The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-06

we act at fire according to our experience ana
Judgment; | acted according TO my best Judgment
at the fire III the SHAW Building
JAMES RENWICK
testified II live at No. % University place: am
an architect; examined the walls OF the shaw
Building on the saturday after the calamity;
speak now rom what saw; sighted the west
wan rom Duane street aud lound 1t very true;
1t was a well butt wall and IL was In line; lt
leaned slightly toward The church; the mortar ana
the bricks were good: about one-ninth OF Inc
portion OF the debris mad fallen INTO the building
itself; noticed the two holes IN the cellng OF the
church. and saw a quantity OF bricks aud mortar
inches hlgh and our inches through, EVIL.
IDENTITY Intel OF window; the wall wall
part had "buckled" or 'kickeo" outward, and
had fallen upon the roof OF the church; The physi-
cording TO circumstances; intense heat would In-
jure the mortar, but not the BRICK unless II was
intense enough 20 melt the latter; the wall did
not appear to have been injured by frost: the
wall, when green, II acted upon on one side by
II ost not on the other would nave bent; bricks
Will absorb water, ana II the wafer should freeze
in them the wall would be I'M AIRED; bricks become
brittle under the action OF irost; there Is
tendency Tor "a wall TO expand If 1t has been
soaked through with water ana then frozen; II
wall were weLted on one side and then
frozen II would PROBABLY bend; II soaked through
ana rOzen it might rise vertically; TINS did not
appear 10 have occurred to the west wall OF The
Shaw building; tnat wall must nave iaen be-
cause OF some expansion, and not rom any III
herent deiect; the tendency OF the wall was to
fall outward yet IL Tell inward saw one crack 10
the remaining portion OF the west wall; Lnerd
may have been more cracks whicn did not seeI
II properly built and anchored 4 slxteen-lncn wall
IL very strong.
Juror-Do you regard wall, ninety-six feet
high, unsupported inside or out, proper one "a
leave Tor sucn length OF time as this wall was
WItness-I cannot answer, as was not there to
make personal examination; l think tmbera
should nave been put inside at me part wnere Tue
should have been taken down with the greatest
rapldlry; with diinculty braces could nave been
mn on IN ~ fln
been Draced from the roof OF the church.
JOHN T. CoNOvER
testified IL live at No. 80 West Twenty eighth
street; am builder; examined the walls OF
Shaw's Building the Sal urday alter the disaster;
va na also IN te Sung s oh Inc sea ar
and ask him when the walls were to
DE taken down, so that | could look alter
the chinneys OF the tenement house adjoining; ne
SAID he mad hing at all TO do with 1t, as he mad
put the matter into me hands or his arcnltect and
builder; do not think Tue walls AS saw them
should nave stood Tor lOrty-fiVe days; there were
no beams in the rear part or 1.-The building; did
not feel that my lie was III Danger when was IN
side the building; there were q lew cracks IN the
west wall, between sil.S and lintes, but no cracks
that observed IN the main wall; 1t IS likely thai
would have noticed large cracks IN the walls; l
have thirty odd years. experience as mas0ni
tnere was no wind blowing at the time
Was IN the building; ] would nave stood on the
first moor OF the building III Duane street, aud
have Ieit myself in no danger hau very heavy
winu been blowing; think the walls should have
been secured properly within three weeks OF such
weather as we mad, while the walls $1,000 nrmj
To secure tue Wills properly suoulu nave OeRun
at me second story, and would have put In braces
and anchors ana tied them together until they
were secured.
Tne inquest here adjourned until this morning
at ten O'Clock.
DONATIONS FOR THE SUFFERERS.
The pastor OF ST. Andrews church hereby thank
fully acknowledges the receipts OF the following
sums Tor Tue relief Of those VINO suffered IN tue
late calamity in st. Andrews church. He also re.
turns MS heartfelt thanks to the donors indlvidu-
ally iOr their prompt aud unsolicited charity wnlch
ADDS greatly to their merit, and
they may rest assured that they VIII nave their
reward here or hereafter. The names OF donors
lowS:-