Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1873-04-16
The NIddIeIOWn Disaster.

There seems 10 be no end TO great die
ssiers. Almost every mail brings the in
ieligenee Of a pew calamity. Last week
We had 10 record ono on the sea, aud NV
itisa building. that falls and brushes = lOi
Of human beings, the Shepard building
at Middlctown CT. which fell on Wo;lnes
day last: The insecurity Of the building
has been ths subject Of general remark
aud so well its COZ iiiion understood, thsI
the Middleton bank, ia the adjoining
building. aprehebding the disaster, had
ordered the roof Of their building cover
ell with heavy plank, the work being near
" completed when the crash came. The
SbcIerd block was a Ave story building.
built mostly in tho Winter. The manner
Of laying the foundation was eomme7lsd
upou at the time. The earth vas not re-
moved for the Easements uurll alter the
building was nearly complete :; trenches
we're dug. and in ihem, nearly filed with
water. the Foundation was laid. Ia irst
story was carried up with l2-inch walls;
the two sides being continued with ,isht-
inch brick walls to the roof, wh.e the
front aud back we're of wood, salyau.zed
iron being used to cover the front. Then,
to make it thoroughly unsubstantial.
there we're no stffening party-walls in the
building; the main rartiilon-wall being
composed of a single row Of bricks, held
in place by wooden planks and scantling
With the starting of the frost, the fragile
structure settled; aud, to remedy the sunk
en- corner, part of the wall was removed
and an attempt was made TO repair the
trench. Meanwhile the plasterIng was
going OIL. and partitions and other materl-
al we're added until the sham walls gave
way, and the whole structure was in III.
ins.
There we're 80 men employed IN the
buildidiDg, q of whom we're killed. and
Is, wounded.
Some of the workmeu escaped almost
miraculously. Of four men at work III
the fourth story, who all went down to-
geather, two escaped with only slight
bruises. Two men jumped out OF rear
window of the second story and escaped
unhurt. Two men were coming down the
front stairway; hearing a noise, they turn
ed and saw the inner walls crumbllng,
ard made q rush for the street. one escap-
ing uniniured, while tie other had his skull
fractured. A young man at work on tie
roof was carried down with the ruins, but
marvelously escaped with slight cut
in the forehead. A man at work glazing
windows was struck by one of them, which.
was the first notice he had of the disaster.
He jumped of the scafold and escaped
with slight injuries. One nan, at work
on the foundation, ran for his life and es-
capped. while the laborer by his side was
killed. Four boys lathing in the fourth
story all went to the ground together,
when they cut their way out of the ruins
with their hatchets. One workman had
that morning been sent to Middle6eId to
do JOB, and thus probably escaped
death.
At a coroner's inquest, yesterday, the
jury decided that the contractors were
guilty of grave negligence in the construc-
ton Of the foundation, and that MIR.
Shepard, the builder, was culpabIy re.
spoDsiblc. The practice of building upon
leased ground was condemned as encour-
aging cheapness of construction, and the
attention of the city authorities was call
ed to the necessity of having some COM
petcnt authority to direct in all matters
concerning the erection Of buildings so as
to insure safety to the public. There has
been no further death of victims, and all
are apparently improved.