New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-07-19
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
FALL OF AN UNSAFE BUILDING.
TWO CHILDREN KILLED AND ONE BADLY INJUHl

TWO CHILDREN KILLED AND ONE BApIY INJURED
IN JERSEY CITY.
c. s: Frosts kindng wood factory, in Thirdst.
near Brunswcll-st., Jersey City, was partially de-
stroyed by fire three weeks ago Saturday night.
There was nothing left but the frame and the floors,
and these were 30 badly scorched that the owners
did not tn nix 1T advisable to repair the building
The occupants of tenement houses i'll the neighbor-
hood have been busily engaged since that thne III
tearing OFF boards and timbers and carrying them
away for fuel. So diligeut had they been in this
work that nothing but the mere frame OF the lower
part of the building left yesterday shortly
after noon there were between twenty ana thlrty
children in the building Some were on the lower
floor. but most of them on the second and third
floors playing. The building had been so thoroughly
ports which it had were few upright posts resting
on the foundation timbcrs About noon an Italian
entered the lower floor ana began to fill his bag
with wood. When he had gait erel up the small
loose pieces lying around he began chopping on
one Of the upright posts supporting the structure.
In q few minutes II loud cracking noise was
heard aud the next moment the structure began to
totter over sideways. aud the props all gave way.
The building came down with a crash. There was
panic among the children, but they all escaped
injured so badly that its life is deSparcd of.
The killed Catharne Griffin, age eleven. of No.
81 Colgate-st. and Thomas shannon, age seven, of
No. IA Cogate-st. The child injured is Josephine
Finn, of No. AL First-st. She was bruised about
The head and body, and one of her legs was broken.
The crash Alarmed the neighbors, who fastened to
the scene and succeeded in recovering the body of
the boy and rescuing the girl who injured.
The other dead child was so firmly fastened by the
tmbcrs, however, that they could not get her out.
and an alarm was rung from box No. 30, which
Inspector Lange, Captain Farrlcr and squad of
officers also fastened thther and in a few minutes
the body was taken ont. An examination was
then made to ascertain If any more bodies were in
the ruins, but none found. The police and
fremeu then pulled down the remaining part of the
structure in order TO prevent the possibility OF any
further accident. The bodies OF the two children
were taken home.
There was considerable excitement in the neigh
bOrhood after the disaster and before it dci-
nitely ascertained how many children had been killed
Women living near by gathered around and made
frantic search for their children. The arrival of
the police and the fremen added to the excitement,
and wild runOrS were circulated among the crowd.
Indignation was expressed that the building which
had been in Il dangerous condition since the fire,
had not been pulled down or made secure. II
stated that there was no person in the city with
Authority in such case. Unsafe buildings
under the jurisdiction of the Board of Fire Commits
sonerS to certain extent, hut through defect in
the law the Board has no power either to tear down
q building or compel the owner to make ii secure.
The Italian who chopped down the support escaped.
The only traces of HIM that were discovered were.
his nine and bag.