New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-06
CRUSHED BY TONS OF MORTAR.
TWO MEN KILLED AND TWO INJURED.
VICTIMS OF NEGLIGENCE. IN ovERwEcGHTING
UNFINISHED FLOORS.


UNFINISHED FLOORS
What looks like criminal negligence yesterday
brought less of life TO two men ana injury TO
two others by the fall OF a floor in the cellar
Of the new IIavcmeycr Building at Church and
Cortlandt-st. 1t just after o'clock yeoter-
day afternoon when the people passing along
Cortlandt-st. AMI between Church-st. and Broad
way we're startled by sound something Ak'
distant thunder. It came from the basement OF
The new fourtcrn-s'ory white store and Dtlck
building now rcarlv completed From Tie build
ing camc wild rush Of bare eldel, dust-b grimcd
men, almost tumblng over one another in their
frantic caecrncss TO reach the street Part OF
tie cellar foor in the Cortandt-st. front had
cavcd in and the men lay buried in the ruins
Three firms have had share in the construction
of the IIavemcycr Building. The masorry. brick
and woodwork has been done ly J. d j.. Weber
of East Twcnty-siXth-st.. J. g. b. Cornell building
the iron pillars. girdcrs and supports while Power
Bros. of No. I,7Gi Broadway. represented by
Michael Power, held the contract for the plaster
ing. Every floor in the buiding. except flat Of
the sub-cellar, had been built Down in the sub
cellar and midway between the second and third
sections at the southern end OF the cellar. Just
under the CeTtland'-St. entrance, two laborcrs,
Alhcr; thinner and August De 1osa, were mixing
cement and water for the concrete flooring OF the
cellar Three four feet away John Hurley
and otto PabSt were receiving mortar sent down
in small hoist from the cellar above. These
men were all directly employed by the Wrbcr's
In the upper cellar number Of the men employed
by Power Eros. were engaged in plastcring or
lowering The mortar 10 the sub-ccllar Among
them were Franz Mccshier. Aloisc Vogcl, Henry
Gcstcr. John IIanlon and Patrick Murthe. and in
all all ont twenty men wore at work in the two
collars. On sections two and three and right
over the heads of the four men below, were piled
about 100 tons Of mortar. Each section Of the
hcor measures 1iNI5 feet. and is supported by
iron pillars, and is divided hy n girlrr twelve
inches in diameter AMI fixed trinsvcrsrly across
cnch section and bearing the whole weight Of
that part Of tie floor. The giricr is rivetcd 10
,he iron pillar, on which is cup bracket, and
then further secured by ring Of bolts Over
the girier stretch stout wooden beams nine inches
in thickness.
John Gardner. superintendent for J. B.
Cornell says that the floor would not safely bear
morc than forty tons Of mortar, or about 200
pounds 10 the square foot, while the weight put
upon it was in the proportion Of 1000 pounds 10
the square foot. Several OF the lab,rcrs had
complained Of this excessive pressure. and pre-
dict>d that fatality would surely occur II docs
not appcar however, that any notice taken
Of their warnings.
The DAYS W r< was drawing 10 Close. Iim-
mcr and De Losa were working like beavers 10
finish the material before the O'Clock bcll
sounded So intent wcr they upon their work
,ha. they did rot notice the stray crumbs OF wood
and mortar which fell down upon them, ana
did not see Hurley and Pahs''s startled look
inward The scrcnm of fright from the mr. oi
Hurley and rahst - they thr'w themselves To
the other side IL the collar awakened them - the
danger and they started mp just as thr glrlf
snapped sharply and cl"nly IL hali ana me
whole huge mas. Of iron. stone brick. wood an"
mortar crashed down on their upturncd faces ana
buried them For moment there wa. dead
silence Then .he men who had rushed int th"
street came back once they had recovered their
nerve no time was lost. and spades and pickaNes
were caught up with lightning quckn",s. ana
before the dust that followed the crash had
cleared away a hundred hands working for
dear life to release the cntomb"d men
The first sight which net the cyes Of ti's
who went down into the cellar ahr'd
Of the rest was Iinrey lynx H'h,'I'''
over by the wall the blood howinT down lbs iac"
from an ucy-ookng wound III the size "I MS
rc,I whore a fpllinc brick la struck him \
few feet away from him lay Palni, looking IN
d,vod WAY around him, and mopping away the
blood which trieklcd down his forehead. A. thcs"
two were lifted into the hoist AMI carried ont to
the ambulance in waiting a loud cheer burst from
tbc crowd. Police Captain Stevenson. who. on
hearing of the accident had ordered ont all the re-
,crycs and taken personal command Of 'h" rescue
n,rtv Cctailcl some of his platoon 10 assist the
,vcvlmcn For nearly thrcr-quaricrs Of an hour
,ho Ii,,ccrs WORKED with spade and piclaXc until
a sharo cry from the crowd told that they had found
.ouetbinc II wac the body ol the Italian. DE-
Iosa HIS face hair and neck were backcnei
lv tlc wet mortar which file his mouth, eyes ana
o.,. ON thc forehead WIS cut stretching from
cvc ~ eve. AMI every bone in his body had been
c,us'cd ont Of ehnpc by the fall. minute later
thc scarchers cane upon thinner He, too, had
loo, hlor'.rncd and chokcd by the mortar, whilc
,bore WAS a dreadful cash on the side of his heal
Both men married and leave widows ana ~
tlc children. Hurley ani Pabst we're onlS s'ishlN
hurt AMI after being attended al hahbcfs ~ ~
IiospitAl were able t. 60 TO their homes a" the
others cScaIci nnnIurcdt 3,
Captain Stevenson, having made a careful IN.
curry into the circumstances, dpci led to arrest
Power, who liai vanished lh'hrdia'cN "''' wv
Jhc Weber brothers gave themselves into the
hands Of Coroner. Ferdinand Levy laic last night.
in the East Sxty-scvcnth st. station, and were az
mittcd - 81 900 bail cach. IcndnS the inquest
Frank \. Ehret rccamr surely for both 40
Coroner Levy said 10 IA Tribune reporter Mr.
y.ptrrnrycr Of the firm of Guaecnhcimcr 4 Inter
mcvcr the attorney for the Mes r.. Weber. came 10
NV housr and asked il considered the 4hrn'r oi
the contractors baablc | said that wonid c9Tsinr
.he matter lie accordingly had ms c!rh's
present themselves al the lplce station
lie then sent message ~ me- | went there ana
admitted the two men to bail.
TWO TOWN BCARDS Iy RED ElNR.