The New York herald., 1879-12-10

ing at the time he called out 'where's that yon
wanted to buy for Ave dollars? I'd like to see him
"iou can see him easily enough" replied Mr..
Duly. nodding toward the reporter
That's rough shot you got from Engineer
Towle added the acquaintance of Mr.. Duffy.
"les. he was mp mere Sunday and said to my
brother. we must get out of this way;
must all get out OF it, and then goes down town
and gives II TO us through the HERALD. Bnt III
show him up. l know all about these offices down
in tho City Hall They tried to fix these with
out my knowing it. They had a man hid
behind that doorway there, waiting tor to
go away. But they can't steal "a march me IL
have to keep watch here every night mysclf They
say there is only pipe for those ive buildings
the sewer. but paid EN- for five houses $50. and
I've got their receipt for it. When was building
nine houses Ninety street they told OF
my men, who went down for some taps. that the
water not paid for, aud had receipt for it all
the time. Oh. know all about those Offices"
Mr.. Duhy's acquaintance here asserted that the
sewer in that block had been in wretched condi-
tion to his personal knowledge. The reporter asked
him he thought that had anything to do with the
ta OF the walls but he said he answered evasively.
Glow much are you going to sue the city for?''
asked the reporter of Alr. Duffy in parting.
Il don't know" said he grufty. "My lawyer
knows all about that"
THE LrxISoToN AVENUE TUMBLE.
1t was on the morning OF February %, 1878. be.
tween eight and nine O'Clock, when the wall Of one
OF the eleven buildings which the Duffy brothers
were building i'll Lexington avenue, came down with
crash. There were plenty Of workmen about al
the time, but only two OF them caught in the
falling debris. These We're George Balm. laborer.
and James Hennessy, stone cutter. The probable
cause was spoken of in the HERALD at the time
fOllowS-"The cause OF the accident is ascribed to
the action of the heavy of Thursday upon the
wall, which continually exposed all its force.
The rain soaked into the joints the wall aud CON-
bined with the mortar. which quite fresh, re-
ducing it almost to liquid state. and also UNDER
mined the stone foundations they gave way be-
meath the weight of the wall. which. in turn. owing
to the action of the rain, had become unable to sup
port the beams placed upon it,.
In the report Thomas Duffy is reported
saying that "the material used in the construction
of the building OF the best quality, ana that
"the work has been performed in strict accordance
with all the requirements of the law
Leander Buck, the inspector of buildings of the
Twelfth district. in which the accident occurred.
put himself upon record clearing out the state.
ments OF MIR. Duffy about the material used, !" and
added that every requirement Of law had been OBJ
served He positively asserted that the cause OF the
falling to be solely ascrbed to the action OF the
rain upon the foundations. and not to any faulty
work in its construction.
The concluding paragraphs Of the account from
which the foregoing quotations are made reads as
follows:-"The loss occasioned by the fall Of the
wall will probably be about 5000. merely the cost OF
the labor. as the material-bricks and beams-can
all be used again."
1t is safe to infer. however, that George Balm and
James Hennessy could not be FUSED again" for some
time. since the formor taken to the Ninety
ninth Street Hospital seriously injured while the
injuries of Hennessy, who taken to Bellevue
Hospital. were thought to be fatal. Both of them
recovered eventually.