New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-02-07
THE ELM-STREET TRAGEDY.

On Monday morning. at an early hour, the laborers
resumed work at the Em.street ruins, and continued
clearing away the rubbish In the center OF the lot
About 10 clock the remains Of body were found, in
detached portions but so horribly burned that it was
almost impossible TO determine whether they were those
of man, woman. or child The fragments were care
fully gathered up and placed in box and removed to
the Fourteenth Ward Station House. further aud
more minute examination revealed the fact that the
mains were these of woman or girl, as piece of
bone to which was attached long hair was found
in the rubbish close BY. At noon the center of the
ruins was cleared, and after brief respite the work
men commenced removing the rubbish and ruins from
the back yard of the adjoining premises on one side
and from the aleyway the other side. Iissuppossd
that some bodies may be found here several persons
were seen hanging out Of the side windows.
The Coroners inquest on the bodies already recoy-
cred is now being held at the COrOner'S Office.
We append The evidence thus far:
Caspar StoIck deposed-I resided at No. H2 Elm
= boa H i'SI ~ vince
on looking down observed flames coming up the cellar
with the chidren she did immediately follow, having
stopped her DO, Of jswely but told ahead
the smoke and heat great that could not 60 frwsrd
moment had not elapsed when returned aod called my wife
the hallway, vh the baby in her arms notioness with her
loe Tho smoke nearly sufoca'ed and innctiycy
sought escape the smoke fortunately struck against door
sa gave anG lT is Ss 30 % as.s b"
but 25 feet dtOnt managed to escape by Of
il family consisted Of my we two children aud an adopted
Solomon Shielbier deposed-I resided on the second
floor Of the building directly the bakery Ia No
~ mSSes before ~n So A %ne we heard an sa,Ss noc
opening the door observed flames coming the main
stairway such volumes that there of escape
building that direction; Immediately there
through my apartments Of the tenants from the upper noo
escaped in this way go ont OF The window with my youngest
child In my arms and was hssgng on TO he SUI waiting or me
lose y oothod and fell with the infant down into the cellar
eS5en and ID the child Of were left in the rooS ba
were subsequently rscaed by hreman from the time of first
heang the noiso until became or to leave the
building, scarcely three minutes elapsed
| Michael McCarick deposed-I resided in the build
room wal No g. third floor my and mysel alone
apartment about u O'Clock the other members Of the family
opening the door smelled smokei told wife would
Gnd out what M matter reaching tho second
floor discovered that the pace fire. and hsoed loudly
to wife to down, the place was on le .one Of the
tenants heard aud managed from the building
by the back stairway which led from the second story to the
ground would been impossible for TO have escaped
BY entrance e the yard by through
the fence OF the adjoining yard and my vile passed out three
Ferd Festonere deposed-Io occupied the basement of
No s Elm street the north side a. bakery my sePaher
TO get coal; he cried out In minute two that two
three Of he = & 5 wssi sS% and ssd
FeU and alarmed the tenants; had hay
30 Te es I'll gAha he e ws the adjoining
mne lost all possessed and was not insured 49,
in question in room is fifth noor heard alarm of fire
about ~ o'clock and going to the third floor felt bot air
daely returned apartments and found that my wife aud
child had into Mr. Norths apartment tod them az i
to got side window the roof of the adjoining house
the women and children had the hre occurred when
tenants in bed there would have been na po'soy OIL
Nombo DeFres deposed-I kept grocery on
the the building; se 7ococS my wife told
went to he back door with the hope saving Of ny
things but opening the door that that would be mpos
instant my kitchen in blaze think The FIRE originated
bs baker bs hd bay hsvnS in his cellar for past
weeks customary for the occupants 70 throw
ashes those ceas was not insured aud lost all pos
Edmund Waring dsposed-I am the owner of the
Snsns IN question oSS s T o vas es dep yard Of
some in depth; hallway feet wide ct the entrance
;sv 20 The second story wa. in the center Of hail. and
led entry communicating with back stairway on the out
Of stswsy running through the of the buildings this
stairway about q feet wide but the harvey was shout
the time othe rt there were ~ families in me house
was for 81 bu: suite apartments was vacant
Bysnt conrucsed the building nearly odr years the
building constructed in the same manner that houses oil TINS
VIM ri. Moore, residing at the corner Of East Broad.
way and Cahsrne street. member of the hrm Of
ss Elm street put up about four yssT' ago for Mr.
Waring tenemens but little in their constructs
bHpg I fs In %oaa Contain sss
Mr.. Warng planned the building hnse the Ta o. !ne Ie
number of in the interior Of the building they are stronger
in the Construction Of This building a. is assd the rsca.
houses space between the trimmer beams aud hues was
building standing high x stoss where the adjoining
buildings are lower consequently adordns means Of
escape from the roofs
The evidence here closed, and the Jury, after DELHI
Grating for long time returned tie following verdict:
| That the said Frederick Bordner Hannah A. Storch,
Mary b. Storch Flora Storch, Charles j. Storch, and
four other bodies TO the Jury unknown, came to their
death in consequence OF burns received at the desuc
ton by fire of the tenement-house No. li2 Elm street.
OH the second day of February, 1866 further find
that the building constructed without any regard
10 the safety of its occupants IN case OF hre II having
been utterly devoid Of any OF escape after egress
by the main entrance had been cut OIL az II was higher
BY two stories than the buildings which adoined il,
thus preventing escape by way OF the roof In consd-
Grafton OF these circumstances IN our opinion, Mr. Id
mupd Warng, the owner OF the premises IN question,
is responsible 10 great extent for this serious loss OF
human life, as it was his duty, in the construction OF
the BUILDING 10 have made provision for contingency
not at all unlikely to in buildings as overcrowded
as we find this to have been. In conclusion, we
would call the attention OF the Legislature, now IN
rel sion TO the number of ediices in this city
structed on similar reprehensibe principles aud would
recommend the enactment OF a law making 1t ncum-
bent upon owners of tene neDt buildings To place iron
starways or some other approved means OF egress,
the outside Of these sructures that their hight be m-
tied to 10 five stores and that such other precautions
be adopted for the better preservation OF the lives or
the inmates as the Legislature shall direct. The
cent loss of six lives by tho destruction Of tenement
house in Division street. followed Sd quickly by this
calamity, under precisely smilar circumstances, imper-
atiyely demands the prompt Intervention Of the strong
arm Of the law TO prevent their recurrence. The
Jurors further request that Coroner Andrew K Jack