New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-07-26
instantly lled this morning while attempting to
drive across the railroad tracks az PeaSantvilie.
DEATH IN AN OLD ARAORY.
FALL OF A GALLERY IN A PRINTERS SHOP.
MANY FRIGHTENED AND ONE KILLED-D1FFEh'
. r1n,-s ACCIDENT


ENT EXPLANATIONS OF THE ACCIDENT.
gallery and part Of a floor fell with crash In tho
old armory building at tho northeast corner OF "hlte
and Elm sts., soon after p. NJ yesterday Inc acct
dent caused the death Of young woman, injured
another severely and frightened about sixty more
into panic Tho building has not boen used as an
armOry for several years. John simmons manu-
facturer Of iron pipes, occupies the ground hoor ana
In the high second story which formerly was drill
room, there two printing firms. The Mc"iliiams
Printing Company has type cases ard steam presses
on that floor and +. +. Lowell d Co., printers OF
pamphlets, have the use Of galleries which extend
around the building between the floor and the roof
These galleries are only rude wooden platforms
about ten feet wide, supported partly By irons
fastened 10 the roof beams and partly By braces from
the floor They were loaded heavily yesterday with
stacks Of paper and folding machines. Mr.. Lowell
at a folding machine on the north gallery yes'er
day afternoon and five sat at five other
machines the same gallery. Everybody was hard
at work In the second story. Nearly 100 employees
In all were setting type, feeding the presses AID the
folding machines carrying paper from one point
to another. Suddenly the greater part Of the north
gallery fell Only that part Of the platform on
which Mr.. Lowell was at work remained I'm place
The braces at the outer edge Of the gallery gave way
letting the floor of the gallery fall like the leaf of
table the side next to the wall Of the building stl
being held by the iron supports
At the same moment part of the second floor under
the gallery broke down. Five folding machines and
she five women who feeding them slid of the
falling gallery and went down to the floor, followed
by largo stacks Of pamphlets ard printed paper not
yet folded. Two Of the women went clear through
the floor into the first story and fell some iron
pipes. They went down with mass of paper which
covered them. Probably the paper helped to break
their fan. as they quickly dug themselves out and
escaped through smmonss warehouse unhurt An
other OK the women escaped unhurt and scrambled out
of the rubbish on the second foor Mrs. Mary
Nc Donald had her hip severely bruised.
The fifth woman who fell lay dead under one Of
the machines She was Miss Maria Dagncil Of No
129 King-st South Brooklyn. Immediately after
the crash there a panic among The employees on
the second floor, about sixty OF whom were women
They made haste get out, probably fearing that the
entire building was going TO fall. While they wcrc
running - the street messenger was sent to the
nearest engine house 10 call the froTcn
An alarm OF fire was not sent out. but the fremen
who answered the verbal summons rang for an
ambulance They soon ascertained that only one
person had been killed. They raised Miss Bagnelfs
body from beneath the rubbish after moving some Of
the broken machines with ropes and tackle. Mr
Lowell had the young vOmans body sent to an under
takers shop.
Superintendent D'Oench Of the Bureau Of Build
nCs went TO the scene Of the accident late in the
afternoon and made survey of the place lie said
TO Tribune reporter afterwarf that the accident
probably caused by the overlooking Of the gallery
In looking at the other galleries he noticed that they
were not properly supported TO carry great weight
In warehouses be said, the law compelled the occu-
pants 10 post notices stating how much weight me
floors had to carry bui there was such requirement
for a printing establishment and the blame for the
accident could be laid at the door Of the Buildings
Bureau
Mr. Tovcll said the accident could not have been
caused by the weight the gallery. He called the
attention OF the reporter the remaining galleries
which, he said carried much greater load IL was
his belief that the floor below the gallery had becn
pulled down by the weight Of iron pipes In simmons
place One OF Mr. LOvel's assistants opened Trap
door and let the reporter have view of the ware
house I'm which Mr.. simmons stores his iron pipes
Under the second floor hanging shelves had Deen
fastened To the beams and on the shelves were iron
pipes Weighing perhaps several tons Mr Loycl
said that part of The floor which fell under the bloktn
gallery had carried much greater load OF IRON lils
explanation was that the floor had first given way ana
had carried down the braces which supported the
outer edge Of the gallery.