New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-31
KILLED BY A FALLING ROOF.
TWO MEN DEAD AND TEN MORE lNJukED'
rocL.psE OF AN OLD FACTORY - SEVERAL
ARRESTS MADE.


ARRESTS MADE.
1h. roof and por,ions of the walls of the old
Factory building on the northwest corner of First
d T,yenty-ninfh-st fell in Yesterday and
:.;rred twelve of the fifty wOrlimen who We're
,.atinc alterations there. Two of the men were
hrrt 50 badly that they died in Bellevue Hospital
,,.tore nirbtfall James Durnccn. young brick
,over who lived at No. @03 Westinghouse. with
his brother, and hal been at work in the building
only three days. lad his skull fractured. lie
lived until p. Louis Weber, hflcklayer.
nineteen wears old. whose home was at NO 90
Crccn-st. Greenpoint, was bruised about the body
and received internal injuries lie died half an
bour after Durnecn had expired The otner ten
mon were said not to he hurt dangerously, al
though six of them remained in the hospital last
night
On the books of the hospital 5heir names. occu-
nation. addresses and injuries were recorded as
follows. Adam Alderman. carpenter, No 36l
pocifc.avc Jersey City head and hands bruised
Saturn Brcnlirocr, carpenter, Astoria. contusionS
IN body: Rudolph Dorm. bricklaycr, No. PSI East
Tbir,y-ffth-st. scalp wound Casper Ehey, brick
LAYER. Astoria scalp wound; Peter Hanson, housa-
smith No 81 Smith-st., Brooklyn, contusons:
John HAYES Rreman's helper, No. 233 East seven
,v-ninthst. shock; Peter lIeidrch, briclaycr,
No. ls1 Oakland-st. Greeapolnt. scalp wound;
Thomas Heath, laborcr, No. 353 East Thirty
second-st cut on forehead: Thomas Lahey. brick
LAYER. No PIP East Thirtcenth-st.. bruises: John
Tully. laborer, No. 24l East Forty-sccond-st,
shock.
The factory building las frontage of fifty
feet in First-ave and extends 100 feet IN twenty
ninthst.. and it was five stories in height. II be-
longs TO 5 Goldberger ami 1t was formerly used as
n cigarette factory by J. y DuEe N Co, bu' II
had been unoccuped for more than year when
j. & l.. Weber the contractors. Of No. '12 East
Eghtieth-st.. were hired 10 make alterations IN
it, The plan was 10 convert the building into an
ice-house for II. Kohler & Co.. the brewers About
three months ago the sub contractors cmporei hy
the Webcrs set about eighty men t. work nm
the building. The windows Were brickrd Up. ANA
tie walls were sircnethcnc1 from The foundations
hy an inner lining IF brick. At ,hc clos" "I
last wecl, the Inning of the walls and The LAYING
of the iron noor beams lad IccH completed as
far as the third story. Above That story the ola
floor beams had been removed and the roof had
been supported in tie middle b. Temporary props
About fifty men were at work in the building
et 40 p m yesterday. when the props tha'
supported the roof sCddcnlV cave way. The roof
saraed in the middle and rame down with
crash as far as the thirl story. dragging down
with il about ten feet Of the t'p of IN" front
wall in First-ave and nearly twenty feet of the
wall in Twcnty-nlnthst. Below the third floor
the walls and framework Of the building stood
firm Most Of the men wro were hart wHre "1
the third floor Durneen fell through an openln-
10 the ground floor and was carried ont Of H."
building after the dust had cleared l'c Fa> ia
sensible Immediately after the crash there was
q panic in the nei-hbcrLood. Al alarm of fire
was sent ont and when tie Bremen arrived they
Ill G,-o, ttlo \ 0f I q
men. including Durncen and Weber, We're carried
tc Bellevue Hospital lac Other ln)GT'' he"
walked TO the hosp tai
Isaac Mckinley. deputy superintendent oil Ihe
Department Of Buildings. was present Whch 'he
accident occurred. Mckinley SAID that look a.
the roof and It's supports from the INSIDE maui
him suspicious that all not right. ana ne went
about the building. looking carefully al luc WtiS
Al length ne Went through an alley from the ave
nue. TO get a look AT the northwest corne. "i tie
building lie noticed a crack in The side wall
near the roof A. he was going out oi Inc aleI
and making an entry in his notebook inc ro"l 81
tho factory fell lie thou-h that weakness IN
the wall near the roof probably had caused 'he
accident. .
When the police learned that two Of the IN
jnrcd men were expected 10 die they Seu' TOT ''I
oner Schultzc. Ackcrman, one oi Inc lhlh'!
men was "A foreman of the carpenters emp"\'
nv tbe Webers He was puj under arrest ana
placed in the prison ward of the hosplt'I. VIII
lam Williams. foreman OF Tie iIonWorEeiN en-
Moved by Wallace X Co., and Joseph lhllhcT
foreman of the brickleYcTS. wee taken 10 the
nolicp station IN East ThirtY-hi'n-st. II va, SAD
Tat the police were searching last evening iof the
Wchcrs and for Charles Asst. the sub-c"n'rdc'oF
for the mason work