The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-05-02
A TERRIBLE DISASTER.
Falling Of the Roof Of the New POSI-
Office at New York.
Can Architect MuIIet be Blamed
Failing OF the Roof Of the New
POatOtllce At New York.

Failing OF the Roof OF the New
POatOtllce at New York.
NEW York, May 1.-The northern
portion Of the roof Of the new postofIice
tell this morning.. Two men are known
TO have been killed, but the full extent Of
the loss Of life will not be known until
many tons Of rubbish are removed.
PARTICULARS OF THE DISASTER.
New YoRK, May LA section OF the
roof on the northeast corner Of the new
Post Office building, fell ut 2 o'clock this
afternoon while the men were at work
removing the supports which had been
placed under II, while making repairs,
At the time Of the accident there were
ten men at work In the room, and had
nearly completed their labors when with.
out warning the whole section Of the
roof which covered them fell, bodily
tearing the iron girderR from their sockets
and completely covering the men with
concrete, which. composed the filling in
Of the roof. The dense clouds Of dust
filed the Railways, and gave the impres.
sion 10 those on the lower floor that the
building was on FIRE, and the alarm was
sent out calling the Fire Department to
the scene. Edward H. Dougherty, gen.
eral foreman OF the work, hastily col
lected his men and commenced work
removing the mass OF concrete and iron,
not knowing how many laborers had been
buried under it, A section Of police from
the City Hall we're quickly at the scene
oil the disaster. Charles 4. Robinson, a
laborer, was the first one found in the
ruins and was taken out dead. John
Collister was next found, with both arms
broken and otherwise injured. Dennis
Fleming was taken out in an unconscious
state. Foreman Dougherty then got his
men together and called the roll, when il
was found that Max Fensil and Henry
Jones were slightly injured. A man
named Patrick Johnson, who commenced
work this morning, was missing. Search
was begun in hopes OF finding him alive,
but the material was such as to seriously
retard the progress Of the workmen. AT
last in the most remote corner Of the
room, where the principal weight seemed
TO have failed his lifeless body was found.
The dead and wounded were removed to
the Chambers Street Hospital.
Thos. A. Oakspatt, Supervising Inspec.
tor in charge Of the building, on being
asked the cause OF the accident, said that
there was brick wall partially support.
ing the dome, which was cracked, and it
was thought it had been settling ior some
months and had caused deaex in the
ceiling below and an iron truss of
the same kind as those adjoining had
been placed in position 20 support
it. He was in the room about hall
an hour before the accident occurred
and all the struts had been removed.
He was sitting in his office when he heard
the crash, and, thinking it was the ceiling
Of the court room that had fallen, ran
across the hall, and, looking up, saw that
the ceiling was settling rapidly, and ex-
pected to see it fall. He then ran up
stairs, and discovered that section Of
the roof had fallen. He thought that
upon examination it would be found
there was flaw in the iron truss.
Edward H. DoUghrrty, general fore
man, was also Of the opinion that there
was flaw in the truss. In the United
States Circuit Court room underneath,
the ceiling was very badly cracked, and
it is thought that the greater part OF il
would have to be taken down.
4 post mortem examination OF the
bodies Of Robinson and johnson will be
held tomorrow morning.
The Times says: Representation OF
Supervising Architect MnlIet ascribes
the accident to the fact that the truss
was improperly put up. It was used as
agirder, and the weight was thrown on
the lower side OF itinstead OF the upper,
as it should have been. Mr.. J.J. Hin,
Experimenting Architect, on Monday
examined the truss and pronounced It
all right. One person in contro | says
that he was not aware, until he
saw pieces OF the roof after the accident,
that It was such immense thickness and
his own Judgment would not have ap.
proved such a roof being placed where i.
was.
Mr.. T. II. Oakspatt, inspector Of ma
terials under supervising architect ]. J,
Hill, said to Times reporter: | am un.
able to speak with certainty as to the
cause Of the accident. There was brick
wall directly under where this roof de.
scended which was cracked. There were
slight assures in it at two points when |
took charge Of the building, and as il
was causing 4 detection in the ceiling
Of the District Court room underneath
it was decided to remove it and supply
its place as n support to the fire proof
rootwlth an iron truss Of the same car.
rying capacity, assimilar TO the uses and
carrying like weights as in other parts
OF the building. Before he brick parti.
ton was removed tho struts were put in
position to support the roof, and wher
these were taken away after the trus.
was fixed the roof fell in. Why Lcannot
clearly say until after an investigation
has been made, but my impression Is that
there must have been flaw in the iron,
A. B. MulleL Supervising Architect
says that his opinion Of the canse iof Iht
error, was done in using a suspensory
truss as girder, and he afirms that Mr.,
Hill, Supervising Architect, is response.
Bile for this, as he was consultetl on ahI
matter by Oakspatt before its position
was decided upon.
Dennis Fleming, who was injured by
the accident at the Post Office to day, dice
this evening.