New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-01-10
CRUSHED BY TONS OF BRICK
A WALL FALLS UPON A HOUSE AND BURIES
ITS INMATES.
TWO KILLED AND FIVE INJURED-THE Aoc1-
DENT CAUSED BY THE WIND.

DENT CAUSED BY pHE W1ND'
Brooklyn was visited by a gale early yester-
day morning which blew down a wall of church
in the process of erection killing a young woman
and her brother besides completely demollshng
the house in which they lived and iniurinS more
or less seriously all rilc other inmates OF the
house. At Throop and Wiloughby aves., Brook
Ign, the new Throop Avenue Presbyterian Church
is being built, and it was the wall at the rear
Of the Willoughbyavc front which fell. just
twenty feet from this wall stood the twO-story
and basement cottage in which lived Mrs Mott,
a widow with a married daughter. Mrs. Purdy,
also a widow, who had three children Miss Sarah
Mott an unmarried daughter, and cousin of
Mrs Purdy Richard Poole.
Soon after midnight the wind had reached
such violence that Mrs Motifs family became
thoroughly alarmed and left their beds in the
upper part of the house and went to the lower
floors to spend the rest Of the night.
All present. except the boy and young woman
who were killed. were terribly frightened, and
the aged grandmother and hcr daughters spent
the hours from midnight until the crash came
i'm PRAYER Mary Emma Purdy, who was killed.
wrapped herself In rugs and fell asleep IN an
armchair Her brother, the youngest of the
family. lay down on a lounge and also slept All
the rest were wide awake.
The wind increased in violence momentariy
and as near as the survivors can JUDGE II was
about { 80 when n terrific crash came, carrying
all before IT, great mass Of the siXtcen-inch
brick wall Of the church had been lifted bodily
by the winds might and hurled against the
small wooden building, crushing the sides Ike
an cgcshcll and carrying the roof many feet be-
yond across a vacant lot The noise of the crash
aroused the entire ncighborhood, and it was not
many minutes before hundreds Of people
were hurrying TO the scene OF the
accident In a few minutes Captain Martin,
Scrccants Smith and Doughcrty Roundsmen
Hayes and Coleman and nine officers from tie
Tn rtcenth Precinct Police Station had reached
the place and had organized party If rescuers
The cries and groans Of the injured could
plainly be heard. The first g. be found was Mr.
Poole He was the only one in his room at the
top Of the house when the wall struck the build
iny. He was badly bruiScd. but was not in
urcd seriously \ mass # debris was removed
and under dining room table Mrs Mott AMI her
two dausl tiers were found. heir INJURIES Wr'r
nc>t found II was wcd-cd between tie
chimney and the kit.ucn ra =. crushed hene1'h
% heavy raftcr and Pile Of 1ri. h peItn WIS
probably instantaneous. When her nr"'irI
David was taken out II was thought thai hr WAS
alive, but he died almost Instantly 't'er he-hs
removed. He hal been sltocat"d by escaping
KILLED.
PrRpY. May Emma. age eighteen years; crushed to
PUi.DI David. az, fourteen v.a., -ufocat'd
INJURED.
MOTT Nj. ago scventyour wars confusion OF the
should. r and shock.
MOTT Miss sarah forty.thrce years confusion OF
face and iower limb, 1nd shock. ,,
/ EbT. Emma 40 wears; bruises ana shock
PrEDY. Caroline. aeo sixteen years sAehuy cN' anu
lruf-,G. ...- ,,..
POOIE Richard age slNty.three years; slightly bruised
The bodies Of the two dead were first removed
10 the house Of eX-Adcrman Collins No. 3Ol
Throop-avc whcm they remained until coroner
Lindsay gave a permit 10 remove them. Ihe m
iurd members Of the family were taken 10 the
adjoining house. Later in the day Mr. Poole
was able to 20 10 the home of a relative.
Fortunately FIRE was not added - the wlud.
Had it been. the entire family would undoubtedly
have been burned TO death. for u was several
hours after the accident before all were taken
out ....
The builders were Thomas and William Lamb.
whose reputation IS good, and tie walls were oI
the required thickness and stability. NaSons
were al work on the wall until dark ON NednrS-
day aitcrnoou The Coroner lmpoucllcd jury,
but the Investigation was postponed.