New-York tribune., 1884-11-17
TWO HOUSES READY TO FALL.


BUILDING OWNED BY TRINITY CHURCH IN DAN
GERoUs CONDTTGoN-uorING TO SAVE THEM.
At the junction of Canal ana Watts sts stand a
row of brick houses built long ago that their age
is problelnatical. They three stories in height.
the ground floors being occupied as shops ana the
upper stories as dwellings. The large square on
which these houses front was filled from an carry
hour yesterday until evening by an excited crowd.
The rumor that the houses were falling had spread
with wonderful rapidity through this ancient part
of the city and men. women and children responded
with their presence in such numbers that detacll-
ment of police had their hands full in keeping the
pavements in front of the dangerous structures
clear.
David Ebore and his family lived in the corner
house. No. 4sI. He az saddIer and has a shop
under his dwelling. He awoke at s:l5 yesterday
morning with start. While trying to ac'o INT for
his sudden awakening he alarmed by hearing
the paper on the walls crack, as he imagined. He
jumped quickly out of bed and made haste 10 dress.
While putting on his trousers he was horriiied to
see Il crack two inches in width appear in one of the
walls of the room. The startling sight was accom-
panied by a sharp cracking sound Though greatly
alarmed Ebcre preserved his presence of mind. He
aroused the members of his family and hurried
through the house and the adjoining house, No.
49, to warn the occupants of the impending peril.
He expected 10 see the roof tumblng down at any
moment and was greatly relieved to find himself
and his family safe in the street. The other inmates
of the houses rushed into the open air pell-mell
and the screams uttered by some of the women gave
the first notice received by their neghbors that
ANYTHING uncommon had happened.
RUSHING INTO THE STREET.
No. 4sl was occupied, besides Eberlc, by James
Keav. sexton of the Spring street Presbyterian
Church, and two women named Dun. William
Davis ami Michael Murphy and their families lived
in No. 49, The. sudden appearance of five
families on the street was of itself sufficient to at
tract attention but as "A large proportion OF each
family rushed iuto the open air crying or sirlekng
! curiosity was changed into eycitement. In
| wonderfully short time over n thousand persons
were peerng in an awe-Stricken way at the
deserted habitatlons. Had the houses fallen, as
was momentarily expected dozens OF people might
lave been badly injured rs the crowd kept pressing
forward until the pavement was full OF people
| The sidewalk was finally cleared by Oiii>e W. ii;
! Rhodes who alterward reinforced by severa
other po.lcemen " llliam +. LsterbrOok. Inspector
! of Buildings was informed of what had occurred
and lost no time IN gong to the place lie ordered
the tenants OF the two buildings not to re-elitef
them until further notice and satisfied himself that
the owner of the premises would take immediate
steps TO repair damages The houses are owned by
the corporation of Trinity Church hberle had
lived at No. 4si for twenty two years and told IA
TRIBUNE reporter that tie houses present better
appearance now than when he became tenant:
I'm discussing the agcof the houses Officer Rhodes said
tnat he WAS born in the vicinity fity-three years
ago and remembered that the houses looked old
when he boy.
PROPPING Up THE BUILDINGS.
Before noon several men employed by J. H. Drew
a Brothers. contractors, of No. 43 West Four
teenth-st arrive l. After them camea wagon loaded
with logs and ack-screws. The premises were
examined carefully. The men reported that the
houses appeared TO be falling apart from Old age
The party-wall eIght inche, IN thickness, showed
a crack several inches in width. The lower part
of the chlmneys in the rear portion of the houses
had fallct down. Bricks kept constantly dropping
out of the partv-wall near It's foundation. The
fronts OF the houses were propped mp wlth huge
beams and ack-screws. The men who did the
work thought that this precaulion would prevent
the fronts of the houses from failing into the street
and they expected that their efforts wou!d enable
the buildings To maintain an upright position until
masons and brcklayers could renew the old walls.
if Inspector Esterbrook did not order them to be
pGllcd down
Police guarded the approaches to the houses last
night aud they are fenced IN so that for a short
distance pedestrians forced to take To the street