New-York tribune., 1875-03-05
THE ST. ANDREWS CHURCH ACCIDENT

rrrP cOvTrNrJ 6ITOE OF THE INvEsTIGATTOS-TEsTr-
uoyY OF TIE BUILDER IN CHARGE AT THE
TIME.
Coroner Eickhoff resumed the hearing Oh
testimony In the ST. Andrews Caurch disaster yester-
day. NJ. Wilson. Superintendent OF the Fire PATROL
which supported by the Insurance companies 'esI
fed that he had charge OF the insurance companys IN
the time OF the fire, and afterward; nc e1
amined the walls after the fire. and then consid-
cred them safe he had over 90 men working with MIN
in the building there small crack In
the upper story the wall which fell, and crack IN
the arch Of the east wall Mr. Shaw went to work to re-
move the walls without waiting for the action or the
insurance companies, as is the usual custom "lIhesS
knew that the Do partment Of Buildings had probouhced
the walls unsafe while he had his men at work IN the
building; he received communication from she FIRE
Department waning him of the dangerous cohdl'lon OF
tie walls did think II would have been wen ior
the fremen to pulled down the upper portions Of
the walls The business OF the witness was to save a'
much preperty az he could for the Underwriters and
the fact that merchandise was in the store woud pos
siby influence his action somewhat In regard 10 INC
wais, he exercised no authority Ia reference 20
Elisha Kingsland Of No. "a East one-hundred-and-
seventeenth ST., General secretary Of the bor OF
darwriters ana recently Chief ;-EnCneer ot the FIRE
Department esti1ed that he examiner tnct"al+ ast
tuesday, aud thought tnc west wall should ave p,en
ma used be duty OF the Chief Engineer of the
had hat power no1, md knew that IL had been exer
csed. The most of these walls eOuI
have heen clipped of INTO MA ohaw pftIsss' ltnou1
endangering the adjoining buildings Hugh Bonner,
Chez OF Battalion the Fire department, being re-
called esed lat Chief tes was present as n4' IlTc
Gnd regrce the walls as dangerous, though n0t Hkely
20 fa Immediately. W.C,css had a decided opinion
that all walls subjected severe neat sOud be leyeed,
wall WAS unsafe. It sprung from SweeDeys Hotei
The west wall could not have oeeu pulled down |l1hout
Hmos n TITUS tie builder. OF No. 81 East Onehun,
dredandtwenty eIghth-st, testified that he examined
TIE walls a!tGr lAe HEe; ahu eOus'erc t' IA = w,
dangerous condition, the beams being al burned OUT
from tue oGsenent to the roof there was crack lour
stories an IenHCh III TIC WesI "AII tAeIo Va % so
done the walls but there were no braces
put at tnat part which fed H. as tnere,was no W." 20
west wall had not fallen 'at the time or
the h.ei he knew that the wal ,y,T was 10 wea Tca
nothing 10 Win securing the was, nor win rebuild
inS at s. uIt ~ y; uoer Tue Gon..nc' no " "1 se
take down three stories OF the west "al, Two tHe
east, and four OF the wass aud ten 10 rebuild
them; there had been little or nothing dOue to secu
ire walls when he took Charge; eighteen Deans hdu
been put ~ bat tIcre were no Brace Ind ne Ane~ .
dangerous work the building the walls could
andshould have been thrown down into the Dulhg oy
lie FIre Department; he Was "a the h3Olt OF ta9!hs
contracts dangerous work. and Was IN danger the
time; worked the safest way, but knew ghere was
danger; the manner Of taxing down he Has was leIt
entirely To The judgment Of the Witness r SnoOa CIV
ing no directions in tne matter, ana wines -
taxing tlem down the safest way the witness du
not think ne responsible for the falling VI me Wa
II about the worse joDs he had ever hfd'Jo az ne
Old Nj S1UOk and insisted that beams should Oe put
Ia before the wall taken dOWp, He was
the walls would he weakened by the thawing or the
frost and hlch covered them; he had discovered
sOy OF the vest wall since the aeei-
dent, which he thought ran along the length OF the
Wiz II he nad discovered II before he signed Ills con-
tTdcC. have accepted tie JOB; the crack
made d0uUt ~ the falling Qt the beams at the
time Of the fire. II could not have been seen from the
OUTSIDE; wue-s woGid have been willing 20 sle by
the OF wal; after The Fire Department surrcn-
dered TIE hudns. II came under TIE control OF tne De
partMent OF Budiugs.
Johu SuOOk, architect, recalled stated that he con-
sidcred the walls sale Tor the moment, ana every IL
stants work after he got work AZ then tended 70
heU them. Ia bio eXperc nee H' geheidy IOuAu
thar those portions OF the walls burnt buildings winch
had been ured by the heat and were considered un-
sale, were generally pulled down before rebuilding.
Mr. Titus had lola MI Shaw that lie was little afr1lG
o tie wall, ana tue wincss thought, a. the time,
IAat tLs opinion interested one. b 1t u ne
ICout TO be- the rght one. He did tbink Mr.. 40s
meant then what he SAID lie told Mr.. SIaw that The
wall pushed over Oy the east wall, ana
would fall 10 the east Witness thOug ht lie could ahead
ana get through wItl the jOD he tnc crack IL the
east wall. which Mr Titds had spOk u, ana waa OF
opinion that u CAUSED by the falling OF tho wall u'C
Tie beams curing tOc hre.
TIE Inquest Wa tGen adjourned until this morning