New-York tribune., 1896-10-05
THE TRIALS LONG DEFERRET
RE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE IRELANn
BUILDING DISASTER NOT FIXED.
SUPERINTENDENT CONSTABLE EAGER TO HAvp
THE DIsTRIcT-ATTORNEY BRING TO TRIAL
THE MEN WHO HAVE BEEN INDICTED
ONE IMpORTAhT WITNESS Is DEAD

THE MEN WHO HAVE BEEN INDICTED
ONE IMPORTANT WITNESS Is DEAD
The collapse of the building being erected b
Madison ave- between Eighty-frst and Eighty.
second sts September &c. causing the death Of ore
man and the injury of eight calls to mind the
long delay II bringing to trial the cases grow.
Ing out OF the fall OF the Ireland building. That
dangerous structure at Third-st. ard West Broad.
way collapsed on August S, 1895. Fourteen men rs.
ceiyed fatal injuries. On October following four
men were indicted for mlnslaughter In the second
degree for felonousy and wilfullyneglecting their
duty in the construction OF that buid'ng Thess
men were John II. Parker, the builder; Thomas
Murray and Thomas WALKER foreman and super.
intendent respectively for Mr. Parker Charles R
Behrens, the architect who drew the plans; aM
Dennis +. Buckley inspector OF buildings
The plans of the building called for "a continuous
bed of concrete OF sufficient and at least eigh.
teen inches IN thickness underneath the coiumhs and
piers to support the superstructure IL became
the duty of the four indicted, says the Grand
Jury ito cause and procure the said columns and
piers to be grounded upon foundation stones and
pier stones of granite resting such beds OK con-
crete They did feIonousy and wilfully neglect that
duty" The Grand Jury summed up the indict'
ments with the words, most palpably Negligent
acts"
The indictments bas ed upon the instant Geath
of John Burke plasterer forty years Old living
AZ No 757 Madson-st Brooklyn. John Smith, an
electrician of No ?l7 East Ninety-sixth-st. died
on his way to the hospital Charles r. petersen. an
el. ctrcian twenty-sx years DID, was killed out.
right The bodls OF Burke and Petersen were re.
covered the day Of the disaster The search Tor the
dead wen, on dag after day unit! eleven more man
eled bodies had been taken from the debris
The foundations and the lower stories OF the
building had been completed before the present
municipal administration assumed control OF anairA
The upper floors alone had been inspected By men
acting under Superintendent Constable.
FOUR CISTERNS INSTEAD OF ONE.
Instead OF only one old cstern under the founda.
tlons of the ireland building there were four Inc
four defendants before the Grand jury were IN
dicted upon the discovery ot the defective founda-
tions due n only one old cistern The existence Of
three others has become known 20 some OF the law.
yers engaged for the defence, and they nave mads
endeavors 20 get copies of the photographs made OK
the four death-raps, but in vain That the iron cob
umns were defective would naturally be made clear
from photographs taken of them twenty minutes
after the walls caved in top OF the columns since
these pictures show that column upon column had
been cracked In such way as TO show that the'r
condition was due not merely tC the crash put 70
innate weakness.
Superintendent Cons ble-as he infirated IN et'
,ers 10 Coroner Fitzpatrick and to the Mayor
endeavored to unimpeachable evidence OF
the natural fruits of corrupt and vicious system
in the old Buildings Bureau
For year now Mr.. Constable has wa'ted pa
tiently for Colonel Fellows 10 move. A mass OF
proof showing what resulted from the careless
ness or crminality Of those engaged In erecuns
certain classes of buildings in this city, as well as
from the so-caled inspection" favored by TAM
MANY Hall awaits the action Of Colonel Fel!oWA
Superintendent Constable is said TO be prepared 70
make revelations not only regarding the construc.
ton of the Ireland building but OF the rotten sys'
tenn which made that sort OF construction possioe
II would have been known 10 the public months
ago had the Ireland building case been brought U
trial
When Mr. Constable asked about his proofs
in the ireland case he replied; Il am not prepared
speak Of the proofs IL is not peeomns 10. .e
All say is that when the District strict xOr As.or
office is ready to move sha en-
will say M 56" .ecsy IN K P'afS OF e vas ,SF rea
sssns wsf"rf Gf ss f
Of buildings affecting property-ow,ners the case
tried long ago. This consideration is wholly out
side the punishment 10 be meted out TO % those re- e.
tbo coIlapse of the building. | obtained 5000 from
the Board of Estimate and ApPorfon1mednt bIdns IHl
matter and I I'm in hopes that the Board ana tne
public will feel in due time ma, at me roo 9oe expees
~, nrsent as to the construction of that building
and the responsibility OF those who nave oeeh ih'
"'Ii The delay of Mr. Fellows in bringing this case to
trial before h 1e @ 10 the city OF the testimony OF
..0ld Schwetzer" as he was known in the Depart
Ten' ren pSi St nso the ireland building He died few
days ago while under SUSPENSION, IL Is pe.evea ~
that he would have had some difficulty IN resHn sn
cling the testimony he gave before Coroner ft1,
patrick with the tests Of ne 'upportg REL sba
pepartment 81 rnT S Of Budng When asked ABOUT The
os 6saT@s lb@ slndeted oi men Mr. Constable said
is exceedinsy gnfor1Rss!e ana zcy yet !. 16f may ~
ali to prove the character of the iron put
INTO the building All care to say is that schwei,.
Ter mS@S R@ys bfSre eefh the t% with
putable evidence in the possession OF the Depart
ment of Buildings.
PARKER'S RESPONSIBILITY.
An interesting light upon the bearing Of the iron
columns on the case was supplied by Alderman
Charles A. Parker himself a well-known builder
and the brother OF John A. Parker. In the absence
OF his brother from town. Alderman Parker said 70
a Tribune reporter:
"Mv brother and myself are both anxious 10 have
,he Indictment against him tried. the sooner the
better While entertain the highest respect lo ior
ments hostile to or Jealous of my brother S. when
may have had an influence unGonseiously;; ~.nm .nna
tract te Which took up the construction work only
after the excavating had been done ana so-shS ths
trerches and natural foundation supplled tlereny
had been approved by the Department OF Budingx
John Ireland the owner dd the of the eo
crete foundation did my 9rotnSr eft IN the
natural foundation after the excavatlnS rests VITA
the owner Of that property or with the "Spe0''''
/ or with bOtn. d.,th
I'm the next place the change in laying uepss
of less than eighteen inches OF concrete undei tno
piers and columns at certain points was lauv No.. ~
The order Of the architect, and the forenlam SI s
raw executed that order only when fande,. fSr fSs
renss assistant. }ehrenss order. 50 iaMnsn mht
told Murray, had put that order into writing Ins
written order is in existence Any change IN pass pia
made under the order of the architect, the Duio~'
cannot be held responsible for , ,u.,ora
When 1t came to the iron work Mr. ii,a,s irsraus
said TO my brother; You have made an estita.e
OF the cost OF the iron which can do nelser, , "s
with a firm which will supply the iron & sSwv i9, my
than YOUR estimate calls for Very Wen, IN. IA!
brother replied write in my contract that the ns sSf
which shall put In snail be supp,TSS ,So ro construc
ton This was done and o, that ,n wrteM aWvsr ,nters %ss
supplied the iron? Why. J. Il. j. NJ Cornen ,hs S
was known at the time the Coroners ana ui'
Grand juries sat 80. .. ,os,s ,aae bv Mr.