The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-03-01
UNDER A FALLEN House.
Its Little Neighbor Crushed
Like an Egg
shell.
SEVERAL PERSONS BADLY HURT.
Two Hoboken Families Miracu-
lOusly Escape from Death
in the Early Morn
Ing Hours.
SEVERAL PERSONS BADLY HURT.

At few minutes before four o'clock
this morning the high wind caused
| flimsy brick wall to topple over upon the
| roof of frame dwelling In Hoboken,
smashing the roof like an eggshell. and
burying two sleeping families beneath
| load of brick and mortar. 1t is considered
miraculous that no one was killed.
AS 1t is one man is terribly lacerated
about the head and half a dozen others
are suffering from severe scalp wounds.
A squad of policemen and two physicians
! were quickly on the scene and did good
| work.
No. 1877 Garden street is neat two
story frame building, and is owned by
Theodore King. On the ground floor
King operates a livery stable. The
building is almost as long as it
is high. Up stairs In tue
front King and his family occupy four
rooms as living apartments. Kings
year old daughter Mary, and two other
] daughters, aged respectively twelve and
| nine years In the three rear rooms OF
| the second floor live a family by the name
of Smith.
King sleeps alone in the bedroom ad-
|
room his wife and Oldest daughter sleep,
while another bedroom is occupied by the
two younger daughters.
PRUSER'S BUILDING.
| Some weeks ago Herman Pruser
| bought the lot No. 129 Garden street, and
ment house. Michael Hayes was the
contractor. Persons who passed re-
marked how fiimsy the walls
looked. When the workmen left
last night the south wall lowered over the
| frame dwelling at No. 1877 Garden street
to the height Of fifty feet. 1t was only
eight inches thick and was not braced at
| all, 1t looked very threatening.
| At FIVE minutes to four O'Clock this
morning it was blowing gale. Police
man Michael Fallon had reached the cor
ner of First and Garden streets when
there was a deafening noise. Looking
up Garden street FalIon saw cloud of
| dust. An excited milkman rushed up to
the policeman and said
"For Gods sake send for help. A wall
| has caved in and crushed several people"
| CRIES OF THE INJURED.
| The piercing cries of women and chill
dren could be heard and Fallon started
| post haste for the police station. Ten po-
| licemen were Immediately despatched to
the scene. Two ambulances were also on
| hand.
! BY the time that the police had arrived
the whole neighborhood had been
| aroused. Nothing could be seen but
| clouds of dust arising from the mass of
debris Several policemen rushed into
the house. Mrs. King and her daughters
through the roof carrying the beams ana
ceiling with it. mass of wreckage
formed a sort of cave in which were the
beds of Mrs. King and her daughters.
| Someting had to be done quickly as
, there was no telling at what mo-
| h. ynAT hn
people beneath it. Quickly. but care
| fully the policemen got to work,
and soon had an opening large
enough to permit of Mrs. King and her
| daughters to leave their perilous position.
Although all of them were bleeding
| prorusely they were able to walk
| with assistance to the residence of the
Rev. A. Gabelein. the pastor of the Ger
man Evangelical Church, directly op
| posite where City Physician Simon at
| tended them.
| THE SMITH FAMILY.
| The policemen next turned their atten-
| ton to the Smith family in the rear.
| John Smith was the only one of that
| family hurt, ahd their apartments were
not wrecked. Smith had slight
scalp wound which was dressed
by DR.. Steadman, who had arrived on
the scene. While the policemen were
skirmishing around they heard means
the house Nothing could be
seen, however, but pile of debris.
| The means were not to be mistaken and
there was great excitement when it was
| known that living person was beneath
the debris. Willing hands were soon at
work. After O pile of bricks had been
| overhauled mans bleeding scalp
was brought to view. anfi the rescuers
| worked hard until the buried victim was
| released. He was Theodore King and
| he was mass of bruises. He was car
ried to the residence of Pastor Gabelein,
| which began to have the appearance
| of an hospital, and was cared
| for by City Physician Simon
| DR.. Simon said that none of Kings null
tlJudinous wounds were necessarily fa-
| tai
Mrs. King and her daughters suffered
greatly from shock.
MISS KINGS STORY.
interviewed Miss King this morning
at Mi Gabeleins residence. Her head was
encased in bandages and she was greatly
| prostrated.
Il was fast asleep" said she, when the
crash came. The first thing 1
remember when awakening, was
suffocating odor. My mother was
| shrieking and l told her to be be quiet,
| that help was coming. The beams and
ceiling were only about two feet above
| our head and threatened at any
moment to fall and bury
us. My mother and myself
offered up prayer, and pretty soon help
| was at hand"
Crowds of people visited the scene of
the disaster this morning and watched
several workmen removing the debris.
Kings maltese cat was found
crushed to death beneath heavy beam.
The upper floor of the frame building is
wrecked completely. Chief Engineer APP
pegaue of the Fire Department, who also
wears the title of Building Inspector. is
making an investigation.