The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-07-02

Further Details of the Accident in
Forty-second Street.
THE CORONER'S JURY.
cit Is the Contractors Loss ana
There 1t Ends"

The broken arehway IN Forty-secono street, ps"f
First avenue, by which two human beings lost 'heH
iives visited yesterday by numerous res''
dents Of the nsigborhood. who were wont TO
make use Of the temporary pathway. especially
during warm weather, and on idle days when
the worEingmeu Of that section used 10
consrsgate there 10 have frierdy chat The be-
ginning OF the Coroners inquest also added renewed
interest to tho ruined structure especially that part OF
1t which faces Second avenue and the rickety arch
needed not the eye expert TO pronounce 1t ex'
cssdingy unsafe looking al least. This was the I'M
precision OF all those who looked not only at the ruins
but also Of that part which still standing
Nothing whatever has been done by the contractor,
Byron, 10 remove the debris, and no bricks were
lying as they had fallen Saturday afternoon, In
deed they were strewn around SO loosely that
builder, who happened to be present pointed to that
very as evidence Of the poor material used in the
construction OF the arch. The reporter took
from tho bricks az they had fallen some Of
the so-calied mortar, and while no himse'I
could lind but very hto ingredient in tho same called
cement his attention directed to the Tact that
bricks had nothing to show, not even that little
substance OF sooaled mortar, and seemed to have
been besmeared with more wet sand. An officer on
pos near the scene disaster stated for some
time past It been The talk in the neighbor
hood the WIS being careessly built IL was
generally bruited about that Dir. Byron who had the
JOB ut an exceedingly low figure, had subiet tho con-
tract to another party. No official confirmation Of this
addt,onal charge OF carelessness could be obtained
II is pres uned however, the version OF this
sublctng business Will be brought out AZ the C0roners
inquest whenever held
INTERVIEW COMMISSIONERS OF PUBLIC WORKS
Cam ueli stated he had Ocen 100 long
connected with pubic works geheraiy 70 Cali tnis
disaster ''accidcnL There was plain cause Tor
IT, which would be carefully explained a. toe proper
time He the Chief Engineer vt the department
lad gone the runs sunday. wncn he was APP
work to discover the Rename The lAttors father
He at conferred with NJ. Muholland, The sewer
contractor anu Foreman O'Ncill, with twenty men,
we're ut once the ruins, and were Kept
II work until tho remains OF the poor man were
found. So much for the story that the department
had been appealed TO In vain 70 render tue required
assytahce. The Commissioner WAS, In fact, max
ing out eneck for tho twenty men a. 20 en-,
him yesterday. In reply 10 tue question
whether tho examination OF the RUNS had
changed his idea about The cause Of tho accident,
Com issiouer Campbell said at must DO attributed
entirely, SO far Us can now 10 the unequal oad-
ing VI Inc hauuch OF tho arch. As 10 this depart.
men. giving such contract, have already told
you that the uw gus The contract ~ the lowest
h,dder. And yst., though The spcclhcations OF this
contract, informed, only cali Tor .ne use Of
two portions Of sand against portion OF cemcnt,
the inspector tells ms that the proportions OF sand
snd cement used was about equai richer 10 cement,
IN fact, than the specifications called for. +"
Cnisi Engineer john Z. Campbell. who accompanied
the missioner in mis- tour OF observation, told the
reporter yesterday that there ought TO have been
three four ieot or Garth the arch, and there
WAS ouiy about eighteen inches.
THE DEPARTMENT SATISFIED
care you going have Official thorough in-
vestigatiou OF this affair y'' uskcd the reporter.
no. there exists no necessity Tor IT," replied the
Chief Engineer lt Is tue conracsor' loss and there
no can got any money. The Commissioners N.Y.
sell went over ttere yesterday and employed gang
OF men 10 look Tor the remains oil poor LYNCH But
as 70 investigation, that Is tho only have
thug with. There is trouble whatever about
a piece OF work that is lot right il must DO put up
airesh again Vi course u 10 great misfortune that
people were killed, but don't See how we GOULD
have avoided IT, These people VINO walked under the
arch had business there anyway; thcy wero only
IN the way Of Toe a0orers IA employ Of the con-
tractoE"
Mr.. jeremiah, Superintendent Of Street Improve
ments also stated that the arch broke owing 70 one
parlmsnt OF Pubic Works yesterday that the same
Mr.. Byron Obtained ITO contract tor paving Filth
avenue IRON Fifty ninth TO Seventy street.
THE coRoNEn's JURY
Coroner Woittnan. during the aitsrnoon with tho
following jury, vowed the scene OF the dsaster:-w.
Ahrmz, No. 1871 Thompson street; J. b. Mackauoe,
No. 23l West FIteeutn street; james Proc, No. 20i
East Fnty ninth street; Civres h. hawkins. NO.
East Fiiiy.ourth street; Alfred Fountain, No. 156
East lwsnty-aith street; John l. Aurths, No 23S
East f:' oy No. S rssro
Alfred II: Thorp, No. $50 sroaawsy; Mortimer q
Merritt, No l,2el Brosawsy, ana William BALDWIN,
Captain Mount, OF the Nineteenth precinct, met
Coroner Whitman and Tue jury anu escorted them
over Of the broken arch. The jury, who are
all practical bailders, carefully examined the
portion Of the bridge witch still Standing,
aud made u careful analysis of lhe mortar which
used in the building OF the bridge coroner woltman
nlled Jars with loose nno sand winch became
iriaps 10 inc touch aud winch was suus titu,cd Tor
mortar between the bricks. A builder, who Is con-
sidered expert, called upon TO make thor
ougn analyst Of The samples OF sand that IN case
Of being called he would bo prepared TO
testify. Tho Jury next proceeded the res,dcncc OF
Patrick Lynch, one OF the victims, at Foriy-secon
street aud Second avonue where they viewod tho re-
mains. The jury was then discharged without nam
my day Tor holding the Inquest