New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-04-30
THE CORONEWs INVESTIGATION.

road Company. and Alfred Mckay and John T. Baker,
OF tbo Hahncmann Hospital Fair Association, were at
ontive listeners A the two previous days. Clark
Bell aud Francis LOOms present. and took part
the examination.
The first witness examined was GOuverneur Morris,
otNo "a West Twenty ninthst. He testified the
evening OF the disaster he went into the dancing hail.
II was, nearly he could remember, about fVe min
utes before the accident He Mrs. Hegeman sitting
In the engaged IN conversation with another lady
Witness said lie did not know Mrs. Hegeman personally
but she had been pointed out TO him. At the time he
noticed her she sitting the MadlsOnave. wall
| about midway between tho pianO-Which was IN the
southwest OF the roomand tho partition OF the
| north side adjoining the art gallery. She might have
had time TO out, but 1t extremely doubtful He
himself in the dancingroOm when the roof fell in
| Assistant-FOreman Pearly, Of Fire Company No. 49,
next called. lie said he in charge Of the fire.
men detailed for the Garden during the fair. AT the
time OF tho disaster he standing the lower step
OF the north stairway leading to the balcony As
he could reach the ruins no began to assist in
ing the injured First he helped to get out young
| and n Young woman. and afterward d young who
was lying on his face undor the debris the door,
Then he went ont and gave fire alarm and an ambu
| lance call He returned Immediately renew the
search for bodies While walking along where the
curtain had boon hung, no stumbled upon something
which afterward proved to be ady's foot. She was
pinned TO the floor by glrder which lay across her
shoulders Several TO his assistance and
carried Dcr down STAIRS, ono appeared 10 De
lnsensible but not dead. The witness said
he did not know who the person was, and did
not know Mrs. Hcgeman by sight.
Daniel Meager, foreman OF Hook and Ladder Company
No g. further testified respecting the finding nf the In
jurcd persons dead. alarm received at
the office at 019 O'clock and four minutes later they
the spot. Some of the men put ladders up
against the wall he himself up the inside
the ballroom hOUT One OF tho ladies taken out put
In charge OF young who said he her escort.
She covered with lime dust. but his impression
that ste not dead lie then went down to tho side
walk, where young man in full eyouing dress told him
that bodies supposed 10 have been buried under
the debris Shortly after the search begun the body
OF wOman-aIterward found 10 De that Of Mrs. Annie
Willets-was discovered buried under the ruins. few
moments later the body OF Mary Ann Connolly found.
II was lying near the curbstOne at the north side Of the
bricks under the body, and the witness did
thIuk that the body from It's pUsilOn could have been
thrown from the second story OF tie building.
Chief John Fisher, OF the Fire Department, testified
thai he arrived ~ the scene about three minutes after
tie alarm was sounded The company arrived little
LATER The set to work examining the ruins
lhr Haucinghail floor. woman was found among the
broken tmb, aud aths Her head was wedged IN be-
tween tyo rrse, Of j9st. Before she was Gxlrcated
times; " nv head AftSE TINS be- did not SIC any
found there n must have been before his arrival.
Cornelius BRITT OF Fire Company No. 16. SAID that at
stairway. When be reached balcony he saw through
the dour lraiug into the restaurant woman lying pros.
taken mp and given IN charge Of gentleman friend
Tao wngss also assisted IN getting out the young man.
Leonard DItcr, who was near the danclnS-hnll door
HOW THE WALL WAS BUILT
TIC next witness examined was William PrOdRers
mcuJ,c g: the il1n Of Smith & Prougors, builders who
erected tie wall lie testified follows; The work
was pm up about the month OF December last year.
cUrling TO plans aud specifications CT the
not Informed st time that danger was appte.
Blended until day OF tie disaster Ia the morning
received telegram To 81 aud examine the building, and
arrived ut the Garden about O'Clock in the afternoon.
SIR Smith hal made an examination before my arrival,
aud made sori 10 the New York and Harlem Railroad
Companr In the art cutlery saw tho rlascrng cracked
in several places aud n long crack the
the Mndlsonayc. side Of tho room. The laths the
ceiling were ~ some places CuIlcd up and appeared
black ON the cdgo' Mr. smith, who nal returned, came
aud remarked to gentleman connected With the fair
that the yrnihior WAS not large enough. Then went
Co thn corner ~ the building Twenty and
also AZ Tue ,rhor ot lWehlyslAhSt Ahu sHhted the
wd tu II II was plumb There DID not appear &c be
nS ,Sf 5 " agnES'V1 ais" TSom "FTtd c ane
IN oi The lGhs supposed h1d been prOducoi by hUl
wall, but did apprchrnd any danger. IL was cur
intention to make another examination the day by
rorflmbrra might bavo been drawn up All OF the
hoorbcAms were fastened with stal-anchors The roof
mDrrs rested plate, placed on tho top Of the wall"
Ie eonraG ana spGcncaohs %ee mere submitted I
anu Msntheu ny th' Wthe s AcooruinG 10 agree,
WITHIN iwcntY-onc tcc or tho ground. Tho new wall
was started Oh ths and was twelve inches thick There
were twelve windows at equal distances apart The
bricks laid cement mortar. 1hero DO
put in at the foorDCums, Tor which received extra
pay. should think Il would have been better to have
bolts down through the wall"
The Coroner read the revised statutes respecting the
thickness required IN wall OF that height, and the wit
ness thai thraw had boon yIuated IN two nstHrces
tine old wall was taken down." no explained, :. and
the new one built ascending To the SPECIFICATIONS. For
SIMILAR wall standing alone should have thought It
necessary 20 have abutments. present the greater
mason for forty-six Years, and tho pnst fourteen
years have been builder Among the buildings have
he to Welt Hospital, New
lOIk Hospital, the Morse Building, and tho Music H
IN Brooklyn. There was Il chimney in the wall, about
oucthrd the distance from the south corner and an
other - feet from tho north The work was COM
rlcrd according to aGGrcmrnt, ana was accepted b. tho
company. After the ncrid mt IcXamlncd pOlOnO f the
framework g" the roof The trns'es were broken III tho
centre Struts were nailed across the truss ON thc face
two peccs each side Tho points were Duhed up to-
q .Iet iMI{ '' i9' STn NM MN am ~ t6
officers Uf the Building Department but lid not gee any
nAlcctnte,t To know them during the conStructlDh
acquainted with the law the case, but, was my
CUSTOM iollOWrd inc specifications. The mortar used
Two al slndanJ was the Same AZ wo always use The
bricks were bound at every ,xn course no cu otCns
very small proportion; hm moi G3i1 10 sy %h'tmr
ing the erection OF tho wall the weather was not cold
hut alter ~ wGa nP there was some eOd weather
the work was IN prncrcss about three weeks"
during the examination OF the witness great many
questions were asked 10y the jurore some OF whom are
cNpcl. AMI many Cbs"ryalon5 were made Gondemnln;
truuOn VI the wall and tho roof. 1t was urged
by ui the iuors that the trusscs should have Oeon
hal been eyun spiked to the wall plates.
W. j. Van Arsdale agent OF the New York and Harlem
RairOad testified that he was Informed IN the Garden
thr day of the accident That tho ceiling OF tb ART
gallery cracked. and asked to go up ana look
Mr.. Mckay remarked that there were Rpprehen-
sions ni danger. ThcWItnrss told MI Mckay that ne
Thought the cracks due To heat from the gas, put
would send Ir. Curtis down 10 make an ex- |
animation. Not being able to get Mr. Carts
within three or four hours, he sent for the
builders Mr. Smith, after making the eXlmna'
ton. assured him that the damages were slight, |
ana could repaired less than SO There vas not
the sligntcSt danger OF the wall sprnging ont Mr. smith
sad lie had supervised The putting in of the anchors
said he stopped IN nc tho Garden again lie asked some
n the large crack had not wdcned, ana was told
that the masuns had trimmed OIL the edges. o. Soin&
out Of tc dug he had sighted the wait but found no
tuctlOn lie not had any conversation WIN any
relating tu the condition Of the Dudlng until the
day Of the accident.
HOW THE CHIRF-ENGINEER DID HIS DUTY