The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-16
CAUSED BY THE WIND
Coroner's Jury Give This
Verdict in the City
Hall Disaster.
CONTRACTOR ENGLISH EXONERATED
All Agree That Proper Precautions
Had Been Taken to Make
the Wall Safe.

About eleven o'clock last night the Ho-
boken jury impanelled to inquire into
the death of Frank Fields, who received
fatal injuries from the falling of a wall
on the new City Hall last week, filed
into the dining-room of he Hoboken
Quartette Club and presented this YER
Dict
THAT Frank Fields came to his death
at the City Hospital, Jersey City, on
August 8. 1894. from injuries received at
the new City Hall building, Jersey City,
on the same day, and after a careful
and diligent examination of the testi-
mony submitted, find thai the said
Frank Fields met his death by the falling
of a wall in course of erection in the
said building occasioned by high wind,
and we ~exonerate the contractor, Rich
ard English, from all blame, as he APP
parently had taken the ordinary pre-.
cautions according to the testimony OF
the Witnesses"
Before the jury went out there were
six witnesses examined whose testimony
all went to prove that the wind was
the cause of the accident, and not bad
workmanship or the wall or neglect on
the part of the contractor.
DR.. Bowman of the City Hospital was
first called before the workmen on the
building, and he briefly stated that
Il lelCS was DTOuSnl lIlO lie HOSplldl All
an UNCONSCIOUS condition, suffering from
a comminuted fracture of the jaw:
He was injured on the body by a fan
or something falling on him.. He never
regained consciousness, and died an hour
after he was brought in.
SAW THE MEN JUMP.
Then Herman Peters, an ironworker,
a cry hat the scaffold had given way,
but it was the vail.
II va the men jump on the WALL"
VIM. Kruger, also an ironworker, and
who, when the fall occurred, caught hold
of one of the trusses. said that as the
c aall fel hold he Of 5fup fRe truss t1 one He side eould inq
say whether the scaffold was down or
not. Neither could John Hines, a hod-
carrier, who heard the crash. The lat
ter said that he never heard anyone COM
plain that the wall was dangerous.
Patrick McIlroy, a bricklayer, who
was on the scaffold. told what he knew
of the affair."
II heard someone cry look out and on
looking at the scaffold 1 found there was
a space of "A inches between it and the
wall. l knew the wall was going. The
ing in gusheS, and when the masons
saw the space between the wall and the
scaffold growing wider and wider, they
jumped on the wall. That was natural.
When they jumped on it. it caved in.
They thought it was the scaffold, but
that couldn't fall" Witness, replying to
d juror > question: dS l Tie mortar uStu,
said that it was lime. water and Port
land cement.
Did you consider it safe to work on
that WALTZ" asked Juror NJ. ]. Coyle.
Certainly, or begorra 1 wouldn't have
worked on it at ALL"
Michael McDonough, John Byrnes n
John Hunt, all working near the wall,
said they heard the crash and when the
wall fell noticed the greater part of the
scaffold standing.
THE CORONER SUMS UP.
Coroner A. J. Volk, whose head danger
ously inflated previously, but now re-
dueed considerably, turning to the jury,
said:-'1n giving the case to you, I have
only to say that the evidence shows that
the material used on the wall was good,
and that the men thought it safe. 1t
is a fact. however. that a wall is liable
to collapse in a high wind"
at is therefore your duty to determine
whether or not the contractor was in
fault in allowing the men to work dur
ing the high wind"
When this was finished this most ex-
cellent Daniel Come to Judgment dis
missed the jury.
All the time while the. jury was out
ously awaiting the verdict.
When it was delivered it lifted a ire
mendous load from his mind. and every
one in the room pressed forward to con-
graduate him. Since the accident Mr..
English has grieved deeply over the
affair, and his acquittal of all blame
brought joy in an honest heart once
more.