New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-15

ton. The building itself was Brouhu w INV
fragments. swiftly rushing stream dozen
feet wide was to-day pouring over the SITES Oh
the houses that had been carried away
In the side Of the mountain was great rur-
row which had been scooped out by the HOOD
as II came down the bed OF the brook Inc
stream was from so to 200 feet wide. and had
brought down with It great powders. trees.
tin,bers and other wreckage. The railroad
track had been covered by sand mud and rocks.
but had not been swept away, as at first re-
ported Half a mile up the mountain from the
scene Of the disaster was Cascade Bridge IL
originally covered a gap ten or fifteen feet Woe.
The torrent swept the bridge away and enlarged
the gap to a width Of seventy-five feet, ana
cut huge waterways in the earth and rocks
few rods above Cascade Bridge was a second
bridge, which was also torn away Near this
second bridge is an almost perpendicular fall
fifty feet HIGH made by the flood.
On the line of the flood a large stable.
containing many horses that were used In the
brickyards 1t was moved from its foundations
and carried thirty feet down the stream, with
comparatively little damage. The animals were
not injured. Murphy's house was brick
structure. The other two were frame.
RECOVERING THE BODIES.
The body of Willie Ferry was the first one
Recovered from the mass of debris. Soon after
ward the body of Mrs. Conroy was found. The
hair was matted with mud. and she was bruised
about the face by contact with trees and wreck
age: the body taken to Joseph Battelrs
morgue at Fishkill Landing. Mrs Ferry's body
was In the worst condition of all the victims, be-
ing covered with mud and bruises; 1t was taken
to Hoysradts undertaking rooms at Matteawan
Coroner Bevier made the following statement
to a representative of the Associated Iress TO-
night: ~ was informed of the terrible accident
at O'Clock this morning, and started at once
for the scene When l reached there. shortly
after ) o'clock, found that the brickyard Ia
borers. Irish. Italians and Hungarians, although
terrified by the disaster, had started search FOR
the bodies. and had already recovered the re-
mains of the Italian girl Deluka and Willie Fer
~. at once set all the men l could get (about
forty) Mt work overhauling the ruins for the
others.
"Our investigation showed that Immediately
after the torrent of water had swept away the
three dwellings in which the victims ara sur
yiyors lived it had encountered a silght eieVa-
ton Of ground. which caused the 'reshet 10 iorh
and continue in two streams TO the rah'o"u
hank where 1t backed up until II oVerho"eo
the railroad track. The little girl was Washeu
down by the southern fork, which was the one
that did the greatest damage to TInoneys prich-
ward and II was on this branch that the glfi WIS
found All of the other bodies were dlscoVereu
within fifty feet of each other. coVereo WIN
wreckage In a basin which was formed U! '"e
Northern fork OF the flood. 1t is there that
expect to find the other three bodies small P"'
another force Of men at work tomorrow
-. ,,o;,n % Fishkil who has examined the
hodies finds that all of them were 0ro"heu' .iic
bruises on the bodies having been inhlcteu are
death AS soon as the first eXclteIien' ~ .
ont unon the awful catastrophe nad suDsiueu 'iis
shourhts and conversation of the hundreds OF
people who had gathered at the scene anu
The residents of the twin villages OF flshkl
Landing and Matteawan turned 10 'he 4"e''''
OF responsibility for the disaster
WHERE DOES THE BLAME LIE'
w,o &c 70 blame for this awful loss of life?
.,.s tho question heard on all sides in those
villages tonight Coroner Bevier refused 10
.xrress' an opinion beyond this statement:
"There Is great Indignation expressed against
tho owners and builders Of those reservoirs. put
cannot foretell the outcome. / have SUD
n,enaed q iurr and it is for them to fix the re-
sponsibility." 49, ,,r,, said
tonight: II believe that the Fshkill and MAI
teawsn Wate. Company will be held Tor crlnn-
rai negligence One of the dams, at least, mas
hen notoriousIy unsound ever since III was
milf That was ten years ago. but it has been
leaking all the time. The dam was one ana q
half ;eet above the water md three ana nan
below. ard built CT cobolestones. feop'g nan
lived here" Similar expressions could DE heafo
all around the village.
AN ENGINEERS OBSERVATIONS.
John Robertson a civil and mechanical en-
sineer who has lived in the locality Tor elgh-
teen years made an important statement inns
afternoon. He lives near the gully through
which the torrent swept before 1t reached the
hrickvard or dwellings. and his house came
rear being carried away in the food. This after
noon Robertson made an examination OF the
two burst dams after which he said: me ac-
cldent was caused by an insufficient overflow,
the water not being able to find enough QUITE
Therefore It cverfowed the centre OF the EN-
bankment the consequence beinS the utter oe-
struction Of the body of the dam l nave peen
afraid of the reservoir for years, and nave pSeii
publicly condemning it for some tlme. ne
outlet was four times too small Ihe Watersneu
&c about thirteen thousand acres; the overnoW
should have been IN excess OF the pressure upon
II which was about one hundred ana lort! NY n.y..
pounds to the square men, "heieaS IL iV'
was insufficient" . ,,,,
The Coroner's jury will meet tomorrow, but
several adiournments VIII De hecessai! oel''0
a final verdict is reached. . ,,,
and dwellings is put at $25WW Hammond q
Freedman who operated a smaller yard az.
joining his. suffered damage 10 the extent Vi
Two gangs Of men worked all day in the
ruins. one OF fifteen. employed by coroner
Bevier and the other OF twenty, by Mr.. Al
bridge a neighboring brick manufacturer.
The Coroner was present nearly all DAY, anu
Will hold an inquest tomorrow at Matteawan'
whittier the bodies found have been conveyed
Mrs Conroy one Of the lost. before her mar
riages lived at Johnstown, Penn where tne
great flood occurred several years ago she
was rescued there by John Conroy VINO a1teE-
ward married her.
DAMAGE TO THE BRICKYARDS.
There are three OF the Tlmoney brickyards'
Two Of them are badly damaged. The north
one managed by Frank Timoney, jr.. is totai
loss The food swept directly over 1t. carrying
away everything but the sheds The brick
making plant. wagons. carts. etc. were swept
10 aurnnd track inln the river. AT the