New-York tribune., 1886-07-19
CAUGHT BY FALLING WALLS.
THREE MEN HURT IN ROOSEVELT STREET.
A BUILDING FILLED WITH BARRELS OF FLooh
COLLAPSES-sEARCHING THE RUINS.

large hour storehouse at South and Roosevelt sta. COLI
apsed, the walls falling outward and buryng severa
persons under the debris At oil hours Of the day ana
far In the night Roosevelt-st is busy region Be-
sides being the highway to tho Williamsburg Ferry
IL is In the heart OF the tenementhouse dis
"ic1 ana during the early evening the population
pour out OF their sitting quarters to enjoy breath OF
the comparatively pure air Of the street Women and
men crowd the sidewalk, sit in tho doorways aud lie
prone In tho alleys. while hundreds OF barefoot chill
oran play In the street All those people were gathered
upon the sidewalks in the neighborhood when an
ominous cracking Of the brick walls warned several
young men sitting In the doorway to run
Tor their lives. They were too soon
for as they darod into alley at the western end OF
the building the Rooseveltst. wall bulged out and fell
with thunderous report that was heard many blocks
away.
For time an impenetrabe cloud Of flour dust OBJ
scured the scene OF the accident and the police and
nst arrivals at the Unable to estimate the ex
tent OF the damage But groans from the heap OF
prcKs and tlmbers and evidence that
one OF more unfortunate persons had been caught un
der 'he falling walls Policeman Wade. who barely es-
capped being crushed, raped for assistance and sent
Omeer Cregan toscnd a fire alarm and an ambulance
cal. Several fire engines, trucks Nos and 10, aud
TWO ambulances from the Chambers Street Hospital
were promptly on the ground BY that time the dust
had settled sufficiently to allow the wreck to be In
spected The entire street filled several fest
and at the souths side tho feet and legs Of man were
seen proruding from under apile OF splnered boards
that had been the shed over the sidewalk. The man
was utternR hcartendng cries and begged pteousy to
have beam lifted from his back. The men belonging
to the trucks under the direction OF Acting Assistant
Chief Short quickly relieved the poor fellow ana drew
him out He was carried to the sidewalk, where DR..
White, OF one OF the ambhlanccs attended him.
The work OF getting at the injured vigorously
pushed, and after five minutes work another VAS
dug out He had been saved from instant death by
| an arch OF timber. but badly injured Groans
could still be heard further among the debris aud
the firemen redoubled their efforts and within two
minutes more came upon q Spaniard, who was lying
upon his face with heavy beam across his shoulders
He bleeding the mouth and insensibe. Drs.
Grant and White wrapped the in blankets and car
rcd them to Chambers Street Hospital The injured
men we're:
BUSzRgra MATTHIAS, age tweutyhrce, spaniari, who
worked aongshoe and lives in Brooklyn severely bruised
EVANS WILL age thirty ive married. who lives at No
93 Roosevest injuries to the back and head and also
PuGH RcIAD age ortygvc married. native Of Ireland
lie sustained scalp wound, conclusion and many
bruises lie may be injured internally
These taken from the extreme edge OF the de-
bris How many moro were buried under the great heap
barrss and masonry that covered the sidewalk twenty
feet deep people could only conjecture. Mothers who
missed their little ones about distracted. be-
seechng the policemen who formed cor
R0O5eVeltbt.
them 90 search for their children. Half dozen
were reported missing. and 1t was considered likely
that some Of the passengers from the Rooseveltst.
ferry boat which had discharged Its load few minutes
prior the accident, might have boen caught Evans
was one OF these He came around the corner from
south-st walked uncOnsciously under the walls and
down. Several young men were sitting under
the shed singing just before the walls collapsed John
Dowpie of No III Evergreen-ave Brooklyn, was one OF
these said that he and his companions were warned
by the cracking and lodged into the alley but he
felt sure that little girls and two women had not
escaped He described the the wall struck the
ground as deaening. Frederick George Green. OF No.
| Ia Roosevetst, was crszed with grief His little
daughter Maggie nine years old, missing and had
been seen just before the crash playing with two small
| companions John Higgins, OF No 2S7 Front-st" an
| other Of the men who escaped, salu that ne
| saw Mrs. Mcnamara and Mira. sevaldi, OF NO ia
Roosevelt-st, with three children standing under the
| centre OF the building Richard w. Walker seaman,
| ral for his life and escaped with blow from brick
| The 1remen worked at great disadvantage. lhe
rotten mortar had pulverzed allowing every brlck 10
separate from the Others and the broken flour barrels
rendered the work of removing the pile difficult and
dangerous.
The building fvestory brick structure. 100 feet
long Oh Rooseyelt-st. by 80 feet vide SOuth-st IL
was an ancient and had stood there longer
than Oldest resident. who had himself hved thore
fifty years, could remember. II formerly belonged 10
tho Minturn estate but was bought five years ago oJ
| n T. swezey's sons x Co.. -four merchants. 1t was
stored from cellar with -four In barrels ana IL
is estimated that 600 tons weight was placed upon
the third fourth and fifth The flour was Piled
| up five aud tiers When the crash came
the wall on the Roosevelt-st side split e1acty III
the middle, straight as sawD, ana IeiI out iea'ins
the half to the southst side standing. but bulsng
badly ready TO fall outward at any moment twenty-five
feet of the end also fell 80 that
feet OF wall toppled The roof fell In and lay intact
upon the debris which in solid mass 10 what was
| the thirds ceiling.
To protect his men while working, Chief Short caused
ladders to be planted against the remaining walls Ino
work of getting out the OF the dead any wero
there peculiarly hazardous FOR huudrods
were piled In heaps and wheneversupports were ~ u,ass
| away from them they rolled down upon the mon. A
barrel OF our Weighs 1876 pounds ana s
| "I don't know what To do about Keeping at wok,
| said chief snort "My men worn out, THIS
-four dust is choking them ana II aLy poor peoRc hc
mortar so rotten tho bricks have all fallen apr
ana the Victims even II IHsy crusncd
The nen we saved upon the outside. IL wiz @ ta.c
hours OF work to get the Sidewalk where tho bodies
would bs / hope however, that all escaped s,,,s
As soon as tse accident occurred Watcnman Sn's "a
sent telegram to n I. swezey. who hyes az no. 80
Lenerspace Brooklyn. summorng him TO the soeho u
| the accident =, - ,.-.h., 70 m.
The building old and would soon have h nad 70 20 20
| rebuilt IL is valued at about $4,000 ihe loss on
stock about $1,000 great many of tho 'nnn
| uniniurrd. Hearty condemnation was showerod upon
me csrae.sness that rmittod such weight to be I'M
posed upon floors of Old building hs couiu 70
| sern from tn, street space between .no
topnost ters OF and ceiling In that portion
| OF the building still standing. o. o,.,,or
Policeman Wade, of the Oak Street station a1,
| who barely escaped, said that the WAL
| hnlyed ouI between the second and third tiers OF
WINDOWS and appeared to leap across the street, sn
ting up like book 1t fell Al half past - a,. ,u1
men were hauste1 and to make their misery oomPe.o
a severe thunder shower pssscd over tAo city lne rsl
sheets saturang 's men 10 WORK b aompauies
the circuinst linpossiDle 50 tue eonp" pis
were ordered back to their houses. But .no PIN PIN
walls threaten to fall at any minute Inc "orA VI 80
or9,nauIv hazardous owing TO the heavily welRhlcu
MINER stories, The carried the building auu
| stock does not cover loss OF this kind .,.,,
| XUer the nremen had given up work for the nishs
| g. T. Emanuel OF No. As Oliver-sL, went 10 the o"S H
| street Station and reported that he saw man Auu
woman under the walls Immediately before thoF e"'
| aod was certain that they did not escape -, .,u,
! Residents the nsghborhood believe that INC n',