The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-05-04

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The Coroner decided that not proper for him to
open Court of Sessions inquirng to floating i'm
putatons He had not made any charge against torenen
TESTIMONY OF OFFICER HANIFIN.
John Hani6n sworn-The pants now shown TO me be-
Ieve to be the same that at the hospital piled
with other clothing, and when them in that pile
they were butoned in front, and were wet.
TESTIMONY OF W. II. wHIrFoRD.
W H. whitford sworn reside At the corner corner OF
Mr. jennings two months previous to the fire there
from four to five hundred pair of pantaloons
before the fire took place they carried up
stairs to the fourth story of the building; l am
pp also saw myself that there was not pair left in
the Easements by possibility, such another pair may
have been in the store.
To juror was not at the fire.
EXPERIMENTATION OF MR.. JENNINGS.
W. T. Jennings recaed-I produce black frock coat,
which is part Of my stock Of porers brought it
from the Chiefs Office yesterday cannot say how long
ago it was taken from my store.
TESTIMONY OF J. p. wINMAN.
James f. Winman swoin-I was ut the fire after the
alarm was given; assisted in getting out five dead
bodies they the two McKays Schenck, Flynn, and
one whom did not know; he lay his face doubled up
and under Schec the first dead body got that of
Alexander Mckay; think the man whom did not at
first recognize, Diegan afterwards learned that
that his name; he had India rubber shoes him;
noticed the pantaloons which were all of them do
not recognise the pair shown being any of
them myself, threw clothing and around the bodies
when they were taking them away threw any articles
which found at hand them; recollect placing the
remnants Of black frock coat on them; noticed the
OF hrst MCKAY taken out, they
of dotted red cashmere, and in good order the
other Mckay Daniel had on red shirt, and think
pair Of black pants.
TESTIMONY OF J. NJ. cLAUssoN.
j. NJ Clausson, aairmed-I am undertaken, at $50
Pearl street. saw of the bodies brought in to the
hospital the morning after the fire; noticed of
the clothing they had on pair of pantaoons very
similar to those shown one Of the bodies;
cannot say they were the pair now shown OWN, me- saw
ticket on them they resembled those now shown to
did not read the ticket think there were four
hol lvi in fha xvha hn nanf
one of them distinctly the pantaloons on one OF
the men; do not know his name; made the remark
that the man had pair of pantaloons with the ticket
mark them may have made mistake with regard to
the position of the ticket, but positive saw the
the man; the attendants removing the clothes
from the body then; did not the pants removed
from that body; am positive that the pants were
not young man named Christman, as his body was
| the last attended to.
EXPERIMENTATION OF JOSEPH BOX.
the body from which took the marked pantaoons had
been identified before took them off, do not know the
body on which they werei the bodies had been recog
nzed then; the ticket on the pants; after the
bodies stripped the clothes heaped together
that when the friends they all pulled about;
unbuttoned the pants in taking them of; there
some OF Mr. Jennings black cloth thrown over the bodies
when they came in; that was put separate from the
Mr. Genin foreman of the Jury said that he understood
that some Ill feeling prevailed against Mr. Box for the es
timony he had given. Mr. Box had only done his duty
He was duly subpGned, and hc (Mr g. made these re-
marks from having observed the feeling manifested
towards him.
The Coroner stated that the court had now exhausted
all the testimony He would therefore take recess
from half past o'clock until half past three and then
endeavor to conclude the case
The Court then adjourned.
EVENING SESSION.
The Jury reassembed at halfpas two O'Clock in the
afternoon
Coroner Hilton said
He deemed it owing to the experience of
ing points in the testimony Of Of tho principal wit
nesses who had been examined before them. The first
was Mr. Zophar Mills, an experienced fireman, good
read the evidence given by Mr.. Mills from his first at
tendance at the fire at eight o'clock to the crash of the
and the ustabe refusal of the latter to send
into the house The jury would remark that Mr.. Mills
said he considered the house to be the worst building he
ever saw, and that he fall
The testimony of Mr.. Miller was next reviewed As
eminent builder he had asserted that the character of
the building which lately destroyed very danger
but he could point out five hundred houses equally
within short distance of the place where he now
sat. Mr.. Miller deemed the system of Fire Warden in
spection to be most inefficient Mr. Jennings evidence
well that given by Mr. Charles Sandford next
referred to- when the Coroner reviewed the dispositions
of Mr. Carson, Mr.. Hamilton Mr.. whitford Alderman
Howard, Mr. Neery and the last persons examined,
their replies the record In conclusion Coroner
Hilton said, that from this Of testimony posi-
tive information could be CLEANED to the Of the
origin the fire. which may have been the work of de-
sign or the result Of accident The cause of the death
the was certainly found in the falling Of the
building. They we're killed either by fire, bruises,
scalds other injuries which followed that accident
1t has been plainly shown that they lost their lives
from the negligent manner in which the building
put up Most Of the who lost their lives belonged
the Fire Department and they entered that house with
the in their minds that it would not fall
from such fire. 1t had been shown that the Com
mon Council were negligent in not taking measures with
regard to the improper construction Of buildings The
information given to them on the subject was filed
their le and after heard Of The jury could est
mate the damage to lie which prevailed in this city, from
the fact Of distractions having been daily placed in
streets which the heads Of the departments neglected to
remove Many persons killed by the careless
in which the blasting of rocks conducted, and
both himself and his colleagues had frequently called the
attention Of the city authorities to the fact but they
equally unattended to- many children killed by
falling in open lime pits. Firemen and other citizens
entitled to protection for life and limb, and it
should be a point with the authorities to afford It.
The mesgre reports of the Fire wardens rendered
entirely worthless owing to the fact that they
signed to m ''hat bourne from which paper
known to return" The jury may look at this loss Of
nation now so frequent the city and for the proven
ton Of which municipal government is completely
derect 1t remained with the jury to do something
which would make lasting impression, so that perhaps
some public good would result from this painful
After thanking the jury for It's attention and courtesy
Coroner Hilton left them alone.
The jury at half past six O'clock announced that they
would hand sealed verdict the Coroner at eleven
O'Clock this "wednesday morning.
1t understood that the verdict will be In the shape
Of lengthy report which will touch all the different
heads of corporate neglect which alluded to in the
address of the Coroner
TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW YORK HERALD.
SIR see by your issue of Sunday, that there Il
charge made before the Coroners inquest against the
character and honesty OF the hremen who killed
injured at the FIRE the 25th of April last in Broad
way.
Sir, as my brother was Of those who were in
ured at that Are, and is confined to his bed in the
City Hospital take the liberty to state that his clothes
since his admission the fatal evening of the fire His
character is far beyond the reproach OF anything that
be imputed to the fremen this other SINH.
lar charge by saying that they mpeled by dishonest
designs His character needs comment at my hands,
but the wholesale charge against the Fire Department
calls for this statement my part.
From the time the fire broke out until the
moyal Of the dead from the City Hospital, I saw
the clothes cut off of nearly every one Of them
after they laid in the dead house, the Wed.
nesday and Thursday following, and safely say
the cntL es which TO haze been the bodies