New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-09
THE BOWERY DEATH-TRAP.

JURED.
The statement of some of the circumstances at
tending the falling of the walls at the fnrnltnT e
store of j. j. Coogan an. ...---, - .,"..
wno izo Bowery. as given in yesterdays TRIBUNE,
produced some CONSERVATION at the place yesterday:
dns history of the whole matter, as followed up AZ
the Bureau of Buildings. shows that between inc
cqrelessneSs of the owners or lesseees OF NOS
100 and 125. and the helplessness OF the
INSPECTOR of Buildings because of the indifference
of the legislature the lives of: the people IN INC
CooganS employ were in jeopardy for two weeks ia
a building which Investigation shows to have oeen
q mere "rookery," where the walls were oulRins;;
the floor beams bent from the weight OF carpets anu
where the employees were AFRAID TO enter "
The middle structure in consequence OF lts
Inquiry at the Bureau OF Buildings Yesterday T
veoped the fact that the middle DullG'ns ~
Coogans rooms, No. 123 was condemned as u1 5t
on June 10. This published III the, uallv
papers Of June IL The specification set i9rtn ;na'
the gable wall of the rear part OF the puuuihH,
forty feet deep was rendered unsafe by excavations
fn the adjoining lot andhe owners ANA Iessees WeS
ordered 70 make the same safe by snoring up ana
nnderninninp the northern wall, and building new
Foundation wall of stone, twenty inches th1SR,
The matter was placed IN the usual hands' me
Coogans refused TO strengthen their building OIL rhe
pronnd that this was the duty of the owners: ne
property was supposed to belong TO the e. v; An
derson estate. The Bureau OF Buildings ionllu qua.
there had been a change OF owners yet VINO vs. Ei
the present ones they could not ascertain. Inc
clerk of the bureau said yesterday taas the Ooo I
gans would not INFORM them OF Wnoi De ' HepSved no.
The property The bureau, on june 70 served , no
tice upon John II. Stout, as executor or the esao,
only 10 discover he not such. hen, IN june
20. the bureau ordered John Z. froDoese, foreman
of Hook and Ladder Company NO.
q. TO post a notice on the premises
This he did Froboeses affidavit IN the mater Yer re- re-
veals pcculiar state of affairs He swears that ne
posted the notice on June ~, having Deeh IIaD,
To find either of the owners OF the u AhucIS Hn
estate after diligept search for theli nav III
ouired of the occupants and the same Delng uhSpIo
TO furnish the information" Inc COOgstns h"9 pI ~
leasing the property Tor nine years amos Wood
,ufi,s Sons builders who had charge OF tne eAcaVa-
tons. had informed the CoOgans OF the insecurity
of their building, and on their reiush 10 aeii nc
oaered TO take on himself the whole responsibility
of strengthening their building hey refused .Is
proposition point blank MI Woodlu n diu nut
daYe 90 on with the excavations. and went
10 the Bureau of Buildings nave made
Them every possible offer" he SAID, - YET
they will not allow me TO shore up 'no WaS r,oa
tod them that if the wall fell and anyone was
hnrt the responsibility would be theirs entirely
TLs statement was said to be true at the Bureau OF
Buildings yesterday. As the owners OF the property
could not be found, there was nothing 10 De dohe
excent to post the notice as was done.
In the absence of lnspce OF Es rook, hlsrepre,
sentative SAID: The COOganS are guiIty OF NiSAeu
negligence if not criminal careiesSneSs neu
building was condemned, they were duly nolheu'
they reused TO inform us VINO the owners WIZ,
as FrobOeSe's affidavit SHOWS ana 'nen VHey
allowed their employees 10 enter That building day
by day when they knew Ii was wholly UNSAFE
We could not compel them to allow NJ Noo9 run
so snofe up the walls. We could do nothing III lacl
buf serve notices What this bureau needs Is lice
power power to enforce compliance WIN the re-
Qulremelts OF SAFETY 10 human illc, lhSP'N'Oi
Esterbrook has drawn up carefully thoue ht-ouI
enactment bearing on such cases ana he enuet Voleu
10 get II before the last Legislator. Dut ne dd not
succeed even III tlndlng man 10 present III 10 lhd'
bodv. DO Won know the reason lie did not 60 TO
Albany with money enough. NOW, IN ms CAST VIC
building was condemned Oh June a. III was june
30 before the notice posted All that tline was
passed in efforts TO find the owners or responsible
nersous Then, for three weeks alter the building
mad been condemned large number OF enPioye'
were allowed by the COOgans to pass the DAY ia IL.
Ii Is fortunate thing tnat the structure leh %heh
II and and IL Is wonder, as II Is that many lives
were not lost" .s-l h.
the Bureau OF Buildings thought OF MN. Crlm-
mail, responsibief How is tbatT he asked
"Did you not know that this building was un-
Certainly. 1t was in very bad condition.
There was danger that the walls would 1all any
Did not Mr. Woodruff offer to take upon him,
self ali the responsibility OF Snoring up the wallsI
Yes But DO you THINK Pun gong TO allow any
hody from the street To come III mere ana take pos
session OF ny placcf No. sir. What authority had
lac TO come here and tear me up, without any re-
Enumeration Beside. the responsibility Vi the mat
Ter rested with the oWnero."
You would not tell HIM VINO the owners We're.
" give you mS word, never saw lnln. Inc TACT
&c the estate does not belong 10 the I. " Anderson
property. 1t belongs now 40 Miss Mary Anderson
OF Newark. The Ieman saw my oiotneI' anu t hc
di1 not know who owned inc estate. iou soe Vu0
owners are haru people to get at. ,oy
= suppose only Your lawyers know them
Yes, That H. Ihey managed all the business
What were you doing to save the lives OF the girls
and clerks III your employ during the three weeks
from the hrsC notice until the walls lei upon
theW lu our LAWYERS were irving to find out where
the responsibility rested The owners counsel
claimed mat Responsible and ought 10 maj
the necessary repairs OI course, we asSerteu INC Up
poste Our lease requires us 10 Keep thls property
Tenant able. Ii does not MAKE necessary our Dol
sterIng up OF an old hulk. why just LOOK mere anu
youu see That even front part, where men are
nj work now is IL danger Ot falling AT any Minute
Air. Coogan TOOK the reporter over the hooIe Oh lne
front porIlun vi No. l23, showed nlL now Inc walls
pulged ia uoIh the adjoining walls rom one 10
three inches pointed out the moor Deanls tnat
were depressed sumo three or tour lhc1es DeIo" the
horizontal. -, o., -, ~.
suppose thus part Ieu nO"i 1no '0POiV0i
asked. 80, , .
or me Aud Vel y he went OH. III any one were
killed Ill thus part would not DO responsible he
bureau of Buildings condemned only Tue rear poi
fiou The fact Is Tue whole building ought 10 he
torn down. Ith the weight Ol tuOSe heaVy carpets
above there Is constant danger. -,
Z" fave your lawyers Yet ueteImneu "ueIe 'H0
responsibility resist was the reporters next queS-
:" Well. no. There seemed no prospect OF an agree
meut 50 on the very day before the walls iell III
agreed 10 take the whole matter Oh my own shoul-
ders. Remember, dld IL not because was oDhged
to- but because wished 10 Dut the building III shape
Tor business. You see the rain Oh "Wednesday hlgut
weakened the walls, ana was appTehehsi'eoi solle
CATASTROPHE" . IL. o,a
"Aud yet you allowed your sewlng-gIls anu
others " come INTO the building, even aIteI the
warning of thursday nigh, T.
ar Coogan saiu nothing. 1t was declared at the
Bureau ut Buildings that The CoogaDs nad tned 10
Inv Ihe Orand-s ST. property where the excavations
were being made, ana having failed, had Tor Inns
reason made their opposition 10 MT. w oodruH'
Mr. Cuolan SAID nothing TO questions regarding
fms In conclusion, Mr. COOgan asked IL there was
aDy posi- blhty OF hIs BENG indicted by the Grand
jury, aud added: .., III,
None of my employees who were injured Will
b,iuyan action against me. They have Ueen with
Inc Tor wears aud I.iave II ated them Well cohtlh-
ulug their pay when tGey were Ill shall take tIie
hesi OF care oil the injured. One of them, LutZ, has
a pretty bad mp. Not one OF them Is confined To
his bed. however,"