New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-11-02
FATAL FALL OF A ROOF.
A MAN AND A GIRL KILLED.
THE SUPPORTS OF SHED PULLED OUT Ioo BUM
INA SCRAMBLE FOR FIREwooD.

brewer. began to tear down frame shed on on the
southwest corner of First-aye. ana lnTty-
ninth-st Yesterday morning. NE shed was only one
story in height, but It covered much ground ex,
tending about 125 feet in Thirty-nlnth-st, ana on
feet in the avenue eo uea Ts" Mr. E6ret wanted
the ground cleared for the erection OF more sn0stan
tial buildings His workmen began to demollsh the
he nrnnortv The work of destruction was
FASTENED by small army of children from the
neghborg t NU ODgcI of sa
nieces of wood and they soon became powerless
against the crowd of wreckers Loose boards were
torn from the sides of the shed and carried away.
policeman Meyers was asked to prevent the rabble
from carrying off so much lumber and he succeeded
in frightening away many OF the Larger boys ana
girls At neon % % Ne Tff The Eoof Of
the shed still in place, but many OF the sup
porting beams had been removed. When the
policeman went away the workmen sat down In
yard near the shed TO eat their luncheon. 80
In less than two minutes more than dozen chill
dren were at work about the floor of the she'd bent
on getting as much frewOOd as possible whue the
Opp0rtunity lasted. One boy climbed upon the
roof to execute a double shuttle. John Laws, a
laborer. ffty-fve years old. who was without WORK
also went into the shed to get some of the wood.
Not content with picking mp pieces OF boards, ne
knocked down an upright stick of timber whlch ne
thought he could carry; 1t happened that the posi-
was one which the wOrkmen had left TO support the
weakened roof Before Laws could pick it up the
roof over his head began to sag. The cracking Of
the roof warned the children Of the danger and
there was an instant rush for the street Time
enough for the escape of all was not gwen before
the entire structure collapsed One part OF the ROOF
dragged down the rest of il. There was succession
of loud creaks as the supports gave way. Then the
roof fell with a crash along its whole length The
boy who was on the roof went down with IT,. lie
fell on his back and was bruised slightly and the
cloud of dust which arose from the ruins nearly
smothered him. Laws was crushed to death m
stantly. Eliza Burns, age nine whose home was III
the tenement-hOuse No. 314 East Ihrty-nlnth-st:,
was killed also Her skull was broken by the roof
LOnis Lacomb, age eight, of No 337 East Thirty
eighth-st was knocked down just as lac was run
ming out from under the edge of the falling roof.
His back and legs were Tused badly and it was
supposed at first that they had been broken: lie
was held fast BY the roof III til he was rescued ny j.
Iden and Michael NcCabe two Young men en-
ployed in neighboring lumb yard. ldcn procured
KEY TO the nearest alarm box and called the hTe-
men, The foreman of an engine company sent out
was examined by the ambulance surgeon, who said
no bones had been broken. The boys parents took
him home.
For several minutes it was not known how many
persons had been killed and the hremen fell to
work with their axes and hooks to tear the roof
apart. The bodies of Laws and of Eliza Burns were
found about fifteen feet apart That of the girl
was removed to the home of her parents iInmedi-
atelv. 1t was asceTtained that Laws had boarded
at No. 332 East ThTty-eighth-St.. but the people
he was unmarried and had no property or relatives
in the city. His body was sent TO the Morgue. one
of the worknen known to his comrades only as
George was cut on the face by falling stick. Tie
went to his home somewhere in Harlem. IL was
said that an unknown woman passing the shed
which was graZed by piece of timber Several
boys and girls were slightly scratched.