The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-09
ONE FLOOR DROPPED.
Collapse of a Big Build
ing on Crowded
Broadway.
MEN FELL TO DEATH.
Laborers and Electricians
Went Down With the
Ruins.
THIRTEEN PROBABLY PERIsHED
Various Theories for the Cause Of
a Terrible Disaster In an
Unfinished Structure.

NE w 1Ohh, Ne ., aug. O. uc uOItu-
east corner of West Broadway and Third
street was the scene of a fatal building
collapse to-day, but the extent of the
disaster will not be positively determined
until tomorrow, when the ruins will have
been completely overhauled and the loss of
life learned. 1t was the middle section of
an eight-story unfinished structure that
collapsed, and down with the falling floors
and roof were carried number of work
men, some of whom were crushed to death
in the ruins.
There was loud rumble and a cloud of
dust as the building caved in and from
the ruins of mortar, masonry and girders
came the cries and groans of injured work
men. There was crowd of rescuers on
hand in less than three minutes, and two
min utes later one of the buried workmen
was carried out dead. He proved to be a
laborer named John Burke. Close beside
him in the ruins was found Charles Smith,
an electrician. He was badly mangled
and died in an ambulance on the way to
St. Vincent's Hospital. Others were taken
out badly manned and removed to the
hospital. At o'clock this evening the
body of Charles e. Peterson, an electrician,
was taken from the ruins.
In the first excitement attending the
terrible accident it was reported that at
least twenty men were killed. The minute
the building collapsed policeman of the
Mercer-street station ran to telephone
and called for all the ambulances that
could be spared from the New York and
St. Vincent hospitals. The fremen were
also summoned to dig out the imprisoned
workmen.
The following injured men were rescued
from the ruins and sent to hospitals: Will
liam Fox, John Clune, James Kinney, Neil
Guider, Frank Mazzoconi, William Frank
and John Kelly. Though badly injured,
these men are expected to recover.
Park Policeman Livingston fell into an
excavation while aiding in the work of
rescue and injured his back. He was re-
moved to ST. Vincent's Hospital.
The accident occurred at IL o'clock this
morning. The building was brick struct-
ure, mum bering from 567 to 573 West
Broadway. 1t was very nearly completed.
John H. Parker was the builder.
There are different theories regarding
the cause of the disaster. One is that the
floors were overweighted with material.
Another is that an upright girder in the
center of the structure was defective. The
list of missing workmen is large, and it is
feared they may all be found dead in the
ruins. Those unaccounted for at o'clock
this evening were: Charles Bihlheimer,
electrician; James Farrell. plasterer;
Michael Fahey, laborer; Edward Hanley,
plasterer; John Murphy, laborer; John
Mcguire, laborer; Michael 0 Hare, laborer
Christopher O'Rourke, laborer; Charles
Reilly, laborer; Henry Thomas of
Brooklyn.
If these men were killed in the ruins the
total number of dead will be thirteen.
Soon after the accident gang of sixty
men was put to work overhauling the
ruins, and the work will be continued by
electric light during the entire night. The
work will not be completed, it is believed,
until noon tomorrow.
Contractor Parker and Jefford Sellick,
the foreman of the work, were arrested on
the charge of causing the death of John
Burke, but were subsequently released on
$15, 900 bail each.
The iron work was being done by the
J. B. & J. M. Cornell Iron Works, under
the supervision of Charles M. Seccomb.
The latter said to reporter:
1.-THE building was planned to stand $50
pounds to the square foot. During the
erection of the building / frequently pro-
tested against the contractors placing so
much as 400 pounds of rock plaster to the
square foot on the roof, as was done.'
Charles Martin, foreman of the carpen-
ters, was working with several of his men
on the fifth floor when the building fell in.
Martin said later that there was a noise
like dozen cannons exploding. A great
mass of mortar and brick swept down by
Martin and his men, but they were not
injured, and made their way to the street
by the stairway and fire-escapes.
The gang OF laborers who are clearing
away the debris got into the cellar of the
ruined building this evening, but up to a
late hour no more bodies had been taken
from the ruins. Three laborers in addition
to the list given above were reported miss