The Portland daily press., 1876-07-28
A SERIOUS ACCIDENT.
A Wan Crushed TO Death by the Fall of a
Sham Built store-A Narrow Escape for
Several Others.

A very serious accident, and one which cost a
young man his life, occurred shortly after 6
o'clock yesterday morning on Commercial
wharf. The particulars of the affair go to
| show plainly that sham built store was the
| cause of the accident
| Last fall G. P. Ingraham erected large fish
store on the west side of Commercial wha1f,
| which was leased to Themes & Chase. The
| first floor is used for packing fish and the sec
ond for storing salt in bulk and empty fish bar
rels The building was erected by George S.
| Sylvester. The second floor is laid on spruce
timber by s inches. These tmbers run across
beams by II inches, which are placed fifteen
feet apart and run crosswise of the building.
Tue beams are supported by posts at each side
| of the building, and one post. with braces on
| each side, in the centre. This would make
substantial support Notwithstanding the beams
are of spruce, if the centre posts had been set
on solid foundation As it was, the base of the
post rested simply on the planking of the wharf
and not upon the stringers. Not knowing of
the weak foundation it was thought that $50
hogsheads of salt could be safely put in the
pen in the second story, and yesterday morning
WOTku6u UeSdu ulSCudlSluS Huuutity lTOiu
the schooner B. J. Willard.
While the salt was being discharged nine
men were engaged in packing mackerel on the
first floor just beneath. All went well until
abont 80 hogsheads had been discharged, when
suddenly loud crash was heard and the beams
broke like pipe stems, letting the great mass of
salt and empty barrels on to the first floor.
Fortunately but one man was directly beneath
it, and the rest escaped. He was young man
named John Long. and was in the act of stoop
ing over barrel when the heavy beams struck
him. breaking his neck. back and one of his
legs in two places, and burying him beneath
the great weight 1t was full a half hour be-
fore he was taken out and he was of course
dead. He was about IS years of age, and lived
on Monument street, and must have died in
stantly.
At the time of the accident Mr.. Themes was
standing but few feet from Long, as were sew
eral others. One Of the packers named Cary,
had very narrow escape. As it was he was
partially covered with the salt and falling tim
bers: and received severe cut by timber on
one foot. A man named John Hersom was in
the act of upsetting wheelbarrow of salt into
the bin when the flooring gave way and he
only had time to jump to one side, his wheel.
barrow going down through.
A careful investigation of the scene of the
accident showed that one of the centre posts
settled through the planking of the wharf and
then came in contact with some solid substance.
This threw the weight on the next centre post,
which went right down through the planking
several feet, taking all support from the centre
of the long beams. The breakingof the beams
pressed out the side of the building several feet
and knocked the men standing on the wharf on
to the vessel. The loud crash was heard a long
distance and large numbers rushed to the spot
at once.
Coroner Gould was called soon after the ac-
cident, and at once took charge of the body.
A jury was summoned and viewed the body,
after which they adjourned In the afternoon,
in company with County Attorney Libby, they
visited the scene of the accident and made a
thorough examination of the store They then
met at the County Attorneys Office to hear the
testimony of the witnesses. The inquest was
not concluded at 6 o'clock, and adjourned until
this morning at 10 o'clock.