New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-08-20
NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE

NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE
OUTRAGEOUS CRIMINALITY IN THE
WORK ON THE IRELAND BUILDING.
FURTHER REVELATIONS AT THE INoUEsT-oNE
OF THE BUILDING INSPECTORS WHO TRIED
TO GET THE MASONRY CoNTRAcT-THE
ExcAvAToR NOT ALLOWED TO DIG
As DEEPLY AS THE PLANS
saba WARRANT OUT
FOR IRELAND.
The second dav OF the inquest into the Ireland
building disaster By which fifteen poor wofkmen
were caught and crushed TO death under the
falling ruins made still clearer the outrageous
parsImony and criminallty In the work. 1t had
been brought out by previous testimony that the
specifications had been violated with total DIS
regard for the law and for human life and that
~ n few dollars were to be saved at the risk OF
the wretched laborers necks there was not the
slightest hesitation In taking the risk. fester-
DAVIS testimony. moreover brought into startling
light the part which the building Inspector
Rucl,Iev plaved when while still an Inspector III
the district where this building was to be put
no he tried to obtain for himself the maj co"-
tract for the masonry. From the testimony IL
was also made plain that the Inspectors "''
doing everything but their duty.
The Innuest was resumed yesterday morning
hor,ro c,rorer Ei,znatrick and jury in Part
III Of the General Sessions Court Inc ponce Vi
the Fifteenth Precinct have been trying 10 serve
John g. ireland. the owner OF the Duiid'hs' VII"
a subnoena for the last week. but they mad not
been successful yesterday at the time the III
quest began At present there are three men
out in s. 600 bail, each charged with pe'hs re-
snonsible for the disaster They are John H.
Parker. the builder; Jafford f. Seliick' MS Iore-
man. and Joseph Guidei. the plasterer.
The testimony Of the architect Char'es ~
Pahrans who was examined on Friday last,
showed that the specifications Of the building
called for eighteen inches OF concrete. whereas
only twelve inches We're laid. Mr. Behrens al
mtted that he ala not disG9ver ,ns when
he made a casual examination OF the wrecked
central pier
INTEREST IN THE CASE.
The taking Of the testimony in the case VIII
continue at least three or four days more, and
the iury will not visit the collapsed building until
all the testimony is IN Assistant Dlstrlc'-At'or-
ney Mcintyre. vino is conducting the case io' 'e
People was anxious TO have the jury WISH the
place at once, but Coroner Fitzpatrick wouiu ,5'
hermit them to do so. The courtroom was cio"u
ed again yesterday morning with witnesses anu
other nersons interested in the case. There was
a small army OF lawyers present coroner ~"
ma trick issued warrant for the arrest or MT ire
land early Yesterday morning, ana steps "tie
immediately taken to bring him to court from his
summer home at BrOOkhaven, Long lSlaiu' ,
T. SkidmoYe was on hand TO represent the d. d.
& J. NJ Cornell Iron Works. when suppiieu, , tiie
ironvork Of the building. Ex-5urrogate foiihs
and 7 Goldman looked after the interests vi the
contractor, Parker. ..L.
The first witness called was Louis Lausmohe'
q clerk in the Mason Supply Company VINO testi-
na1 ne had shipped l25 tons of windsor cement
and two tons of plaster to the Ireland puiIulhs
under orders from Joseph Guider' the -
II vas shipped in bags-l65 bags in all Inc
ehinments began on August and covered
perod Of five days. Mr.. Behrens was 'hen re-
called and examined by Mr.. Mcintyre as u va,
ri,us Kids made by contractors for the ireland
t-udino He said there about a dozen Dlds
in all one Of which was from William Is. aIidce
fnr S7l Oq3 o. Mr. Behrens gave all the DluS III ue-
tail John H. McCullagh. contractor ana puiue''
80 Xav, york offered 10 put up the building COM
n.te for s6Ss76 The Cornell Iron Company put
in A bid for the ironwork for N4S" ,.
A. thts irncture ex-Assistant District-Attorney
welIman came into court. He has been retained
bv the Cornell Iron Company to look AFTER It's IN
terests with Mr.. Skidmore. Foreman CohoVer ol
the iurv stood up at this moment anu salu ne
thought the time Of the court was being wasted
by hearing the estimates read. MI: behren ms
however was allowed to go on lie SAID tnat MI
parkers first bid for the building was soo 49, ana
that subsequently, he reduced TINS bid To ScooVo'
HE WANTED WORK DONE CHEAPLf.
"rhat is" said Mr. Mcintyre, "he took off s674S
from his first bid
THAT is So sir" replied Mr.. Behrens
"Did YOU talk with Mr.. Ireland at all concern
Ing reduction?'
"Nr Ireland told me that he would get the
building put up cheaply as he could get II
done" -. . o,r-
versotion between Messrs. Parker and Ireland
The talk was about the bids for the ironWork.
Did Parker tell you s wd did n "G "''s'
Q-Who was the building Inspector ''
UMWas he present when the concrete was being
laid, Al never saw him at that time: ,o
from granite to Greenwich stone A-No SIT liz u'u
"o n-Did he eyer say that the work was improperly
VUJCpd he ever say anything at all about the
buildinr9 Ale said that the work was wei dohe
p"ckley had figured on the building himself through
r / Donnely x co. for $S2loo for the mason WORK
We PnriSIev Interested in the final contract?
A-Wel he tried to get the contract
pr-ckrry,s BID FOR THE CONTRACT.
The witness then said he was present when Buck
lev presented his bid to Mr. Ireland for the mason
work He said: "Buckey's bid Tor the mason Work
was lower than Mr.. Parker bid by $1,000 but Mr..
Ireland wanted 10 give all the contracts 10 one
man"
o-uad Buckley any interest IN the contract! A
| never heard he had
The witness said he met Buckley short time
ago and he told him he was not connected with the
putdinp DEPARTMENT any more. Ira ID. Warren.
who represents Mr.. ireland. an attentive lis
tener. He said that his client would come when the
Coroner wanted him.
The witness said lie did not tell Parker Of Buck
ley's bid.
Odd Inspector Schweitzer ever make COM
plaint about the building? A.-No sir.
Q-Now did anybody in the Building department.
make a complaint! A.-Not to my knowledge, SIT
ONWas Inspector Murphy around the building?
All / know about Murphy is what read in the
newspapers that he was the inspector assigned 10
that locality . -, :,
Q-Dd you ever him there? A.-No. sir; /
al