New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-01-22
TIE PUBIC SCHOOL CATASTROPHE.
cCNCIVsIoN OF THE INVESTIGATION AND
VERDICT OF THE JURY.

Of the Sch0Oi-Hou-" ~ ~, ana consequent i'7o az
Ere was concluded before Coroner Smell and jury
Yesterday afternoon in the Heelth.oice o: the Brook
lyn City-Ha. The following additional evidence was
elected:
Samuel VI. Main. sTorn-ReIde in Connecticut;
my business. No. 96Broadway, New York employed y
George L. Cannon for the sale Of ho M fgraes vas epye
b plt in furnaces in No A Ia, Fa; M contract ws' ae
ce.d Nv the Bosrs 81 Fdston rd AFR received orders
and tu; this about the 9Th sPsmSe lS'.i
the specifications did not call for rensfe ,oi Of .e
slnned the eues myself went 20 fix the pre- to p ~ 80 80
lsosp tones around ali the registers IA tne
walls about The .t Sepein''T ths Ieseis W.
with The sOapone 10 Examination cnc acI " n y
lealns from the furnace 70 one Of me ROM ga I'D Ton
which CANE in cpn's. With orsm =. " ina.
ther nifty Of the building on Concord erect ~ ~ .
non a ~ -, @ i,cb "a n,ors from r. II almost every
sas. III. wood work was with in the ron's Of .he
Pipe ,h(ie was no No. No ni he Dor: & % were
The woodwork should think tina. IN mos. q the ec 20, 70
pipe cane close the wood varied from liiF ii2n
iP o. % of m. ban on the floor the cellar where we
ut In the furnaces 1t nearly t"o inches on ~ '
The furnaces we're p I'D; The defect was reu"o ana h-' WIS
not the cause Of the ire NJ | VEN When covered with
In ,tst should ignite; mover knew te 70 og 'T i
possible to invcsige r. no ARRANGED o. 70
allow chance for circulation of cool air bfweeh tnc
PIPE passing through the floor and TIE beam or IN .tI
words there around the pipe q space wheTe then
wol cause qron surrounding wood work there were
opy two registers arranged IN this in the whole building
sliding doors The Ppe. up in The plaster walls eo.iH: al ta:
registers suddenly has tendency 70 Concentrate sTes snon.
Ses, an effect. renders The circulation equab; have
Tpenened on Til. ponthae that the pipes became
,eiy hot, be unbearsbe 70 the hand he:t bfcones
intense by connemement; don't think even ~ u
wood when made Of double tin and properly secured; vas
directed by Mr. Harris 70 make the building entirely .aie w.n
ndspusbe evidence that there hsd been fire there before
wa how P Of 9 sRS p %Sd WE weS1 G that Sy
.irge of light tin, and without double scanning on
Me- a fhSs te would be safe to make secure covered
the heads could do that very but could not secure
far the bottom the ceiling %heR Rf N ios pf sS
as n9 s al pS. tie Pipe s.af the the
there in TN % %se have Az i hsG the s pe The
pipes in The ceiling might have been double for ell that know
that so1G s g the Rcf h 1 %n DANGER
could there hugng Of the ins to the pipes
mnst leave very thin space between the pipes and uing
John Simpson, sworn-Went over to examine the
WORK referred 20 by last witness. went to s the pe1s oSoe we
instead of double ones. benjamin Burns p 10 in IN WORK
Robert Mcmahon, swon-About three days ago
that Of the pipes unsodered 1t was one OF ne
the bndng very the beam whore the pipe
ran was on tIs mr. oNe the pay so9 u. 1 @ "a The
pipe aud left unsoded did not think would vary three or
four inches from the PIPE 70 the wood work spoke Of it TO DR.
mp if could lind the head teacher but could not
the teacher wanted 10 get 70 fire up IN the building ad
being out of work went TO get employment
John Carpenter, sworn-Was in the building about
10 minutes after FIRE went in the end Of Concord
street went stairs and discovered great deal OF smoke; no
be second floor and passed sbont 10 feet from the sndns tin
came TO the iIst partition Of the say Te ai'ns up
water the fire five MINUTES after went down INTO me base
ground floor aud right under the place that was Oh tire
above how the fue were there too much
smoke the fire on the second floor was ia the second room nom
Charles p Walcott, Principal of Public School No.
sd charge of the furnaces Janior of the school wei
% SPGdS S sSPs W ire s wa in lie
furnaces that day. don't know that have lad 10 uPyre
hpTd front lt
ris in reference to the chimney tuacd in the hal on ohoId
aths between the brckwork and the plaster but was a.
sured that such not the was nangacd Principal on
last Winter more the primary floor than the above have
thought the was the furnaces Were not so mol
." Mr. Main, recalled~Therc was separate pipe
from eseh furnace to each register and a Of the sane G3en
Mr. Walcott rerumed-Ilsd not seen the furnaces
that day; Judged The registers were all eoei n9 NY a. thr
whole buic1G owing to the state OF The we.i shoa inA
that closing the registers would cause AL o ho sf
we had windows 9pg ha more OF Nc a Gay ilE ] e.
tine rece; heard noise and stepped 20 the door Vi my
Nm and AT that time heard children and also discovered
the hall Of the Third floor or Grsmnar Dfpar mehi
the fire. but assisted TO get the children o OF tnc b1
dTsh cot Ss o iSS the teacher. to get the children
get them away from The IRE; 81 INT time
msn entrance ", re pured those children in the where
the fire occurred passed out Of the main entrance think on
seeing children the main entrance clear went 10 he
stairway the Ma, side and saw the boys passing down
the steils found the children piled the platform; none M
dr,n falling platform and others falling on them saw
. .S over he bsseTs and sa% two men
stairs who had hold of boy trying to pull MN Out men
pushed back TO the crowd from those VINO had an
then passed the boys tho banscrs to the nn below the
ladies back Of me were engaged IN s,..ti9 the s%
o s bd uSge that there were i hundred on the stairs ana
platform out of those than dozen had fallen down the
platform those who down were under Inc iect OF 9ts
passed many $50 the bsnistcTs when all had been
passed returned the they were oil cleared
no chldenor teachers were there experienced no I h
smoke till passed back that none were
the smoke boy in Of the ca.sIqos that was Gsd
and had died from na positive that 10 ooy vi" SUMO
Miss Sarah \. VOORHEES, teacher, sworn-Saw the
fire in the Primary Department II was beween rooms a.. -
COncordsrect side in the PARTITION gus, above 'e Iee'ti,
about @ from the door have talked about N La IN inc
holidays the trouble neded presume A; ihs !ts'er.
the the Concord street side were all a. ne do
Navy streets when the broke out Miss Rutherford came to
and sa ad ,@ The he building a i, H on dated my
qe and following her s S 5 vent BACK o S s
as came through the PssaswPy saw se ehdn On
the stair, and told hen 70 keep quiet '1y a SAD me
smoke very thick up stairs; went TO my room sla 'w me
boys the next mine all IN Commissions then as
res, went ont st the Nsyystre, entrances think Ms. A3bs
dismissed my class alter my class went out some o. Tue boys
trance at this time my room had filed with smoke OF the
bows started go the NsystIet end soIned them
up and Jaw There much smoke aud said mus, 'eud
them to thu ' s stsS -SS A1 S
Of the window opposite room d. NSvystIec sde saw 10
living dead floor from the tise the fire discovered
tiff ali were out very sbot time don't think tie smoke
enough suhcsion II nsht have been dense
enough in room caused suhocson fire in
other part the building but that above described cal dis
miss the whole school sometimes IN five aud sometimes heen
minute.
Miss Mary Matlack, sworn-AIn assistant under
lsst witness. -
Mr. Main, notwithstanding the soldering to have
melted of pipe the basement it would not NECESSARILY
OPEN the heat would not be Sufficient to burn
through. 49,
Miss Mattack resmmed--Was first told there was
fire n the building by little girl who 20 in the second