The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-11
VIEWING THE RUINS
jury Selected to Inquire
Into the City Hall
Disaster.
CRlTIcIsING THE OFFICIALS
A Good Authority Ridicules the
Story of a High
Wind.

Coroner Volk late yesterday afternoon
empanelled the following jurors to inquire
into the deaths of Frank H Fields of No.
1928 Third avenue, South Brooklyn; Patrick
Kennedy Of No. 1928 Madison street, Hobos
ken, and Peter Sullivan, address not known.
who were killed by the accident
at the new City Hall building
on Thursday last:-August Gras Aann, john
Keatiug, Michael j. Coyle. John Clark, E.
A. Wittenberg, Charles Bartz, Cornelius
Kiell, Leonard Schroeder, George Naegeli,
Fred Schultz. Louis Spungenberg and Her
man Simon. All these gentlemen reside in
Hoboken and on Tuesday evening in that
city will hold an inquest.
This morning the jurors went to the scene
of the accident and carefully and most
thoroughly made an examination of that
part of the building where the interior wall
stood. They questioned the son OF Com
tractor English and Inspector Tallman and
some of the workmen employed near the
wall
One Of these said that on the scaffold from
which the eight mel jumped there were
three others who simply stepped back and
Were unhurt These men will be called to
give their testimony and it is said that IT
will inevita bly show that no blame can pos
sibly be laid to the contractor. Had those
who jumped remained on the scaffold there
would have been no necessity for a coronerS
jury.
WALL SHOULD HAVE BEEN BRACED.
But there are others who take contrary
view and among these is Commissioner
Pearson, who brushes away the belief that
negligence had no part in the catastrophe.
He thinks that the word excuse Is windy.
Tho accidauf' nf,t1ld haUa beau ayaItad had
somebody taken proper precaution to place
temporary supports for the green wall. The
commissioner does not excuse Contractor
English of carlessness. Mr. English Is a
good man in his business and always turns
out the best kind of work. 1t may, how
ever, turn out that little more caution on
his part in advice to the men would have
made so fatal fall impossible.
After viewing the building the Jurors
went to the morgue to view the mangled
| bodies of the victims of this sad disaster.
REMOVING THE DEBRIS.
All day yesterday and today large force
men are engaged in clearing away the
remains of the fallen wall Bricks and por.
tions of stone laid in heaps on the floors be-
| low When the falling mass struck the
sides of the main walls. bricks and even
! dressed stones were dislodged and hurled
below. A few days will suffice to cieaI
away the debris and rebuild the VII.
w armed Dy eue Oltucl opSi iollSO y. U-Ao Psoos
the new walls will be supported before put
| ting on the girders.
AN ARCHITECTS VIEW.
| A well know architect of this city, com
menting on the accident, thinks that the
cause is solely the negligence of those in
charge.
To NEWS reporter he ridiculed the asser-
| ton that the high wind caused it.
| Nonsense, utter nonsense" he replied
"Whv, my dear sir, | was on the top OF a
building that same afternoon inspecting an
almost similar wall in course of constfuc.
ton, and there was breeze; but talk OF a
gusty, high wind is simply to put forward q
cloak for professional ignorance or careless
ness, whatever you choose to call it,
The jury intend to delve deeply into the
facts, and if it is proved that negligence and
carelessness is the cause, an Indictment for
manslaughter against somebody will be the
Tasu1t