New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-08-07

FALL OF A GAS HOUSE AND Loss OF LIFE.
On the afternoon of the 10th ult. the building
of the Manhattan Gas Works OF the foot Of
Fourteenth street fell to the ground, killing
four persons and severely wounding ten others
The building was commenced about q year ago,
and was in progress of construction at the time
of its fail. 1t consisted of three oblong halls,
each covered with peaked roof, so arranged
that they were in reality one roof, and any de-
feet in either would operate upon the others.
The roof was supported on the ends by l6
inch brick wall, and at the outside by %
columns of brick on both sides, each of which
were 20 feet high, and feet by Is inches thick,
The two centre cutters were each upborne by
IL cast iron pillars. In this extensive root
we're $4,000 pounds of wrought iron, while the
cast iron cutters and pillars weighed 26S,O0O
pounds more. The roof of the building towards
Fifteenth stree had been entirely slated, the
centre one was about two-thirds finished, and
| the roof of The building next to Fourteenth
street had not been touched. The aggregate
weight Of the slIte upon the two roofs amounted
| to 200 tons.
In and about this building were employed
some one hundred and twenty men, together
l Will DO0u alUer tue WUFhulcu udu io'
| turned from their monday meal, the accident
if such it can be termed, occurred The first
Indication was the falling of scafolding, that
had been erected against line Of condensing
pipes, one end of which rested on the SLATED
roof; then the centre roof was observed to sud
denly twist around, fall, and drag the two out
side roofs in upon it, throwing the rows OF centre
pillars in opposite directions, the outside bricl
pillars on each side towards the centre, ane
precipitating the end walls inward upon thu
roof frame.
The noise of the fall is described by eye wit
nesses as resembling the sudden escape of {
large volume Of steam, instantly followed by
the groans, shrieks and imprecations OF thu
wounded and dying As soon as practicable
after the stupor which such catastrophe ma
turally produces had worn off, prompt measure
were taken to rescue the suffering from tn
wreck. This, however, was no ordinary task
The great iron bars had twisted themselve
into every conceivable convolution, and in man.
places presented the appearance of impractica
BILE mazes Of iron rods Beneath these, mel
we're suffering in excruciating agony, while il
other places the falling brick walls had caugh
those who had escaped the meshes of the irol
avalanche In one direction was carmal
whose humanity for his horse prevented hir
from securing his own safety. While endeayor
ing to save the poor animal, he himself sustaine
a fracture Of his thigh and arm; while hi
efforts to save his horse were futile, heav
mass of metal having broken its leg, causin
the bone to protrude through the skin. L
another place was a laborer standing unharme
in stupid horror, between the irons, his wheel
barrow dashed from his hands and transhxe
by girder. Another man, engaged in slatip
the middle roof, fell with it, sustaining n
other damage than the tearing off Of the leg {
his trousers.