The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-08-03
THE rURMAB STREET DISASTER.
TESTIMONY OF THE OWNER.


TESTIMONY OF THE OWNER.
He Acknowledges that His Arch Crrsed
the Buildings to Fall,
&o. DC, &c.
Tho taves,igaon into e cause d the Fur@an s'Seo'
isastc by which three Rsen John Mash, Pas'ck Regain
and Michael Madden their lives, was resumed yes
ssray by Coroaer LYNCH and the testimony taken was
very ,portaut all the witnesses agreeing that the cause
uf the ca am,y was architectss design
The Roof.
william II Hazard being sworn, testified Il RESIDE
MIN Clinton street. Brooklyn; builder; hapeoeee
brought up 70 that all lke have been Sax
teen years i'm business for myself; the morning 'noeo
buildings in Purman street feeI was passing aownoS
bui,ainp 4 was srssang the Fulton ferry; saw q
uussscr of policemen there, aad asked Captain Smith 70
allow me to 70 andlesk the euildngs fer the purpose
Of s,ttiue rformatiou upon looking anthem from the
frop< concluded that the causesf their falling
was che auIt Of construction and not
the fault of materials workmanship; the naeesials
were as good Anything IN this market
Coroner what~es the Of putting IN this VIPER
centre archf
A. Nothing could ssaess 20 throw dovn'she
other arches
The witness heremadea diagram Of tho arches which
will be neeessaryt describe In order 70 give an inse
-. 49,. 80 ,nr ,.,,,., construction. <6 these arches
The whole space occupied the bulldogs was nifty feet
souss andin the centre two walls sixteeninches
tAtek which uere onyied up 10 level with the AA3oin
- huildngsou either side. Two half circle NcAes of
eighteen feetspan twelve snches thick and seven feet
high from their base were erected across the two open
Ags and fsGr inch nat arch was thrown aoross the
,Are.o for sho two aia arches which
-. -, AZ .,,or.
voesot0sse Niey Des~10n sse1 S "a III ~ aoS,
Rom sa 70 seven feeI deep ioar.n .1 r on i
.ro 49, 49, NJ - - .rsn ~ CO..
port onS the twelve sches or brokwotk or the arcaes
upon wnscn " reseco from sass - snu
1APAn@ W snc IuS . ~. n o ~! Va - ""
9 - u Nj" rr =. 80 . ~. ,;,an...I ,,on,a co,
W'sn ~ sIeO. ~. ~ ~. jul s ~ 49, -
sI MysIsn asspS ns ~ "ou ~" INA" ' '
So w. ~ S G IN. ho.n laid rr.ner,v a, o.
LENT WILL. =. ~ ~ d y , IT,,
y sso -. ~ 100 - =. N 49, shiyl,
Whoever esered theeonsH con these arches did aos
49, ~ 100 =, -. - ~ ~ rf>ns ~ lie srose we,s
Eivsn 10 me Dad wcse ash 70 erect building by them
S,Ss:, :, 49,, ,a, ,. - S-~'s ~ ~
I.sncss 49, .,orn .,,de a. 80 Ade,ph,
ss ~ =, ~, n,...<s :. e.. .-vs~,s r..
~ .,st tw;c years n. - suness Intended ,ork for
Ss ~ so- 49, ye sas oa ~ ING into
Si .o r ~o r ~ ~ 1900 - !. h.,,,d,eSeo "a ana
- T. CO.. -; nsS "a Tor,
-, ,cs~r.s g. nv svs@SrcI =. - TIE cons~ ~ m
s,.v wnJ a. No , my ~ .r N ~ ,u,
'nns @oau amoss SAs Ssen y II ,,.
sr,r. -as wers na, thcS cS for ,nch huasiino.
you'd LOT nut .n such an sch FOR snvnnan EVER he
s.s~.aca al ewssns;htv. ,,~arS or AIDING sNrenOth
- ~ n.,n p.rS"s a. c.n,rs .rchs -esL.ned
thn. The owner mad astos me 20 buir sue an arch
1919 haze ,od Ha,, that omh moi S,it. b. oen,re
~. sho" hsv nsa GOOD ana esss, ween ben, n e.h
ssorv and Se wen with ron uncors
. ~ous az ~ ~ sse ~ b.
reoson OF thse cenr walls - aood Weuac
Saggest for such baising; e.. 1t had jndgmsnt n
ysen the two main arrLes and the sna main arc been
led in with masonry che level q the cop Of tho email
&c wallis and would have formed n abxtmeni forN abe
Holm Merritt svorn .es,iacd.-ResiSe nj 76 Co.
h,.n,a s,root have reeaed there .;xe 1ST6nsct eer
years: WAS the owner Of the budinxs o3 and 05 sr
-. !, Got, .owncncad IN have th.rs rels,it wnm e.
x,., s,r ,he are Witch occnrrsd on the Attn or
ANAL: in ISl6 when was about 10 erect m preeenc
rcsdcnce there were four others adjoining me who we're
suSs to Support the bank Of earth and 70 protect sr
"a % 1 ,h p pa Of Enroers oc ihs Craso
I-n.arct nsnarmen, for a nan. thew Surnished the
eIsn ana one Of their number snperintended the work
- 1hich 7 maid HIM exon. tho arches we're twelve
1890 hck ana tho centre wallis were sixteen inches
sicS IN The rear OF The stairway and twelve inches thick
sr there 70 tho front of the building which made the
.n,ng EIGHT inches wider IN front tSap IN rear thcse
ne were nut there for the purpose OF shortening the
1879 ana du cons mt IN unSer each aoor after the
~ in Anri, last sent for Mr. Bunting who had built
~ rcsIdence and whom knew 10 be builder for many
..,s before. told him that the iron beams and columns
Ia proved TO be failure and suggested brick arches
Iahout anv iron he said be thought nv plans would
ork hut that he wa not suaccntly familiar with
Mind Of work 10 RELY entirely upon his own Judgment
snd requested me TO soc David Board carpenter who
~ 10 DO the work: submitted my suggestions TO Mr.
Beard and he approved OF tbem, and made diagram,
which think, was all the plans made with the cxcep
don OF drawing OF the arches board think that
Mo centre arch had tendency strengthen the two
Main Arches that witnesses say not the
ssls that were damaged were all taken down, and the
Anterediae walls were made sixteen inches thick all The
vay 70 the 'front.' the purpose Of adding strength Mr.
hunting did MOI say that the small arch the centre
"a Al ficeuty strong after Il vas built this arch
nv sugaeston and hc (Buntng) acquesced In IT,
A Juror-Ststs then what caused the buildings TO
laiif
A. That isa direct question, and Twill answer H. !