient support. The particulars we
give in another column. In Gods name, can
nothing be done to diminish the number of such
catastrophes?
In Broadway and many Of our other thorough
fares men are engaged in demolishing old
buildings in the most careless and reckless
manner The keenest man cannot get by them
without having the dust thrown in his eyes;
nor the soberest man without great risk of ap-
pearing in open day with brick in his hat.
In Nassau street is pile of bricks twenty or |
thirty feet high, and bullying out on both sides
as if all ready to fall; yet thousands and tens
of thousands pass by the edges of this Pile every
day, and almost every hour of the day. At
what moment it will fall and crush the bodies
which chance to be beside it and the hearts of
some now happy homes God only knows.
There are plenty more such piles in other
streets. Some Of them will soon be falling In
Heavens name let something be done to put an
end to these manslaughters.
THE NoRwALK CALAMIIY-ACTIoN WANTED
Since the dreadful catastrophe at Norwalk we
have had thousand suggestions through the