The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-05
THE CHURCH DISASTER.
Continuation Of Testimony Before the
Coronsr's Jury.
WITNESSES WHO KNEW THE DANGER.
The Treacherous Walls Allowed to Stand
to Save Property for the In
surance Companies.
WITNESSES WHO KNEW THE DANGER.
LONG CRACKS DISCOVERED.
Mr.. Titus, the Mason, Would Not Have Willingly
Slept by the Side Of That Wall.

The inquest TO discover who is or are, responsi.
BE for the killing OF Michael McCarty, three poor
women and an unfortunate young boy in st. An.
drew's church. on Thursday night, O week ago,
drags YEARLY along. So far as 10 decide the ways
In which the devoted beings lost their lives, the
inquest mas been completed. But these were well
known before the inquest was begun, and the legal
ceremony only gave the facts q cortaln stamp OF
judicial verify The testimony gwen from day to
day. since Monday, has been Of what may be
termed kaleidoscope character. 1t has kept ar.
ranging and rearrangtng the places Of the per-
sons connected with the erection, destruction
and repair Of the shaw Building, and the
public Onicials with respect to RESPONSE
nility for the falling OF the west wall
OF that building. Now 1t mas put forward one
man, or one set OF men, and seemed about to
mark him, or them. with the word 'responsiole;"
then suddenly 1t has shaken itself up again In the
witness box, so to speak, and produced new COM
binations OF men and responsibility. To speak
sxactly. the evidence during the inquest does not
indicate place for the jury to lay the blame for
The disaster that occurred to the congregation In
81. Andrews. 1t is likely that no one person will
De charged exclusively with tnat blame, but that
Il Will be distributed among many men, and so
Iall the lighter upon each.
THE TESTIMONY.
Monmouth B. Wilson testihed:- live at No. 256
West Twenty.hrst street; am superintendent OF
The Fire PATROL whichis supported by the insurance
companies; my once is at No. 1856 Broadway; l
had the interests OF the insurance companies in
charge at the time Of the fire in Mr.. Shaws build
Ing and AFT erwards; I examined The walls imme-
diately after the fire; had from twenty to thirty
men In the building alter tie lre AZ work IN tax.
Ing out w0at property could be reached; l consio.
cred the walls safe, or would not have put the
men at work in the building;I saw one crack,
small one, on the upper story; 1t was more OF
seam than anything else; did not
tice that the east wall was out OF line;
noticed there was crack in the arch made
my examination from the street; the day alter
the fre Mr.. SHAW went to work to secure the walls
without waiting for the insurance companies. as
ID the usual custom; l did not go on the roof of
eweenys Hotel, nor on the roofO the tenement
house, nor on that OF the church. to examine the
walls; took the line OF the west wall from the
second story or the building across the way; the
beams Of Mr.. Shaw's building had come down by
weight, ana had been burned afterward and as
the walls had not been thrown down or appar.
emily Deen injured by the falling OF the beams, l
fore sowing nv men to 90 To- work IN the bud
Ing; think that wall 96 feet high, 90 feet long
and 16 inches thick
standing without bracing; these walls were
braced; know the department OF Buildings had
work had no communication with any OF the
engineers OF the Fire Department in reference to
Ore; do not think 1t would have been well for
Inc FIRE department to have thrown the walls
have thrown down the upper portions or the
walls; my business is to save as much property as
disc being IN the store would influence nv action
70 regard to the walls; l would not have liked
to see tae walls 20 down upon the prop.
prevent loss Of life; would not have pulled the
walls GOWN own ID mass; think the proper way
the outside, and then to have erected scatfOds on
the inside; the wall could have been buckled in
from the roof Of the church to the outside OF the
wall, but do not know whether or not the roof or
brace; saw gentleman connected with the De.
partment OF Buildings in the building while was
With nm have naa No no
with any person connected with the De-
E,ts men gud1s sr the v.s work
pr onounced unsafe by the Department OF Build.
lngs; was at work 10 the building about two
weeks and all that time the work OF ''shoring
up' the walls was gong on; exercised no an.
thority IN reference to whether The walls should
be lett TO stand or be taken down.
ELISHA KINGsLAND TESTIFIED.
s. i've at No. a East nm street; am General
the nrst onicf Enalneer Of the paid FIRE Depart.
ment; last Tuesday examined the walls OF Mr..
e walls at hs tine
opinion that the west wall should have been
iaNen down to the third story beams i'm
medlatey after the fire; 1t used 10 be
the duty OF the chief Engineer 10 examine
the walls OF a building as soon as fire
was cxtlngulsned, and Ii they were in a danger.
Gus condition to direct the engineer under MN
either to nave them thrown down or "cnipped
on;' think the Fire Department has the power
to throw down walls winch they consider danger
Gus; anyhow 1t has exercised that power hitherto;
think the most dangerous portions OF the walls
OF Mr.. Shaws building could have been 'cnlppedn
into the building without endangering the adj
joining ouIdings; was an engineer in the voun-
teer department. Tor eleven years and a hall, ana
Chlet Engineer OF the present Fire Department.
for Jour years and n half.
OF Eyre Department. was recalled, and testified =
! was on duty on the morning upon which the
was there IN charge rom ABOUT a quarter oil an
hour after the tire broke out until 1t was extn-
regarded the wall as dangerous; alter the Ore was
out the wall was considered dangerous, but not
lon that ali walls that have been subjected t ' 70
severe neat should be levelled as not nt
To nnon De n Sv' 9perincs this opinion is based
think building would be weak If recon.
os walls nss
wall was unsafe; 1t had sprung from Sweeny's
Hotel. but 1t did not alI the west wall OF Shaw's
building could NOT nave been thrown down with
out danger to the church; II the wall had been
pulled III by Graphing 1t would have endangered
the adjoining property; have been fireman for
AMOS N. TITUS
testified 81 live at No. 81 East l2sth street, am
mason and builder; examined the walls OF Mr..
Shaw's building the DAY after the fire; thought
tnsy were 10 ysTy aangerG po ION as the
the roof; noticed a crack running perpendlculariy
n the west vail mat crack extended rom
the top of the building down four stories; |
II was on line with the window frames noticed |
t when was on the roof OF No. 10 CITY Hall place;
said to several persons that II was miracle !
that the wall had not fallen AZ the time OF the fire;
1t the same time knew the wall was well built
and OF first class material, for
HAD ERECTED 1T MYSELF
IN 1861 the same day or several days after ward
expl essed the same opinion to Mr.. Shaw; would |
say that as nigh as the wall was sixteen Inches |
thick 1t was safe; the whole rear wall was not |
safe; part OF the east wall was safe saw from
oween,'s tnat that part OF the east wall which
atJoined the wall OF the hotel had sprung" or
pecn pushed over about iour inches; do not think
saw any cracks In that portion oil Uc east wall;
hau nothing TO do win securing The walls nor
with the building at all until the l2tn OF February
wnen Inc agreement was signed; | was TO take
Gown tnree stories OF the westerly wall, two
stories OF tue cistcry and Jour stores OF the rear
wall was tnen to reOut!d the walls; ! cannot
Say that J saw ANYTHING dane 10 snore up the
Walls AT the Time entereu upun my work when