New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-23
BURIED BY FALLING WALLS.
Confined frem First PaEc.)

East one hundred and seventh-st., employed by
sTICKER, JOHN, forty-two years old No. o2 Nelson.
ave-, Jersey City Heights photographer Tor LAeoier
SULLIVAN GEORGE seventeen years old, NO =lo
Mofr6e-st, feeder for Liebler Mass.
FULLY, ANNE. seventeen years old. No. "a Saoisoh-
ST.. beokbnder for Ellis & Mcdonald.
UNsHAS, JOHN, twenty three years DID, n'hosr'phci
Tor LoDler MaaSs' ., ~ ,oo roe,
wALsER, OTTO twenty four years old, No. los East
EaghtSt employed by Liebler d Mass ohiy SOU
WILLIAMS MAMIE, sixteen years old, No. .43 CherfS-
ST., employed by Resented d Co.
Fire Marshal Mitchell was at the scene OF the
fire for four hours yesterday afternoon making
inquiries about the probable cause OF the dsasler
He went away saying that he had not Deen aoie
10 arrive al any conclusion as to the explosion
which caused the fire. He will continue his IN
qairles later
Second Assistant Chief Riley. who was in COM
maud of the fremen at first thought tnat there
had been boiler explosion on the thru moor
of the building. An escape oil steam nouceo Ill
the ruins when the firemen hrst went 10 Vne
fire was the reason for his suspicion. Later lie
was told that the machinery In the puilu-
ing had been run by steam supPneu
by the New-York Steam Company through
main loading from College Place, and that there
xvpr
rs n,rn also heard rumors that benzine in the store
+. ". Trippe had exploded, but they said the
fan Of the building indicated an explosion on
one Of the upper floors, the top stories came
down first There was talk also about the fali
of a heavv safe from an upper floor when mlghO
have been mistaken for explosion, but Chlel
iuIey said: "If the wreck had been caused oy
falling safe the fire would not have followed the
fall of the building quickly"
IT LOOKED LIKE MUD MORTAR
As the smoke cleared and the fremen were aole
IN look more closely at the masses OF oIioA
and broken iron beamsin the street. ,neS
noticed that the bricks were almost Tree
from mortar and what mortar there was rae ho
strength 1t was like the mud-mor'ar useo ~
Buddensek in building row OF houses tna' Aeii
in a heap together before they were con Pe"O
several years ago. Some Of the hfemeh ueclaieu
that whatever might have caused tle eApi0Sion
the fall of the building was due chleny 10 'ile
fact that the building was "rotten" and over
weighted .,..
A broker who has his Office nearly opposite
clio site of tbe rnined structure said that he
was told by an insurance agent some une ago
4ha, no refused TO insure the stock OF +. w.
Trinne a druggist, who occupied the first floor OF
No 70 The reason given that there were
tvo barrels of benzine stored in the cellar. Some
companles will insure even this infiammaole huld'
hut a high premium is always eXacted IL was
heTeved bv MANY that benzine was the cause OF
the explosion.
THEORIES ABOUT THE EXPLOSION.
A waiter named Greenbaum, who escaped from
the burning building, said that there were twenty
one customers in the restaurant when the CRASH
came. and that the first knowledge they had oil
the explosion was the upheaval OF The Hoor'
Hence he thought that the explosion was in the
basement
G.. II. Schmidt, bookkeeper for Lleber q
Mass. who narrowly escaped death, was OF the
oninion that the explosion occurred on the second
floor.
Some Others who escaped thought that the i'm
mense weight of the eighteen printing presses
used by the lithographing company had broken
down the building.
The building was erected in 1872 and is now
owned by Mr.. Crane 1t is known as the Taylor
Building, and while it had the appearance OF
being substantially built. it is said to have been
constructed in an inferior manner
APooRLY CONSTRUCTED BUILDING.
Leon Pasquet, of No. As Plne-st, is an insurance
surveyor for the Commercial, the Franklin, ana
the Tsutonia Insurance Companies. About
wear and half ago. Mr.. Pasquet surveyed the
whole Of the Taylor Building for one Of his com
panies which had agreed to insure the stock IN
one of the stores in result of the survey OF the
building was favorable The surveyor told re-
porter of The Tribune that he found the condition
of the building not good. There was no boiler
on the premises, but there were no adequate pre-
cautions against fire. There Waterman or
watchman's clock, and no buckets to be used IN
case of fires. The building was what ne called
hollow, and the cross-beams were badly con-
structed and not properly inserted
1--WE took insurance on the building" Mr.. Pas
Duet said but after l had surveyed it i told
the company not TO take the risk. / know there
are very few city companies who have insured
the stock OF building. OF course it is possible
that the building has been improved and repaired
since / made my survey. Our terms of insur-
ance at first were 2 and per cent on the first
and second floors, and and per cent on the
third, fourth and fifth loors-a very high rate in
deed-but finally the company would not insure
the stock even at that high figure"
There were three alarms and two special calls
sent out by the Fire Department The police
reserves of the First. Second, Fourth and Fifth
Precincts gave efficient service under the command
of Captain Sevin, of the Second Precinct. The
work of the frenen directed by Second AS
sistant Chief Riley
RECOVERTNG THE BODIES