The New York herald., 1870-12-28
THE BUILDING MURDER.
Further Evidence in the West Thirty
Fifth Street Horror.
Testimony Of Persons Engaged in
the Construction.

is responsible for the fall OF the piano factory in
West Thirty.1fth street on the 10Th inst. was re-
sumed yesterday by Coroner Keenan,.
The first witness called was John L. Hamilton,
carpenter, who performed the work on the fallen
building.
MIR. HAMILTON'S TESTIMONY
showed that he did The work for the owner, Joseph
b. Hale; it was done by contract; he was TO do the
entire woodwork, to use spruce timbers, 3x12, for
seven tiers, placed at twelve inches from the CEN
tres; carriage beams and headers 6xl2; the roof
beams, 3x1l, and twelve inches from the centre,
resting four inches In the walls each end; all the
beams were secured in the usual way, three piers
or bridges and anchor strips; these are placed to
stay the front wall not the side walls; these were
secured with anchor strips furnished by the masons
fastened TO the beams every eighth beam on both
sides, all the way up; there were 1862 windows
in the building, twenty-five on each front
and l59 on each side; there were twenty
on row; the roof was butt pitching
towards the cenrre descent OF three feet from
ach 'front.' the beams built in the wall to SO.
cure the roof; there was no iron fastening except
the arches. which ran sideways, and scant boards
were nailed 10 the beams. There was to be gravel
ings-f0u ur for skyghts and two for scutiles; there
are different ways OF constructing roofs-none more
this to secure the roof to the building: Ieft the
building at nine O'Clock A. M. on the day that
tell; the roof had not then arrived; there were
no workmen in 1t ~ the time TO his knowledge;
went to about the centre Of the building on that
morning on the first story; felt no shaking. and
nothing unusual; saw no cracks in the walls; heard
nothing said then about the trembling OF the build
ing or Of any danger; had heard parties say was
high building, and was In danger of falling; don't
know who The parties were; not any builder to his
knowledge; returned about halfpast eleven O'Clock,
ana dound ma tha5 tne building mad fallen; in his
for It in its unfinished state; the owner always
wanted the building well braced.
,nSs TS a VA SGMs perfectly satisfied with every
~ EXTRA PRECAUTIONS -
were taken because IT was high, long building and
To Juror-ff witness had put up factory for
himself he would have constructed 1t differently.
more square, sul more secured, and with more
safety, but until II fell ne believed this perfectly
safe.
HENRY 9. HARRISON,
OF No. 92 Ninth street, swornIs an architect; saw
the building in question all was near the river, be-
between Thirty-iourth and Thirty-ffth streets; Mr.
Armer directed his attention to the building, and
IN, the upper end and the sides; about fifteen or
twenty feet OF the side walls renamed standing;
New York. the Wonen's Hospital in Fifteth Street
and the Manhattan Market among them; there was
but one cause OF the building falIing-that was the
wnd il was fearful gale certainly In velocity
from thirty to nifty miles an hour; the building was
much exposed to II: ). ,,,,,
To q JurOr-AccordngltO the testimony given tnlS
morning it was
VERY STRONG BUILDING.
Hall J. Armer, OF Westchester county, was with
the previous witness when the building fell; 1t
seemed TO fall in body, with the exception OF the
south end; to roll over towards the centre Of the
building; 1t started from the north end at the top;
cannot say whether the roof was lifted; 1t blew so
hard that they couldn't remain on tue ground.
on the building IN question:; was foreman OF the
work; it was commenced between the 18th and Goth
the %ass work was started on the the ed Of October
employed from eighteen to twenty men on an ave-
rage; worked every day except Sundays, unless 1t
stormy weather. until the day before 1t fell;
tnat DAY leveeJ up between the root beams to pre-
pare for the fall; was employed by Mr. Cochrane be-
fore the brick work was commenced; he suggested
that we must take extra precaution on account Of
the height, and to suggest to Mr. Hale to make the
teen inches; did make the suggestion, ana he re-
piled that he was building according TO law and
was not going beyond the law IN q the height to which
minutes when 1t fell; had been on the roof that
SAW NOTHING UNUSUAL;
no trembling; he mad been complimented on the
strength OF the walls, even TO the DAY on which the
TO Mr.. Fellows-Was employed forty five working
days; III that time the work was done; the wind
accident occurring in New York from the same
cause in that way; thinks the roof was raised by
the shock and they would fall I'M there were only four
men at work that day; Mr.. Hale superlntended the
construction and gave witness all MS orders; the
height OF the building was about seventy-nine feet;
saw the superintendent OF Buildings there fire.
quently.
materials; furnished part OF the lime used In the
building that fell; II was first quality-the best in the
market-Sands or westchester lime: 1t was used on
the upper part Of the walls from about the centre;
il does not set so quick as some lime. but after 1t is
set makes strong vall sold 1t to Mr.. Cochrane.
Thomas WhiH swOrn-MiXcd the mortar that was
used in the building IN question: had mixed mortar
on four or five occasions before but is not much used
TO 1t; knows good mortar and how 1t should be
mixed; 1t was good mortar
John Mullins sworn-Is mason and builder and
examined the ruins OF the building after 1t fell;
should say 1t was very well built; one cause of the
falling was the wind; another, the building was
built too fast; know no other cause three or four
months should li;We been taken TO erect building
To Mr.. Fellows Believe that any building could
be blown down by the wind when
IMPROPERLY CONSTRUCTED
and so exposed asthis was the effect OF hurrying
the building wouh be that the mortar would not be
properly set; do not consider the walls OF the build
ing safe against st'ong winds; they were OF sufl-
cient thickness, nproper time had been taken In
been taken do not .hink they would have fallen:
sudden gust wouldn't The root, although the win
dows were open ana opposlte TO each other; had
nave been blown dswn.
James L. Miller swOrn-Is an architect and has
been in the building business; has examined the
fallen building; didnot see 1t before it fell; the cause
Of the fall In his 1inion, is that the roof was lifted
BY the force Of the wind, and coming down would
press against the walls and carry the other tiers OF
beams and walls with 1t; 1t an unusually heavy
roof; walls can be properly built in the time that
TO Mr.. Fellowship wind would reach the roof
through the window and lift it. Think
THE WALLS WERE lot OF SUFFICIENT THICKNESS
for the height; they hould be increased and thinks
the law should be altered; they might be safe with
the present thickness, but carelessness In construc
tion might make then unsafe.
James Webb swon-ls a builder and mason; ex.
amned the building that fell; the materials were
good and the workmanship also: the wind getting
under the roof cause it to fall; II the mortar mad
had time to set 1t wuld make no difference; had
the windows been csed 1t would have prevented It,
until the floors are laid and the roof on; had the
floors been laid 1t mlNt not have fallen.
To MIR. Fellowship mortar properly made;
thinks u building OF hat kind could be safely
CONSTRUCTORS FORTY-FIvE DAYS,
Ii proper care be used
John Downie is cspenter and saw that the walls
were plumb and APPEARED to be well built; thinks
sucn building II pr@erly constructed and situated
as this was, would e likely TO De blown down;
There are no ways In use to protect q building so
situated beyond thcS he Understood to have been