The record-union., 1895-03-02
BUILDINGS COLLAPSED.
Two Accidents in Which Several Liy
Were Lost,

Were Lost.
NEW YORK. NJ arch 1.-Two buildings,
one in course of construction and one in
course of demolition, collapsed in this
city to-day, and killed five men and
fatally injured or manned or bruised
nineteen others.
The first accident occurred about $3.50
A. NJ. a house at the corner of Forty
third street and Tenth avenue, which was
being torn down by some forty laborers.
1eIl with crash, carrying several work
men to the basement floors below, and
they were most completely covered by
tons OF brick, dry mortar and iron beams
Dead: Hugh Cullen, Angelo Vicor, John
OConnor, James Malloy. Injured: Pat
Curran, Thomas McConnon, Edward
Meaney, NJ. L. Kelley, Louis Stein, Felix
Moran, Charles Robson.
The building, which was an old one,
had been used as a malt-house by NJ. d
a. E. SChWeinfurth for the past thirty
years, but it has not been occupied for
moro than TWO years.
a building at 15l Orchard street one
OF a row OF tive-story buildings now in
course OF construction, fell at 4 O'Clock
this afternoon. One man was killed and
eight injured. John Wilson is dead. of
the eight injured, several Will probably
die.
The first building which collapsed was
eight stories high. Men were tearing
down the old structure under the direc-
ton OF contractors o. eefe IL X keegan The
work had gone on successfully until this
morning, when the men had gone as far
as the rear third floor. There were about
eighteen men on this floor at the hour
mentioned, when suddenly there was a
rum bling noise and the building rocked
as If shaken by an earthquake. In mo-
ment the floor gave way, and fell with its
human freight to the basement, carrying
the other floors with it.
Assisted by some laborers who had es-
capped, and many willing citizens, firemen
began the work of rescue. 1t was hard
and very dangerous task, as the walls
were totterlng and the remaining flooring
and beams overhead threatened 10 topple
down every moment. Besides, the res
cuers had to be very cautious, fearing
that the slightest carelessness On their part
might end the lives of some of the in
Jured, whose grOans and cries for help
came from all directions from underneath
the debris, from which heads, arms and
legs protruded.
At9 clock John O'Connor was brought
out. but he died in the ambulance on the
way to Roosevelt Hospital Halt an hour
later the dead bodies OF Cullen and Vicor
were eXtricated. The rescuers worked
OF the laborers had been accounted Tor.
Contractors George O'keefe and Pat
rick heegan were placed under arrest.
but were later admitted to bail by the
Coroner.
The second accident occurred about 3:35
O'Clock this afternoon. Without the
slightest warning to the fifty mon that
worked near it, the central wall to the
four double tenement houses beinr
erected at l0l to Isl orchard street, crun-
bled and fell. With the wall went por-
tons OF four floors, leaving a great rent
nfty feet long and thirty feet wide in the
center OF the building. 1t was like pit,
at the bottom OF which was a mass of
tangled iron and broken wood that COW
cred many men. From that heap, in an
hour, had been taken one man dead and
twelve injured.
The'fremen came, soon to be followed
by The reserves from the Elgin-street po-
lice station. There were fifty men work
ing IN the building. Most of the me n
wero on the third floor. Between the
front and rear OF the house was a big
party wall, along the side of which ran
narrow shaft. 1t was the party wall
that Crumbled. In heap the men went
down with the falling floor. One of the
brlckIayers, Michael Luscles, was near a
window toward the front of the house.
de had just time, as the floor sank be-
meath him, to clutch at a window-sash.
aud was left clinging to the frail support,
four stories above the ground. He man
aged to crawl up so as to sit on the WIN
dow-sill, from which position he was
aiterward rescued by the tiremen.
The cries OF the imprisoned men could
be heard on every side, when the fremen
caused alarms to be sent for additional
nremen to begin removing the tim bers.
len OF the twelve men who were rescued
were gotten out with little trouble.
The contractors, John Coomes of AS
torla and Peter Cloves and the owner.
William +. Lannon, were all arrested.
Captain Cartwright said he had made a
careful examination of the building, and
SAID 1t was a surprise to him that ithe
house had stood as long as it did. The
mortar, he said, had been examined by an
expert and pronounced worthless. 1t
was also said that the bricks were OF poor
quality; that the beams were not properly
supported, and that the iron girders were
not on stones in the walls as they should
be.
At the station bail tor the arrested men
was refused. The police tried in vain to
nnd Building Inspector Timothy J.
Ormsby. to learn from him why he had
not reported the himsy character of the
building. They were not able to find him.