Huntsville gazette., 1885-04-18
CRIMINAL BUILDERS.


A Block of Nearly Completed Tenement
Houses in New York Falls, Carrying
Down Sixty Workmen, Many of Whom
We're Severely and Some Probably Fatal
ly Injured-The Calamity Due to the
Criminal Cupidity of Contractor and
! Builder.
NEW YORK, April IA flve-story
brick block of buildings, which was being
erected near Tenth avenue on Sixty Sec
ond street, fell late yesterday afternoon.
| Sixty workmen were in the building.
| Several have been taken out of the ruins
wounded and some are reported to be
| dead.
New YORK, April 1.-The eight brick
buildings on Sixty-second street which
fell yesterday afternoon were situated
between Tenth and Eleventh avenues on
the south side of the street. They were
well on toward completion, and men
were at work both inside and on the
roofs. The houses were intended for
tenements About three O'Clock the
casternmost wall sagged, and the sup
porting timbers broke with loud crash.
The sixty or more men who were scat
tered around the buildings had no time
to even attempt to escape, as in what
seemed hardly five seconds time the
whole structure had fallen in, and was
mass of ruins. Shrieks and groans at
once arose from the imprisoned work
men.
A fire alarm soon brought to the spot
the firemen, who at once began to extri-
cate the workmen. A call was also sent
out which brought every ambulance in
the city to the scene. The Paulst priests
from the Fifty-ninth street seminary also
hurried thither, and were quickly at
work ministering to the wounded and
dying men as they were brought out.
Great crowds of people assembled, but
Gordon of police kept space clear for
the work of the rescuerS.
The women and children of the families
Of some of the men employed on the
buildings were in the crowd, and their
cries and lamentations added to the
painfulness of the scene.
The first of the injured to be taken out
were the following:
4uOludo bdNh hJuANN'
John Meammany, thigh broken and
badly injured internally.
John Schust, severe internal injuries.
James Coatler, back injured.
John Laverty, scalp wound.
- Flynn, scalp wound.
These were taken to the Roosevelt
Hospital on Fifty ninth street. Volun-
teers were called to aid the fire
men to remove the debris,
| and soon a large force was at work,
stimulated to extra exertiOn by the
heartrending groans and calls for help
which came from within the mass.
1t seemed hardly possible that all of
the men could have escaped death, and it
was several hours before all could be dis
covered BY four O'Clock fourteen men
had been taken out, all more or less in
| iured AS fast as they were reached they
were placed in ambulances and conveyed
to one of the various hospitals, whose
ambulances were in attendance.
One of the men, George Sauerber, was
able to converse at the hospital. He said
he was working on the top floor. Before
going to work in the morning he noticed
that the foundation Of the building was
cracked in many places, and he thought
it was bulging, but did not think there
was any danger. About three O'Clock,
while he was putting in wndowframe
on the top floor, the building suddenly
gave way to the southwark, and he fell
over against the wall. A beam fell on his
back, and he was carried down with the
fioor unable to make any effort to save
himself.
Mr. Charles Buddensick, of No. 206
Broadway, furnished the material to the
contractors for the masonry and brick
work of the buildings. He said:
"The buildings were begun in Decen1-
Der. They were built on side hill at an
average cost of $4,000. They were to
be finished June lst and to be used as
tenement houses. A few weeks ago we
received notice from the building depart
ment that certain alterations would have
to be made on the foundation. We were
about doing this when the accident hap
pened. The frost got into the mortar and
caused two of the walls in the center
of the block to bulge, and as
the buildings were on the side of the hill
it pulled the entire block down. 1t is not
true that the mortar was bad, any NOR
tar will be affected by rain running
down the side of wall, and making
it soft. During the winter rainwater
SctJicu III lut iuu Tic
foundation. This was the cause. The
street has no sewer.
The following persons were rescued
from the debris.
Thomas King, roofer, of SOC West
Forty-sixth street; hands and arms ter
ribly shattered.
John McMerry, roofer, No. 346 East
Sixty-frst street, fracture of leg and
thigh.
Joseph Trainer, 555 West Twenty
eighth street, severe bruises about the
body.
Jacob Schalh, carpenter, of same ad-
dress, confusion of side.
John Laverty, No. 337 East Thirty
ninth street.
Thomas Flynn, 239 East Eightieth
street.
George Sawbie, of Astoria, Long Is
land.
Henry Brandt, of $50 West Seventeenth
street.
Robt Boderick, Fourth avenue AMI
Eighty-fourth street.
John Dereter, of East Seventy
street, sustained slight injuries, and left
for home.
At $3.50 Louis Walker, a framer, of No