The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-07-30
TERRIBLE ACCIDENT AT THE GAS WORKS


Names or the Dead and Injured.
sudden and most caIamitous accident, attende.
with the loss OF two lives occurred yesterday after
noon OF the extensive gas works Of the Manhattan
Company, situated at the foot of Fourteenth street
East river, In this city
At . quarter past one O'Clock the laborers and
others employed In the works returned from din
ner, and had only been few minutes in the yard
when the brick walls which sustained the new and
extensive iron roofs of the building, fell TO the
ground with a crash, carrying the roofs and
supporting pillars with them, and bnrying many
men and horses in the ruins
The calamity was 80 sudden and the ruin so ex-
tensivc that. when first Observed it appeared o.
no person could have escaped and the most frightfa
reports were Immediately forwarded over the city,
regarding the number Of the killed and wounded
Some sad that fifty had been taken out dead al
ready, aad all agreed in asserting that at least ore
hundred individuals were seriously injured.
Our reporters Immediately visited the works ami
found that the new brick walls bounding the va
the line Of Fourteenth street on one side, avenue
in front, and Of the gas generating works on the
OF posite side, at Fifteenth street, and the east wall
on ovenue c. had fallen in.
AucoC WdAs WcIt VI DITCH, NUOut sixteen lCues
thick, and apparently, HAD been built in substan
tl manner. They were divided BY brick partitions
Of equal thickness, and supported open trellis
work iron roofs, Of slight make but great extent
which in progress Of being slated from the side
resting On Fifteenth street. The supports Of these
roofs were two arches starting from the centre of
the building to the sides of the yard, and number
Of iron pillars.
On entering the ruins cur reporters found it
almost deserted, but after some labor they made
out the following
LIST OF THE pKAp.
Cornelius Wycon, foreman of the bricklayers
The deceased lived but q short time after be was
taken from the ruins. He leaves wife and family
at Green Point where he resided. He was 40 years
Of age.
Patrick Shea lived but few minutes after he was
extricated He was As years Of age, and leaves a
wife and family.
James Gillhooley died Of his wounds few hours
after the accident.
NAMES Or THE WOUNDED.
John Flanagan, 20 years Of age, received COM
pound fracture Of the leg He lies at the New York
Hospital
Robert Quick, carman who was in the building at
the time. He received compound fractures both of
leg and an arm. Age % years
Thoe. Kelly, Is years Of age, received q severe
scalp wound and fracture Of the thigh. He now
lies at the New York Hospital.
Thos. Dwyer, q man 81 years of age, was badly
injured, having both thighs brokenand being other
wise bruised and injured. He now lies at tho New
York Hospital, and but slight hopes Of his recovery
are entertained
William Symis, laborer, severely bruised
Miles Burns, slater, badly i.jured.
George White, also badly injured, with but slight
hopes Of his recovery
Daniel Sullivan, severely injured internally
James Aahoney, fifty years of age, scalp opened,
and Of his arms hrolnG. He ws9 attcaded Al
his residence corner Of Eighteenth street and Tenth
avenue, BY DR.. Glcgap, who dressed his wounds.
All those who were wounded received the pro
per medical attendance. Those who were con.
veyed to the New York Hospital came under
the supervision Of Officer II. 8, Lockwood, OF
the Seventeenth ward police. The remainder of
the injured parties were conveyed to their houses;
also the bodies Of the two deceased men. DR.. Gile.
gan was most attentive to the wounded.
No one would attempt to offer any opinion as to the
probable reason Of the calamity nor did any person
with the reporters Of the press It is however, pre-
sumed that the walls had been shaken by the sud
den gust Of Wednesday night and perhaps cracked
by the vibration Of the roof induced by an electric
influence. The iron skeleton Of tire roofing lay on
the ground after the accident in the same shape as
it had rested on the walls, and to this circumstance
may be attributed the escape Of 80 many persons;
for as the iron bars were not broken, they sat on
the ground on end, in the shape Of large cages,
from under which man might readily walk. We
give here
DESCRIPTION or THE BUILDtSa AND Irs Dgsrguc.
TI0N.
The building which is now heap Of ruins was an
addition to the other gas works belonging to the
Manhattan Company, and was erected at the foot Of
Fourteenth street, for tho purpose of generating
gas. It was commenced during the spring Of last
year, and at the time Of its destruction was not
thoroughly completed. It had cost some 100000
which will be severe and total loss to the COM
pany.
The entire structure measured one hundred and
eighty feet long, by one hundred and fifty. To
every appearance II was o solid and substantial
brick building, the bricks having all been carefully
selected II contained three successive roofs formed
Of iron work along the whole base of which ran an
iron supporter, tisrod, which was propped up b.
iron columns the inside and by brick pillars on
the outside-the former being twenty-five feet high
and eight inches in diameter, and the latter Of the
same height, bu. two feet by eighteen inches in
thickness. It will be seen shcrefore, that the whole
weight Of the roof rested upon this Die rod and the
pillars and that either Of these giving way would
cause the accident which VIC have to deplore.
Such, indeed, seems to be the most natural con-
clusion to which we can arrive 1s to its origin. The
President Of the Company, Charles Roome, Esd,
walked over the greater part ofthe building hour
before IL fell, and he saw no imperfection, or any
thing wrong about it. A naw might have existed
in the iron pillars tierod. without attracting any
notice and, from the manner in which the build
ing fen we have every reason TO suppose that tie
tc.rod broke in the centre. The middle roof, at
any rate, gave way first, and those on either side