New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-11
No ONE BLAMED FOR 1T
,,,0nrcr ON THE PARK PLACE DISASTER.
..nrux1rE RESULT OF THE 1NoUEsT-THE
PILLARS WE'RE STRONG ENOUGH BUT
WERE BROKEN THROUGH SOME
rNKxOWN CAUSE.

- oo,ers iury which has been investigating
A. snse Of the Park Place disaster returned verdict
'. halfnast o'clock last evening deciding that the
M columns in tho fallen building were not as strong
m thew should have been, and that the collapse was
n-marily due to some unknown shock. Whether the
shock was due to benzne other substance they
,houeht the evidence did show. The jury advised
,hat the Governor be asked to call the attention OF
,ha legislature TO the necessity for more careful ans
n,riodcal inspection Of buildings In this CITY, Inc
ALLOWING is the verdict in full:
9We End that Sarah Ann Haegeney, Frederick
rdppe. John Hills and others met their death on the
aod day of August 1891 by injuries received from the
filling Of tho building known as Nos S. TO- ~ ana -
Park Place. in the city Of New-fork
we find that while the timbers and walls OF SAID
building were Of fairly good material and constfuc-
ton the iron columns not as strong and as well
constructed the specifications called for, or as they
should have been to support safely the weight OF the
building and contents upon the day above mentioned
We find that the fall Of said building resulted from the
breaking of one or more OF said iron columns in or near
the middle OF the ground floor We further find that
the fracture OF said column columns was due to some
sudden shock applied to the exterior Of said column or
columns and not primarily due to It's or their apparent
Inherent weakness.
After most careful weighing Of the evidence pre-
sened to u.s. we are unable to determine whether this
was caused by the explosion Of tho vapor OF pen
zine. employed in manufacturing, and In quantities
contrary to law in the said building, or by some other
shock, the Of which, after the death Oh all the
principal witnesses is not obalnable.
1.-THE jury respectfully recommend to his Honor the
Coroner that he ask His Excellency the Governor OF
this state at the next meeting Of the legislature TO
call attention to the urgent need of legislation not oDy
authorizing but enabling the Fire Department ana inc
Department Of Buildings In this city to inspect peou
icaly all buildings used for printing, manufacturing
storage similar purposes not only to insure against
overlooking but as TO the maintenance or employment
OF explosives or dangerously inhammable substances
In any building where other labor is employed or
manufacturing carried on and to employ all neeoed H.
spection for said purposes"
The foreman OF the Jury then read resolution com
mendlng the Coroner, his assistant exJudge cunning
s. Bedford Assistant DstrlctAttOrney, and Colonel
Townsend for their efforts in submitting evidence TEND
ing assist the jury in It's investigation The FIRE
Department was also thanked for It's action at he tme
of the disaster.
Several witnesses were examined at tho
inquest yesterday before Coroner Hanly delivered
his charge to the Jury and sent them out to
agree upon a verdict. Before any testimony was
taken Albert +. Ledoux, Of the Jurors, desired
10 make q statement. He said that the coroner
had informed him that he had been summoned
Juror because he practical chemist and his
experience might be valuable i'm connection with the
explosion theory. Mr.. LedOux went TO say that
at first he thought the talk about explosion was all
bosh. What he thought he would not indicate,
but he was satisfied that Rosenfed's compounds con-
tanned benEne. He had arrived at this conclusion by
analyzing bottle Of Rosenfeld's Eagle Liquid Gold
and had found it contained large percentage of
benzine Mr. Ledoux exhibited samples of his analysis
Simon Frey, brOthern-law of Louis ROsenfeld, told
sensational story calculated b impDcate Theodore A.
Lleber Of the firm Of Leber Mass the photographers
who occupied the upper floors in supprcsing testimony
Frey testified that he personally supervised the work Of
searching among the rubbish under ROsenfelds store and
fDund
not burned and bearing evidence of having come In
contact with fire. While worldng N the ruins on
August 20 he talking about the disaster and freely
expressing his opinion that it collapse and that
there was noaexplosion, when man who stood next
to him said 10 him in German Keep still. We want
to make it appear that ii explosion, whether
II oranot We want to get our insurance" The
witness aferward found that the man who said this
Mr.. Nebler.
The Coroner Immediately sent for Mr.. Liebler, who
soon appeared and took the stand He said that he
reoollected the conversation had with Frey His YER
SION thus: Il questioned Frey about the quantity
OF benzine Resented used. l believed that he used
much than his insurance policy allowed. ] told
Frey 20 tell the truth when called upon TO the |
amount of benzne, and that the insurance would be
paid anyhow. told him not TO be afraid account
Of the insurance TO tell Just how the explosion oc-
CURED" The witness did not remember having told |
Frey to "keep STILL though he might have done so.
But he denied having said that he wanted TO make |
the accident appear due 10 explosion, related
by Frey.
Acting Distrct-AttoFney Bedford Cross examined
Liebler remorelessly, but failed elicit an adms-
sion OF Frey's statement To Assistant DistrictAt-
tOney Townsend nebler said that he had spoken to O
number Of witnesses on the subject Of the explosion
for he had foreseen how important the inquiry regard
Ing the benzne to be in establishing the explosion
theory. Mr.. Lebler testified that his firm had an
insurance Of 900 or $4,000 on stock worth
Ahou{ |
their policies had been cancelled by the insurance
companies. He believed this to be due 10 the ex-
cessve use of benzine in the building by Rosenfeld
During Liebler's examination the witness and Mr.
Townsend got into wrangle. Liebler accused the
lawyer of buldogng" witnesses and afteward turned
his attention TO the newspapers, charging them with
fostering the collapse theory in contraventon Of the
facts. His TRADE stopped by the Coroner
John J. Fay. of Jersey City, deposed that he sup
piled Rosenfeld with about two gallons Of benzlne
daily
Joseph Hadheld, a United States boiler inspector
who had been asked to test the strength of the iron
columns and had taken samples for the purpose, re-
ported that the tensile strength Of the two samples |
HOG and IL ,043 pounds respectively to the |
square inch. The best quality Of cast-irOn he said
would stand about $4,000 pounds to the square inch
Louis d. Berg. architect recalled He said |
the iron column tested by him Of poor material
and did not come up 10 the specifications, bat was
strong enough TO bear the weight imposed on it.
Coroner Hanly delivered his charge to the Jury |
eeSong them that il was their duty TO find out how
the disaster occurred and who was responsible for it,
The inquiry. he said, had been narrowed down to four
causes, any Of which might cause the accident
and the resulting loss of life. These were Faults In
the construction Of the buildings or subsequcnt changes
oeiectS m the material used; Overwhelming beyond