The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-08-01


Late Lamensable Casassxophs g Oh,
AnhattAn Gas WORKS nm tne Courso o
rcotssn st she Foot NJ FourtcentA street
lest UYoN THE BODIES or THE SUFFERERS
0ILH0oLEY, SULLIVAN AND SHEA.
brcner O'Donnell Monday proceeded to hold In
bts on the bodies Of the unfortunate men who
e To their deaths by the fall Of buildina
he course Of erection for the Manhattan Gss
hpany, which fell on Saturday last, about two
Pcs. Tho Corouer. With the jury, visited the
Pc Of each OF the deceased In succession, and also
Bellevue Hospital, In which Institution Sullivan
!. They then proceeded TO the scene OF the
Estrophs. The inquest was not concluded, and
adjourned until this day at half past one o'clock
ne nance and occupations Of the gentlemen
m to serve upon the jury. we're as follows =
ohm Moore, $50 FIRST avenue. master mason.
B. Snedeker, $50 Second avenue, master
lder.
Coward Delamater, 14s East Twenty third street,
p and blind maker.
!. E. Warts, SAT laird avenue, iron roof manu-.
turer.
homss Lcder, 42s Second avenue. pianoforto
Iufacturer.
FcRIPTIoN OF THE IEToRr HOUSES AT THE FOOT
or FOUnTEENTH sTkEET, EAST aIvsR.
here were three houses, each 245 feet long and
tees wide, aud sere paced sloe by side. The
Die ends were Of brick. Is incnes thick; tue outer
es were brick piers. u fee. by 20 inches. placed
feet apart. The valley quite wore Of cast iron,
Pported on cast iron columns and wrought iron
ssels. The roofs were OF wr ug1t iron, and par
~ covered With slate; all the roofs had two rods,
70 70 each roofD exten Ting iengtnwtse under the
Pncipal queen pots, snco0red through the gable
walls. The valley cutters and girders wore also
kaored into the gable end walls.
|Ihe foundations were on spruce piles driven down
70 the solid earth. On the tops Of the piles we're
|mdati0ns were OF brick, laid ia by hydraulic ce-
fnt. The work was built by tie day. under the
EerintendeDce OF Benjamin VI. Clark.
Iron work was done by }. B. & w. W. Council q
|The following testimoney was then taken -
Joseph French, 298 East Fourteenth street, sworn
II am the assistant OF Benjamin Clark, OF West
fentysecond street, near tenth avenue; he vas
perintendeDt Of the whole 0f the gas department
the corner Of Fourteenth street and Avenue c;
had the management Of all the work and of the
en- employed there; In his absence ] had the en-
boring men; have been employ o In the Manhat.
gas works for the last twelve years, and am
ofoughly conversant with the manner Of erecting
- buildings; assisted W.. Clark in building the
enhattan gas works in EghseenSh street, near the
18th avenue, about nine ears ago, ~ assistant su
,rintendent and also in the Tenth avenue. between
ghteenth and Nineteenth streets, about three
srs ago; and further, i was associated with Me-.
ark in erecting the gas buildings at the
rner OF Avenue and Fourteenth street,
ben the deceased, Patrick Shea, came to his deaths
The month OF March last Nc. Clark aud /, by the
rcction Of the President OF tuo Manhattan Gas
'mpany, came to inspect the & Ound upon viii ID
Q gas bail0ings were erected. as the corner OF
enHe and Fourteenth street; the President went
th MS. and my opinion was asked as to the man
nf 10 IA.
works were commenced, and the best mate ials
ed, ard the best workmen employed in the ERGO
N OF the building until IL fell yeste; day; John
Her Harrison ~as the architect; he made the
awnings for the bniiuing, and from these drawings
:. Clark and myself conducted tho works; Mr..
arrison was constantly at the works, excepting
" and then day, on occasions Of sickness;
ring last week he vas at tee building daily,
wing the necessary directions about the iron roof.
?, and Mr. Clark had the direction of the
a'ing over the iron rooting; in preparing for the
ection of the building, the loass Allied ia ground,
the depth Of five feet, vas removed for tue pur.
SO OF driving the piles into the old solid ground;
Q best quality OF Jersey pine was procured and
ID for piles the foundation made With great care,
d every precaution taken 10 have It solid and
rmaneDt; there were t.enty four iron columns,
ting on granite bases, sups orsed by brick work
resting on the piles; on examining
. brick work on which the columns rested, I
We not seen that the ground, at any OF the
umns, he's given way, 81 that the fall conld not
70 occurred from the sinking Of the piles or to
canting Ct the columns; was not stationary at
J one pait Of the building; aud when came to
. building yesterday (5aturday,) morning, at 7
lock, auo during my stay for two hours, went
.ough the building three or four times, and l did
notice on, thing defective or out OF place; there
I NO gas made in tbs building; the company were
rely erecting the works preparatory to the manu-
turing If gas; know of no cause for the fall of
roof,
To the Jury.--To day examined the ground, and
not notice any change or settling in tn Q ground
II the columns, or any sinking Of the piles; on
wing the piles, ! saw thai they were properly
ted; the timbers laid on the pine piles, on which
ted the resi- ective columns; they were each four
tloDg, twenty-five inches vide, eight inches thick;
zee ttmbers were separa 70, not connected; these
,ben (not connected) were over the piles in the
tire Of the building; hut the timhers over the piles
der the outer piers were connected.
Charles Roome, President of the Manhattan Gas
rht Company, ~ West Thirty. third street, swo IN
Previous to the erection OF the works at the
rrer Of avenue G and Fourteenth street, ex-
lined the ground, and had the earth bored in
mber Of places to the depth OF twcntysix feet, so
to ascertain what steps were necessary to secure
and solid foundation for the buildings
,posed to be erected; decided that it was neces-
y to place the foundation on piles, and prepared
plans accordingly; the buildings were desgned
me- 0DQ O0SlIc W dSoUluc MI VIC
q caae; the plans were drawn by John Fuller Harri
according to my direction the spe iications were
avn by me, and given TO the respective con-
lctors BENJAMIN n. Clark wa- the snperinten-
ut, under whose ersonal direction the work was
ecuted; Mr.. Harrisnu, the architect, assisted Mr..
Ark; Mr.. CLARK was an old experienced builder,
whose skull the company had unboundei con,
ence; he fnisbed works of great extent for this
npany, and for the New York Gas Light Com
nv, for the last fifteen years, and he was npoyed
der John B. Jelvis, as his superintendent, in the
Instruction Of the Croton aqueduct; during the
ncress Of the said building | was daily on the
o1nd and hourly in consultation with the
peljnten6ent, and with the architect, and
deavorcd BIZ all the means In my power,
personal observations aud repeated instruc.
ma 10 the officers EN- loyed to spare no expense
ii, h il might be Decesssry to incur TO erect the
,rks in the strongest and most substantial manner,
vas in the bullding yesterday for nearlytw ,ours
d left there about one hour before It fell; although
,xamined, as thought, every portion Of the work
Itch eas visible, saw nothing that was not, 10
' Judgment, as perfect as could b. desired to en-
re general SC. urity. am unable to express any
Union as to tho cause Of the sad accident. The
undations for the building, ! should think, cost
or $40, ocO, and the whole work, including the
ound. was estimated to cost, when flushed
900 600. Mr.. Clark always expressed his adna'ra
an of the slllful manner in which the ironwork
as performed do not think III At any storm couii