The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-15
WHEN
BUDDENSyCK'S RASCALITY.
Further Testimony as to the Worthless Char
acter of the Collapsed Tenements.

NEW York, April 14-With daylight this
morning it was easy enough to see the cause of
She terrible accident in Sixty-second street yes
serday afternoon. The buildings fell because
there was simply nothing to hold them together.
Buddensick the builder of the tenements that
fell, has built block after block in the neighbor-
hood of yesterdays accident Phillip Hausman.
a builder, said: 1.-THE houses fell because they
were rotten They were built of refuse. Look
at the bricks that were being used, they are not
bricks but halves, and quarters, and chunks of
bricks poorly burnt-the miserable offal of a
brick-yard. This stuff is what the walls were
being constructed 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 this case You see
these brickbats 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. 1t is called loan, and is
the clayey stuff excavated from the cellars after
She rocks were blasted for the foundations. This
aoam is fine dirt Sand and lime make mortar
A fourth part of the lime required to make good
mortar with sand will mix this loan, and while
wet it is somewhat sticky So soon it gets
dry it does not hold at all. That is what allied
these buildings. The walls were made Of brick
bats stuck teEesa1r with dry dirt. @- ~
All the builders and masons present corrobo-
rated these statements. Said one This loam
when wet, is mud; when dry, it is powder and
thousands of tenement houses and flats for the
poor people are being put up in this city with
Just this stuff All these houses you see about
here are built of rotten brick, sand and mud"
Gangs of men worked all night in the ruins of
the eight fallen tenements, but turned up moth
ing save bricks and broken timber. No dead or
injured were found. and there was no sign OF
life about the ragged heaps of wreck. The fire.
men are of the opinion that there are bodies in
the ruins The hope grows stronger, however.
that this may not be so. Neither at the hospital
nor a. the police stations had inquiries been
made for missing persons up to 10 o'clock this
morning Many of the workmen were unmarried
Germans, without friends or relations in this
city, and living in boarding houses. Some of
these may have been killed without their alb
sence exciting special inquiry.
The building inspectors WILL tomorrow, place
IN trial Examiner Robert Mackey, who was in
charge of that district, for allowing defective
mortar to be used in construction of the houses.
To-day Buddensck's other buildings in the city
will be inspected by the department. Budden
sick has always been clashing with the health
department In his constant efforts to evade the
laws of the department Buddensick is backed
by syndicate of moneyed men, who it is said,
would stop at nothing to make money.
Louis Walters, the farmer who was injured in
tlle catastrophe, died in the hospital The police
tlis afternoon arrested Charles Buddensick, the
contractor for the erection of the buildings
Charles A. Budiensick, the builder, walked
into the Fortyseyenth street police station, this
afternoon, accompanied by his counsel, ex-Judge
Fullerton, and surrendered himself. Together
with Charles Franck, the master brick layer and
Charles Sehweger, the other witness held, he
was taken to the Yorkvillo court. Justice Muir
ray questioned Franck at considerable length as
to the materials used in the construction Of the
tenements. Franck claimed that he was a sub
contractor and used the material furnished him
by Buddensick, and displayed singular igno-
rance of anything that might implcate him or
anybody else.
August Dodenbusch whom Charles Schweger
says was foreman in the wrecked 0ilding, was
arrested at his residence to night, and locked up.
Laborers were kept overhauling the buildings
all day, but found no bodies. The authorities
believe that Ell the workmen are accounted for
The coroner's jury examined the building to-day,
and will hold an inquest into the cause
Of the death of Louis Walters, one
Of the workmen, who died this
morning. The jury carefully examined the
bricks and alleged mortar. and the walls of some
buildings erected by Buddensick on the avenue.
These walls were found in dangerous condi-
ton; they were settled and out of plumb The
grand jury will take up Buddensck's case, and
he may be indicted for murder in the first de