Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-02-15
DEATH TRAPS.
AWNINGS AND SIDEWALKS THAT ARE
A MENACE TO CITIZENS.
Narrow Escape of Two Men From Death
by Falling Balcony-Prompt
Action Necessary.

Quite a commotion was caused on ]
street, between Fifth and Sixth, a little
before 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon by the
sudden collapse of the old awning in front
of John Gruhler's saloon, on the south side
of the street. Two men had been seen
standing on the awning, or balcony, only a
moment before, and when the crash came
people in the vicinity rushed to the spot,
expecting to see their crushed and ifeless
bodies.
As the dust cleared away, however, the
men were seen to crawl out from thedebris.
but not.without injury. They proved to be
young man named William Frszee. son
of officer Frazse, and Charles Durkee. an
employe of the Electric Light Company.
The latter, it was found, received but few
slight scratches and bruises, but Frazse
Jared worse. He was cut more or less
about the head. but his worst ipinrv an.
peared to be internally. A carriage was
procured and he was driven home.
1t appears that Durkee had gone upon
the balcony to adjust some wires and
trszee went up to discuss with him some
matter concerning work. Their combined
weight proved too much for the structure,
the timbers of which were found to be
badly r0tted at the ends where they Joined
the building, and the whole thing came
down, as stared.
The broken lumber was removed by
Building Inspector Starr, who stated that
some two months ago the awning was con-
demned by the City Trustees, at his re
hrf huf LsI Ill I
stand owing to the continued stormy
weather, on the owners promise to have it
removed as soon as possible. The owner
OF the property is William Rippon, a resi-
dent of San Francisco.
There are probably several thousand feet
OF these old balconies still standing along
the business streets of the city which are a
menace to the limbs and lives of people
who walk beneath them or who are in the
habit Of using them. Many of them were
erected more than quarter of a century
ago and their timbers have rotted out so
that they are liable to fall at any moment.
Some have been condemned because their
unsafe condition can be seen at a glance,
and many more would be if their tlmbers
were carefully inspected.
This should be done without delay, and
not balcony on the business streets
should be overlooked. It will not do to
wait until somebody is killed, but every
structure of this kind that is not found to
be firmly put together and in good condi-
ton should be condemned and removed at
once.
The City Trustees have also condemned
a great many pieces of sidewalk during the
last few months, but it is believed that q
close inspection of the supports, from be-
meath, would reveal startling condition
of things. So long as the top planking re-
mains in fair condition these sidewalks
have the appearance of strength and solid
ity, but the beams on which the walks
rest are in many cases too rotten to bear a
heavy strain. Some time. when dense
crowd is gathered upon one of these weak
places, there will be accident that may re-
suit in many broken limbs or loss of life.
Night before last a lady broke a leg by
going through a hole in a sidewalk, ana
yesterday witnessed an awning accident
that might have killed somebody, and
would doubtless have done so had any
person happened to be beneath the thing
when it came down. The authorities have
absolute power to cause the removal of all
such death-traps, and should know to a
certainty the exact condition of all the
sidewalks and awnings in the city. 1t has
salaried officers whose duty it is TO inspect
these structures, and such inspection
should be made as thorough as possible.