New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-04
TWO WORKMEN KILLED.
BURIED IN THE RUINS OF PARTLY
WRECKED BUILDING
FIVE ENORMOUS TANKS IN SOAP FACTORY
CRASH THROUGH FIVE STORIES CARRYING
IRON BEAMS, FLOORS AND BRICK
WORK WITH THEM-TIREE
ARRESTS MADE.

IRON BEAMS FLOORS AND BhiCh-
WORK WITH THEM-THREE
ARRESTS MADE.
The newly erected soap factory Of David 8.
Brown G. Co. in Twelfth-ave. between Fifty
first and Fifty-second sts., a building just COM
pleted and not yet occupied. and supposed TO be
model modern structure answering all the re-
quirements OF the building laws. was partly
wrecked yesterday morning by the fall OF five
enormous tanks. Each tank contained 1900
gallons OF water. and the flvc tanks went down
through the five stories of the building to the
cellar. carrying down iron beams. floors and
brickwork. Two men were crushed to death
under the that fell The water from the
tanks made pool four feet deep In the cellar Of
the building. Seven other tanks in the building
did not fall, and the water In them was let out
into the street
IT was supposed that the overlooking OF the
building by placing too much water in the tanks
caused the disaster. There will be an nvesti-
CATION. Three men who were supposed to be re-
sponsible were arrested and were held In bail to
await the result OF the inquiry. A large force
Of men worked most Of the day and last night,
searching in the ruins for bodies They found
one body. and two men were known to be work
ing under the tanks which fell. They were the
following:
THE DEAD.
FRAZER William trty Year, oa sui. urvSy0. cosd n ah ,he
der Of TIE tanks and mis- hoiy was recovered from
No. .C3 Van Buren-st. Brooklyn
JACOBSON. Jacob Swedish carpenter. who worked for
NJ. Hepburn. working near Frazer Just before
poyeS about M he S hudnr M saa there was no doubt
Jacobson had been killed
The soap factory is five-story building. with
a frontage of 200 feet in Twelfthave.. and ex-
tends back 100 feet. with one-story extension
30 feet deep in the rear 1t Is said TO nave
cost $3O0,000 The contractor for furnishing the
brick is Alexander Brown, of No. 24G West
Fifty-fourth-st. The iron work was contracted
for by Post e. McCord OF No. $50 Fourth-ave.;
Henry +. Kilburn was the architect. and the
Cotesville Iron Works OF Cotesville. Penn. put
in the fourteen tanks, each OF which was thir-
teen feet square and twenty feet high and
intended to hold 10000 pounds OF soap fat
Seven OF the tanks were on the westerly side or
the factory. and seven more on the easterly side.
almost against the wall which overlooked the
one-story extension. Five OF the latter were
the tanks that fell.
TANKS FILLED ON WEDNESDAY.
The tanks were made of sheet iron quarter
Of an inch thick To prevent the water from
bulging the sides stout iron bands had been
placed inside each tank. The tanks were being
tested with water. and were filled on Wednes-
day
Fifteen men were at work In the building at
$50 a. M when the crash came and thirteen OF
them far enough away from the tanks
which fell 10 escape injury. They agreed that
1t took less than a second for the tanks to fall
The crash was loud enough to startle thousands
of persons In the neighborhood. and multitude
collected after the accident happened.
Police sent for the iremen. and excitement ran
high for time. When the water had been let
out Of the remaining tanks In the building the
fremen hired a contractor TO go to work search
ing for bodies in the ruins. 1t was feared Tor
time that many bodies might be hidden under
the mass of rubbish which half filled the cellar.
but a count OF the workmen showed that prob
ably only two men were lost.
Battalion Chief Gicquel. OF the Fire Depart
ment. went up to the top floor OF the building and
looked a. some Of the tanks. When he came
down he said that each tank had twelve Iron
bands inside and In five of the tanks that re-
mained more than half Of the bands had been
burst asunder by the expansion OF the sides OF
the tanks Coroner Fitzpatrick said that the
bulging Of the tanks probably caused the dis
Judgement Of the wall and the fall
THE ARRESTS MADE.
The police arrested Mr. Kilburn, the architect:
Alexander Brown the contractor for the brick
work. ard Archibald Hamilton, foreman for Post
&, McCord and were looking later for the fore
man Of the company that put in the tanks. The
nrisoners were released on bail in police court,
but will be examined tomorrow morning. Sam
pies of the mortar used in the building were ex-
amined They preserved by the police for
examination by experts. superintendent Con-
stable Of the Buildings Department. ordered an
investigate and said he would pubsh report
as soon he received H.
Forty men in the employ Of T. p. Galligan &
Son worked until a late hour last night removing
rubbish from the cellar OF the factory: They
found the body Of Frazer late in the afternoon:
but were not able extricate II from the mass or
iron and bricks until evening The search for
Jacobsons body will be resumed this morning:
District Attorney Olcott said yesterday that he
would prosecute promptly any person who ap-
peared 10 be negligent in the case.