The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-04-15
NEW YORK TEyEMENTS
Built OF Brickyard Refuse and Mud-rhs
Coroner VIII Make Full Investigation


NEW York, April 14-With daylight this
morning it was easy enough to see the Cause
Of the terrible accident in Sixty-second street,
yesterday afternoon. The buildings fell be-
cause there was simply nothing to hold them
together. Buddensick, the builder OF the
tenements that fell, has constructed block
after block in the neighborhood of ysster-
days accident.
Philip Hausman, a builder, said: The
houses fell because they were rotten; they
were built OF refuse look at the bricks that
were being used; they are not bricks, bat
halves, quarters and chunks of bricks, poor.
~ burnt; the miserable offal OF briokYard;
this stuff is what the walls were being con-
structed OF, but though that is enough to
condemn any building, If the public safety
Is considered at all, it is by no means the
worst feature OF TINS case you see
these brlck-bat are almost clean; there
is no mortar on them at all.
The stuff used in laying the bricks In the
wall was simply wet dirt. Ii is called
loam, and is the clayey stuff excsvsted from
the cellars after the rocks were blasted for
the foundations This loan is fine dirt.
Sand and lime make mortar, A fourth part
OF the lime required 10 make good mortar
with sand will mix this loem and while vet
is tomeWbat sticky. So soon as it gets dry
1t does not hold at all. That isShst allied
these buildings The walls were mace of
brickbets. stuck together with dry dirt" All
the builders and masons present clrrobrated
these statements. Said one: This loan
when wet is mud; when dry it is powder,
and Thousands OF tenement houses aud flats
for the poor people are being put up in this
city with just this stuff. All these houses
that you see abodt here are built of rotten
brick and sand mixed"
Gangs of men worked all night in the
ruins. but turned up nothing save bricks aud
broken timber. No dead or injured were
found, and there wss no sign of life about
the ragged heaps of wreck. The fremen are
of the opinion that there are bodies in the
ruins. The hope Crews stronger, however,
that this may not be so. Neither at the hos
pitsl nor at the police station had inquiries
been made for missing persons mp to 10
o'clock this morning. Many of the work
men were unmarried Germans, without
friends or relatives ia this city and living in
boarding houses. Some of these may have
been killed without their absence exciting
special inquiry.
The Building Inspector will tomorrow
place on trial Examiner Robert Msckey, who
was in charge Of that district, for al wing
the defective mortar to be u ed in the con-
stTuctioa Of the houses.
city Will be inspected by the depart nent.
BOddensck has always been clsshing with
the Health Department IN his efforts to egade
the laws of the department.
Buddensick is backed by q syndicate OF
moneYed men, who it is said, would STOP at
nothing TO make money.
Louis Walters, the Trainer who was injured
in the catastrophe. died today in the n g Di-
tel. The coroner hos impanelled jury, add
Will today view tbs ruins. bis investiga.
ton viii be thorough, and Will tx the re.
sponsibility where il belongs.
The police this afternoon arrested Chsrles
BuddeEsiCk, tbe contractor, for tbs erection
of the buildings.
Charles A. Buddensick the builder walled
10 to the Forty seventh Police Station this
afternoon, accompanied by his counsel, ex-
Judge F0lleTton, and surTel dered himself
together with Charles Franck, the master
bricklayer. and Charles SchwegeT, the other
vile Court. Justice Murray questioned
FTanck at considerable length as 10 the ma
teTiels used IN the construction of the tsne-
meDts. Franck claimed that he was a sub
contractor, and used the material furnished
him by Buddensick, aud displayed singu-
lar ignorance of anything that might i'm
plicste him or any body else.
LSboreTs were kept overhauling the build
ings all day, but found no bodies
The authorities believe that all the work
men are accounted FOR. The Coroner's
Jury examined the building to day,
and will hold the inquest into
the cause of the death OF Louis Wal
ters one of the vorkmen, who died this
morning. The jury carefully examined the
bricks and alleged mortar. and the walls OF
some building erected by Buddensick on
Eleventh avenue.
These walls were found in q dangerous
condition They were settled and out of
plumb. The Grand Jury will take up B1dd-
ensick's Gaze. He msy be indicted for muir
dsr in Tie first degree.