Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-04-14

twenty-five cents each per day. The men
talk of another strike.
Collapse of Eight Five-story Tenements-
Total Wreck of the Buildings.
New YORK, April 13th-Eight five-story
tenements on the south side of SiXty-sec-
ond street, between Tenth and Eleventh
Avenues, that had recently been put under
roof fell this afternoon, while efforts were
being made to brace them up, that the
Welding foundations might be made Sc
cure. and the wreck was complete. Not a
stick remained standing, not timber re-
manned whole in the entire ruin. Half a
hundred worflmen were at work in or
about the buildings at the time, and at
least thirteen of them were injured, but
none fatally. 1t was said soon after the
accident occurred that twenty persons were
buried in the ruins but up to late hour
nobody had been found. The most super
fetal examination of the debris showed the
cause of the disaster to be the wretched
workmanship and poor material The
mort3r contained little or no sand but loan
or mud instead and was wholly unfit for
use. This and the fact that the building
had been erected during the cold weather,
of wet and frozen bricks, were directly the
A. Buddensick, who was responsible, left
the neighborhood in q carriage immedi-
atety after the disaster, and drove to his
residence. Where he went from there no
body could learn. The police. who arrested
the master 5riclliayer, Charles Frank, could
not find the builder. Buddensick has been
for years i'll trouble with the authorities, on
account of the Skin buildings he has put
up. The evidence given by Frank and
Charles Sawyer, another bricklayer, is very
damaging to Buddensich. The erection of
the building had been going on since last
November, during all the cold weather.
The fourth-story walls showed weakness in
the sudden thaw before the fifth story was
reached, and had to be taken down.
Workmen were forbidden to carry
home scraps of timber left by
carpenters, by the builders orders, as
they were TO be used in filling in the walls
to save bricks, which were sometimes put
in by armfuls. When a good thaw set in
the walls began to weaken, and steps were
taken to brace them up from both ends, 50
they would stick together until the roof
could be PIT on and the end walls relieved
The walls stood thus for week or two
without, 50 far as could be learned, eXcit-
ing the curiosity of the Building Depart
ment The heavy rain of yesterday
morning completed the work begun by the
thaw. This morning it was seen
that the three houses at the
west end were in imminent danger
of falling. The foundation had bulged
noJiceabe and the walls were shaky.
Builder Buddensiclss attention was called
10 the matter, and he set men to work to
fix up the walls and foundation. -Four
stone-masonS and eighteen carpenters were
L., fho i,
There were roofers, painters, fathers and
plumbers, numbering perhaps thirty, al
work about the premises at the time. Fifty
men had been laid of, as some material
had not arrived. About 3.15 P. NJ shout
of warning went up that brought pale faces
TO many windows. The end building
toward Eleventh avenue was seen to totter,
and then fall with q thunderoUs noise. Both
foundation walls had fallen out, and the
body of the house, deprived of its support,
fell to the cellar The building adjoining
il, having nothing to lean upon, fell
next. Then the whole row followed
like line of card houses. 4 continuous
roar followed that seemed to last many
minutes, as one after another of the tall
buildings went down. Workmen in build
ings for blocks around, and people living
on the street for half a mile about, were
the locality of the wreck was packed by an
excited people, whose threats of vengeance
on the reckless builder filed the air.
When the heavy clouds of dust had cleared
away, the people looked upon a heap Of
broken bricks and timbers, piled only a
few feet above the level of the street. Men
with broken limbs and bruised faces
were struggling out from under the
wreck and dragging themselves pain
fully away. Shrieks and groans were
heard from one or two places, and to these
spots the people rushed. The firemen and
all available ambulances were summoned,
and people from all parts of the city tlocked
there The Roosevelt Hospital ambulances
were the first on hand, and carried away
nine of the wounded. Commissioner
Bremen, of the Charities Department, I'M
dertook to direct the work OF rescue, and
Building Inspector Doench and the Excise
Commissioners did work in the same direc-
ton. Four hook and ladder companies
and the crews OF three engine companies
were set to work TO remove the debris.
A large gang OF workmen was
pressed into service and in Is min
utes the labor of rescue was well
under way Night had set in before the
efforts We're relaxed at all. Once or twice
the workers fancied they heard a cry for
help, bat 10 person was found at either
time A o'clock Fire Chief Reeves
thought he heard groans under q heap Of
the second building and gangs went to
work in front and rear. At half-past a
hole large enough for & fireman and two
citizens to grope their way to the cellar was
made. 4 search with a lamp revealed
nothing but ruins Nearly two hours later,
in the same place, groans came from 4 man
caught in an upright position by many
crossing timbers and held last He was eX
tricated with difficulty. He was Louis
Walters. aged 40, Il frameT who had been
holstering up the building. He was re-
moved to the hospital. Then the digging
was resumed, under a strong calcium light,
and the policemen drew line across
the street 1t was said that the missing
builder had been hurt by a flying brick
when the buildings fell. Charles Schwazer,
a bricklayer, was standing by him
at the time. SchwaZer had refused week
before to work longer on such buildings.
As the dust arose Schwazer turned TO
Buddensick and shaking his fist in the
builders face, exclaimed: You ought to
be hung for what you have done here"
BuddenSick made no reply, but limped
away There were many threats of lynch
ing the man afterward, and it was lucky
foF him that he staid away.
AT midnight ii was thought that four
persons-two stairbuilders and two plumb
crs-wcre still in the ruins.
SECOND DIsPATCHl
NEW YORK, April l4th-A. H.-ACcOunts
OF the falling buildings yesterday are varied
and conflicting. Some journals say the loss
of life was six, others more, and Others
again none at all 1t is universally recog-
nized, though, that the day of cheap build
ings with poor materials has gone by, and
the much abused building department. will
be better treated henceforth.
Suicide OF ii Supposed Murderer.
NEW York. April 15th.-A special from
Raleigh, n c., says Peter Foust, who was
charged with the murder Of Pinkney
Wheeler, IL United States Deputy Collector.
in February, and was discharged by the
Courts for want of evidence, has hanged
himself. lie is reported to have confessed
the murder. and to have killed himself be-
cause of rcmorse.
New York Stock Market.
Nsw York April 13th.-Stocks strong
ana excited, the first price generally to
higher. and further advances were made in
early dealings the upward movement being
aided both by the bulls, who were buying
for long &C counts, aud By the bears of last
week, who rushed to cover at the opening.
The excitement subsidized after the first hall
hour, and the market generally became
dull weak and irregular. Lake Shore was
prominent for It's decline To SOL while the