New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-26
DEATH IN THE RUINS.
ONE MAN KILLED AND THREE INJURED
BY THE COLLAPSE OF A HOUSE
MARROW ESCAPE OF OTHER woRKMEN-wALLs
OF A BROOKLYN STORAGE WAREHOUSE

NARROW ESCAPE OF OTHER woRKMEN-wALLs
OF A BROOKLYN STORAGE WAREHOUSE
UNDERMINED BY FIRE AND WATER
One man was killed, three were injured and
ten others had narrow escapes in an accident
caused by the collapse Of the walls OF a ouiiding
in Atlantic-ave., near Court-st., Brooklyn. yes
terday afternoon. The men killed ana injured
were:
ERIcKsEN Eric. Trainer, of No 500 BeTsen-'''
swENsEN Carl. a Trainer. OF No GAL Baltic-st. con-
tusions Of the thigh. Taken home.
wound in the right shoulder. Taken home.
HENIG Frederick. OF No l2o court-st.; struck oy
brick over the right eye taken nome
The building was occupied by Frederick b.
Latlmer as a storage warehouse, and the dam
age TO II was estimated at $4,000. Mr.. Laumer
said that furniture was destroyed which was
worth $2l OOO The disaster was presumably
caused by a fire which broke out in the furniture
store Of j. C. Flatley, on the first moor OIL '"e
building. on April o. when loss of $4,000 was
caused to his stock and loss or So'ooo 10 'he
building. The goods in storage on the upper
floors were not damaged.
The building occupies Nos. POI and 2O3 At
lantic-ave.. and had fifty feet frontage extend
ing back about 1870 feet with an extension in the
repairs made necessary by the fire. John Peter
son q contractor and builder of No. 365 Dean-st,
had the Job He set seven trainers at work, ana
Henry Iohnson did the masonry. He had five
men engaged laying concrete in the cellar ana
there were two helpers employed, making
fourteen men in all engaged in the buildins
Yesterday afternoon. The carpenters were taking
out tho charred beams of the first floor about
2.35 D. m when suddenly a rumbling souhu
was heard and the building shook and tremoleu'
The men fed for their lives. The walls on all
eides NJ tho structure suddenly collapsed, ana
with the contents of the building fell In heap
A cloud of dust Obscured the ruins from view
Some Of the men had narrow escapes, put al
except one were saved. He was Eric Erickson
one OF the carpenters who were at work upo"
the floor beams. He fed to a windo" IN t"e
second floor The fall of the front wall carried
him to the sidewalk and coping stone zen
unon him crushing his skull and causing aiIios'
! instant death. Some OF the men III 'ne ,epi.
ran ont AT the rear and three were helped ou'
/ through the coal hole in the sidewalk Dy Willlne
hands when their cries for aid were heard
! ~, Teiaon one OF the trainers was carried
| 1or,, nv the floor beams Of the second noor anu
fell under a pile Of rubbish being pro'eGie91 ~ y!
| tho beams from the bricks when were Plieu ul
! ah,ya him His cries for help were heard by tn'
| ,olicen,en and firemen who were summoned py th'
| alarms sent in. and after some work he was res
| cued He escaped with slight INJURIES al
| Swenson was struck by flying timber on tnt tnI
! thigh as he was escaping. but he was not pauIS
! hurt. - , ,-aol
The rear OF the building which collapsed
! ahutted upon the rear yard of No. 10 Court-s';
where Frederick Henig. a baker. was al Worf
cleaning some spinach. He heard the rumo'
and started 10 run. but was hit by hylht
brick over the eye before he reached a place o
| safety. ..,,.., -
The cause OF the accident Is attributed D!
| Petersen the contractor to the undermining o
! the supporting wall In the MIDDLE OF the bulio
| ing by the water pumped into the cellar at IN
| time ~ the fire a month ago. He said tnat NJ
| men were taking out the old floor beams. one a
n time and replacing them with new ones Ihe!
| had done thls for No. 203 on Thursday and wer
AZ work I'm 80. 2Ol yesterday. Mr. Latmer sai'
| ne thought the removal of the floor beams cause
! tho collapse one ~ the worknen said ina
! three Of the beams were taken out at once, an'
new ones were put In their places Johnson. th
| contractor FOR the concrete work. said he saw
| the wall bulging and that II gave way at IN
nreplaces which were the weakest points.
A. the buildings Department II was SAID ina
| a permit was granted yesterday for the work, ou
| that the inspector had not yet reported upon II.
| There were rumors of great loss OF life, bu
they were not borne out by the facts. But m
! escape II 50 many men. when the building be
| came complete wreck, was regarded as re
/ uarkable.