New-York tribune., 1888-08-26
CRUSHED BY TONS OF BRICK.
ONE MAN KILLED AND TWO MORE INJURED
FEARFUL FALL THROUGH THE FIVE STORIES
OF AN UNFINISHED FLAT HOUSE

OF AN UNFINISHED FLAT HOUSE
Several tons OF brick and mortar crashed
through five stories Of the unfinished fat house
No. 1876 West Eighty -third-st., at p m. ycstcr-
day, killing one laborer and injuring two others
seriously. George j. Harlow. the builder, was on
the fourth floor watching five worllrlen when
the accident occurred. The bricSayers had got
the side and rear walls up to the proper height
and ready for the roof beams when they quit work
ut noon to enjoy their half-holiday The brown
stone front was complete as far the third
story but it. was necessary to have more brick
and mortar for the completion Of the inside walls,
and Harlow had decided to get the materials up
the fourth and fifth floors in readiness for to-
morrow
There was a steam hod.eevator in the middle
Of the building, and it was kept running after
/ p m. John Hart. Charles Flynn, Thomas Quinn
and Patrick McCunc were kept busy for an hour,
taking the bricks and mortar off the elevator
at the fourth and fifth floors and
placing them near the elevator shaft.
Another laborer. named Durlin. was busy
fixing some scafrolding on the fourth floor. A
few minutes before p m. Harlow told the men
that they had got as much material on the fourth
floor as the beams would support. At that time
the weight on the fifth floor had amounted to two
when a beam near the shaft on the
fifth floor snapped and without further warning
a dozen other beams broke under 'hclr load.
The falling material broke several beams Of the
fourth floor and down went the entire mass to
the cellar, carrying along all OF the men except
Harlow. who was near the front of the building.
Flynn and DurSin wero buried under the rubbish,
and Flynn was killed Hart fell as far as the
h,,x ho bur
other two worlImen escaped with slight injuries
DIGGING OUT THE VICTIMS.
Harlow called his other workmcn into the Gel
lar and, with the help Of policemen and volun-
tcers, began to dig out the men in the cellar
The work occupied nearly an hour, and IN the
meantime SQUAD of policemen had been sent from
the Onehundredth-st. Station. Hart and Dur
kin were carried in an ambulance to the Ninety
ninth-st. Hospital, and the body Of Flynn was
removed to the police station. The damage 70
the building did not exceed $500. >.
Harlow said the building belonged to his wife,
who lives in Observation-Disclosures near
Mo-ris-ave. He said it was intended fc- PEI
manent investment, and only the best materialS
had been used in its construction His cXPlana-
tion of the accident was that a beam probably ha'l
been cracked and had been placed in position at
that the floor was overloaded Harlow was not
arrested, but he probably will be held to account
for the accident.
CONDITION OF THE INJURED MEN.
Both of Flynn's legs were broken and his skull
was crushed Flynn was single man and about
thirty years old.
John DurlIin was unconscious when he was
taken from the ruins and his wounds were re-
gardcd as dangerous. He is suffering from concus-
sion of the brain DR.. J. A. Moore, the house
surgeon of the hospital. made an examination
and found that the skull was rot fractured The
patient, he said. will probably. remain uncon-
scious until this morning, and the prospect con.
sidering his injuries, is favorable. John liar,
was badly bruised about the head, and LIS .cti
ear was nearly torn away His injuries were no'
regarded as fatal lie is a laborcr, single, 30 years
old and lives at Tenth-ave. and SlXty.httn-st
James McKcon, while helping to dig out the men
who were buried by the falling material. was
struck in the head by brick and received an ugly