The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-08-09
Three Mangled Bodies Taken Out of
h Debris, Eleven Workmen Miss
ing and Others Injured.
THE CONTRACTORS ARRESTED
CENTER OF THE BUILDING SAID To
HAVE BEEN OVERLOADED.
Fatal Railway Collision I'm New
ON the Continental Divide.

NEW YORK, Aug. s.-With scarcely a
sound TO warn the seventy or eighty work.
men Of their danger an eight-story build
ing in course of erection and nearing COM
pletion, at West Broadway and Third
street, collapsed an hour before noon to-
day. Several men were killed and injured.
and others are missing. A list OF the cas-
ualties follows:
CHARLES E. HENDERSON, electrician.
killed.
CHARLES SMITH, electrician; lived at
PIG East Ninety-sixth street: died at St
tured, right arm broken. right side crushed
In and internally injured.
JOHN BURKE, laborer,. married. forty
four years old, Brooklyn; dead when taken
WILLIAM FOX. laborer. broken thigh
and injured internally.
JOHN CLUNE, laborer. injured.
laborer; Commissions of back, not serious.
CORNELIUS GUIDER, laborer, No. T3
Bergen street. Brooklyn; scalp wounds and
WILLIAM FRANK, iaborer, age and res
idence unknown: seriously injured.
- SMITH. two ribs fractured and CON-
tusions.
The missing are: John Murphy. laborer.
OF Atlantic avenue, Brooklyn; Christopher
O'Rourke, laborer. Brookiyn;. Micnael
age, laborer, Brooklyn; Edward HALEY. la
borer. Brooklyn; John Mcclure, Brooklyn;
Michael Flynn, iBrooklyn, James Farrell,
Michael Fahey, Charles Reilly and Charles
f.. Peterson.
There is a difference Of opinion as to
how the accident occurred. The prevailing
idea is that an immense iron beam on one
of the upper floors snapped, the floor gave
way and crashed Down through the build
ing. There was a great V-shaped. jagged
hole in all the floors and at the bottom of
the wreck were piled up bags of lime which
had been stored on an upper floor, mingled
with bricks. timbers, beams and tools.
and from the mass came the groans and
cries OF wounded workmen. Inc firemen
and police who came early to the scene
Of rescue because of TIE cloud of dust that
poured from the wreck. Many friends and
relatives of the dead and injured were
suited. When Coroner Fitzpatrick arrived
10 look after the dead he said, as a prac-
teal builder. it was his opinion that the
disaster had been caused by the sandy
nature OF the and on which the structure
had been set. There were others who said
that the building had been originally in
the eighth story, when added, had been
too heavy for the iron work. The builder
denied this without being able to form any
idea as to the cause OF the collapse.
A policeman was near the scene when the
accident occurred. He said he heard the
roar OF the falling building. and immediate
ly after IL saw a horse running away. Hur-
rying towards the animal he saw the cloud
of dust near Third street. and turned to-
wards 1t. There he saw two men struggling
In a pile Of debris. He pulled them out and
began to release a third when the floor be-
meath gave way and let them down into the
basement. He was terribly bruised, and II
IL feared his back was broken.
A gang of men was employed all after
noon removing the debris and searching for
bodies. When the building collapsed many
1t impossible to state just how many are
missing, and the true number Will not be
known until these have reported to their
building with broken timber. twisted iron
Orders and columns, brick, laths and plas-
ter. 1t makes a mound as high as the Sec
ond floor, and Is a mass as dense and marc
to handle as a bank of clay. 1t is said tina
seven men were at work In the cellar oil
rectly under the center of the wreck, The
ers, electricians, gasitters and iaborers
Contractors Parker and Seligman were ar
rested and each held in 5000 bail on the
Chamberlain Electric Company. which was
doing the electrical work in the building,
Monday that the wires that had been
placed on the sixth floor were out of
line, showing that the walls had already
Tractor. said the plasterers had overloaded
the center of the building, the iron work
was sound and well made. The bolts were
parted, showing that a heavy pull had been
exerted downward
The manager of the electric company,
whose men were working in the building,
when John Smith, the wireman, was
brought from the ruins the surgeons from
rival hospitals. whom ne terms blood;
almost upset the stretcher. But for this
delay he thinks Smiths life might have
been saved. He died on the way to the