The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-05-28
TUMBLING TENEMENT
FOUR PERSONS KILLED AND A DOZEN
OR MORE INJURED
BY the Sudden Wreck of a Jersey City
Tenement-H Half Dozen Families
in the Ruins Costly and
Fatal Fires.

JERSEY CITY, N. j., May 2S.-A terriblel
disaster causing the loss of four lives and the |
more or less serious wounding Of an as yet |
unknown number of persons, occurred about |
$50 Wednesday morning. The four fami
lies in Patrick Anderson's four-story tene- |
ment house, situated on the west side of Col
gate street, between First and Second streets,
| were about their usual avocation at that hour
| when they were startled by low roar as Of
| cannon at distance Then followed the
| creaking of timber, and the building began
| to tremble In another instant, and before
the now thoroughly terrified occupants of
the building could sealize what was happen
ing, the building had collapsed. 1t sank
down in the center like telescope, and
cloud Of dust went up. The
sHRIEKs OF WOMEN
and the cries of children alarmed
the neighbors AMI the vicinity was soon
swarming with humanity. Strong hands
and willing hearts were speedily engaged in
the work of dragging away the timbers,
rescuing the living and taking out the dead.
The screams of the wounded who were
pinioned down and crushed between the
timbers were agonizing. Immediately after
the disaster occurred an alarm was given on
the fire-bell, and the firemen quickly got tC
work and took out
THE DEAD, THE DYING,
and tho who had by miracle escaped in
jury.
The collapsed building was owned by
Patrick Anderson, who with his wife ant
| al fha ffV.of
Michael Webb wife and two children tn
second John Coyne, wife and five children
and Patrick Corbin and five children joint!
occupied the third floor H. McGurty an
two children occupied the fourth floor. Th
killed are as follows:
Name. Ella and Barney Anderson, age
} respectively months, s years and 10 years
Anderson, the father, had just left the hous
: for kindling wood and hisswife had precede
) him few moments to neighboring gr'
cery to make purchases for the breakfas
The other victim was Michael Webb a Ia
of II wears, residing on the second floor t
was crushed in frightful manner, near
every bone in his body having been broke
The njtred as far as can be learned, ar
John Coyne, aged As years, badl
hurt about the head and face; Patri'
Coyne. aged 8, ankle broke
Mary Coyne, aged II, forehead badly Gu
Bridget Coyne, aged IS, badly bruised abo
the body; Hugo McGurty, agei Is, head al
q face badly cut; Mary Ann McGurty, ag
" 20, slightly injured about the body; Liz
Hussey, aged 35 back badly hurt; Mage
Anderson, aged II, head and arm bad
injured.
The accident is attributed to the rottl
away of the piles upon which the house
built All the injured were cared for In I
- various hospitals of the city.
A better type of man-trap than t
rickety frame rookery could not be found
any locality. The fact that the crash
Cured on a calm, clear morning proved
rotten condition of the structure. The +
men were astounded as they hauled av
the half-decayed, slender supports
the floors from the debris, q
EXPRESSED themselves as surpri
to think that the structure CO
have so long sustained the weight OF
many persons with their families. The cf
of police stated to the United Press repor
that he was expecting just such disas
S for long time why" said he, there
scores of shanties in and around that loca
tenanted by numerous families just in alb
the same condition as the one that fell
morning. This terrible affair will, he
serve as warning and hasten
authorities to adopt some means by wi
any recurrence of such terrible accid'
may be prevented" Mrs. Webb, whose
year-oll son, Michael, lost his life by bt
crushed in the ruins is terribly stricken
the loss of her boy. She goes around
one bereft, calling him by name and cal
on God to take herself out of the world.