New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-04
THEFLOORS OvERwEIGHTEn
TESTIMONY ABOUT THE TAYLOR BUILDING
IT WAS NOT ERECTED TO STAND TIE ur.vv

IT WAS NOT ERECTED TO STAND TIE HEAVY
PRESSES Run IN 1T.
Important testimony about the weight On the NM.
floors OF the Taylor Building and the capacity a, a..
structure TO stand 1t, given Yesterday be,r 81
coroner's jury which is investigating the PART pa1.
disaster. Coroner HanIy presided, and Acting n,,
trictAttorney Cunning 5. Bedford and Assistan. ma,
irlctattorney Robert Townsend examined the Nit
nesses' me evidence OF j. n. Van NOricn. repra
senting the firm Of ID. a j. Jardine architects a. ~
1902 Broadway, was interesting and weienfv H.
firm were the architects OF the build,ne ,bs -,
having been drawn I'm 1872 under the srIperyis,on :,
David Jarline, who is now in Enrope sapab I.
Buckley and Eliza c. Croker we're the original oa",
Of the structure. Mr.. Van Norden clearly sboued a..
the building had been put 10 uses for which the buoe,.
had not intended II, and he also told why he bong,
that there had been no explosion.
The witness exhibited the original sDplIca,,op d, ,h
Bureau OF Buildings. This declared that the bu,,dn,
was erected for stores the first floor and ofc, q,
upper floors. In the original plans /, was sueciaod
that the basement walls were twenty-four inches 4,
thickness, the upper walls from sixteen inches a.
twenty inches, and sin cross walls twenty inches m
thickness at the base and tapering OFT upward 10 sy
teen inches.
The floors of this building added Mr.. Van N,.
den, "were originally intended 10 carry safs Ioas
Of 200 pounds dead weight TO the square foot Pr
dead weight Of presses. stones ard paper on ne
floor"
Have sou figured tho amount Of weight or prssu,a
this would give TO the square foot asked Mr. Town
send.
"As there Is no way 10 determine accurately the
location of the presses. IL would be hard 10 say el
acty," replied Mr.. Van NOrden. "Earh press weighed
eight tons. dead weight. In artve motion they wos,h
weig Just double, sixteen tons, ana from the still
alton OF one press. which has been described. hi,
weight Of sixteen tons would he further Increased
bv at least eight tons. thus making twenty four Ton,
pressure per press in active notion That would max,
total pressure Of Ia tons altogether Of presses alone
on the top floor that IS with the presses IN motion
This would give pressure OF 700 pounds 10 the square
foot that floor.
"The maximum limit the floors could stand was
500 or 900 pounds to the square foot II was saf
weight at 200 pounds. At 500 900 ponds pressure
per square foot the breaking conapsng point would
no reached. At the weights described BY Mr.. Leble,
the pressure was nearly up 10 this breaking limits
Had you known that the building was 10 BE- used
for such heavy business, with so much weight, 10th
dead and live, would you have built 1t strongerT
asked Mr. Townsend.
81 would have built the building four times ~
strong.n Mr.. Van Norden answered. with the fOor
carrying this live weight OF 700 pounds 70 the squsn
foot, il only needed little momentum. such rs th
vibration OF the presses. to cause the crash.H
Mr.. Van Norden did not believe that there had been
an explosion, because the upper walls fell outward
Had there been explosion on a lower floor. he b.
clared. the bottom part Of the wall would have Boa
forced out, and this would have pulled the upper walls
D. Jones Grain of No 81 East Fifty-third-s St, test
fled that his wife bought half interest in the building
in 1878. and the other half in 1884.
John W. Hogcncamp who had the contract for the
work In the building. was sure that the run
ming of the presses did not the structure 10
vibrate. An adjournment was taken untn 10 30 a. a.
to-day.
TO CLOSE UP THE FUND FOR THE SUFFERERS.
Secretary Kellogg, Of the Charity Organization So
cety yesterday informed Mr. Donaldson, the secretary
and treasurer of the Mayors Park Place Relief Com
mittee that the sOcietys work on investigating the his
tory and claims of applicants for participation in the
distribution Of the relief fund would be completed
Wednesday. Chairman Evan Thomas aferward had
consultation with Mayor Grant, and IL decided that
subscriptions TO the relief fund should close on that
day Yesterdays contributions amounted 10 81 PA 80.
The accounts Of Secretary speer and Treasurer Donald
son bring the total receipts to date up TO $1s3os 81
The LithOgraphers' Union raised S4.756 90 The con-
tributions yesterday
Through The NewYOr1 Tribune, s141; Tammany
Hall General Committee, 300! Polar Fecheier q 20,
missioner Edward T. Fitzpatrick, S25 NJ A. C. Levy
925; Fifteenth Street Temple, $40; Lazard Freres
$3.50 A Guest of Hotel Bresln, Lake Hopatcong
Armstrong, for Mrs. Hills 50; Germana Lodge,
and L. OF H., $50 through The sun So3 GO: mem
gan's Sons, $780, collected by four children, Alice
MAY, Florence JesselsOn Oscar Gins and Fred JOnsen
at Atlantic Highlands, y. j., S36 s8.
The Tribune yesterday received $40 from Miss c. Sin
clair Woodward, Of saratoga, and 81 nom &C P. c..
New-Hsven, for the Park Place sufferers fund.
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