The sun., 1897-06-04
FATALFACTORY COLLAPSE.
-uo MEN CRUSHED TO DEATH BT
FALLING FLOORS.

yS.ter-Decinrcd safc by Constable's Men
,rchItect aud Two Contractors Arrested.
ave-story building, erected as soap factory,
.nJ turned over by Stevenson Constable's Build
a., Department three weeks ago properly
.ons,ructet collapsed yesterday morning and
crusbed ont two mems lives. How the dozen or
r,ore other men who wero at work In IL escaped
rpiniured seemed marvellous to those who
r,i,cd the ruins in tho afternoon. The cause OF
,be collapse was not officially determined yes
,crday; but it appeared to be clearly established
sr the condition OF the parts OF the building
,iandins anil by the debris that the great
weight OF water in some tanks which were bo-
ing tested high up in the building was too much
hoth for the tanks themselves and for tho struc-
ture which had been built to sustain them.
The building occupied the northeast corner Of
Twelfth avenue and Fifty.flrst street and be-
,opged to David S. Brown s. Co., manufac-
turers of soap, who are obliged to move from
their present location in Greenwich village
because OF the recently ordered harbor line i'm
provements. They expected to got into the new
building In about a month. The structure was
not flreproof, and 1t seems to havo been put up
IN part after the method OF steel frame, or steel
skeleton. construction, and in part after tho
ordinary. old.fashioned method. Wooden beams
formed tho chief part OF the floor supports,
except at tho elevator shafts and in tho
part OF the building whore fourteen large
TANKS were located. To support these tanks
iron beams and Rirders. resting on steel
columns were used, the girdcrs being extended
across tho elevator shafts. The tanks were in
two rows Of seven each. extending back from
the Fifty first street front OF the building in lines
parallel with the east wall. One line Of seven
was close TO this cast wall; the others were few
feet to the westward, and were separated by one
~ . thou utea M Tba apka
tically square, the dimensions being 12iex13la
feet, surface measurement, and tho depth Is
feet. This. as will be seen, gives a capac-
ity OF 2,531A cubic feet each. The tanks
were to be used for some liquid accompa-
nyng the manufacture OF soap. As their
great size made it inevitable that a great
weight would be concentrated in liquid form in
limited area OF the building. the part of the
building in which they were located was made
OF steel and iron. and was intended to stand by
ITSELF relieving the rest of the structure of the
tank weight. According to the plans, 1t is said.
the eastern sides Of the eastcrnmost tanks were
to be six inches from the east wall of the build
Ing. The tanks rested upon the floor of the
fourth story and extended up into the fifth story
According to statements of Building Depart
nent inspectors yesterday, the tanks were not
in place when the department finally passed
upon the building three weeks ago, the depart.
ments duty being done when 1t was seen that
the structure was in condition to sustain the
weight set forth in the plans as that which it
would be required to bear. The tanks being
subsequently put in, and it being necessary to
test them, the work of pumping water into
them was begun more than week ago. and
continued while men went over them day
by day as the water rose in them to
Gee il there were leaks at any of the
rivets. The tanks were made OF ouarter-inch
boiler iron. and in each one were twenty-one
braces. The braces ran across the corners within
the tank. In each OF three corners there were
i've of the braces, and in the fourth corner six.
The braces were strips of iron, two inches wide.
thrce.eighths of an inch thick, and six and half
feet long. the ends, being attached by rivets to
the sides they connected at a distance Of some
corner.
Yesterday morning most of the tanks were
full. Men were at work on them, and other
workmen were at their tasks in different parts
of the building. About $3.50 O'Clock there was a
sudden ripping and crashing, so ominous at the
very start that all the workmen jumped and
ran for the exits, shouting to their fellows. and
the middle part OF the eastern side of the build
ing. borne down by five OF the great tanks-the
central iye OF the east row of seven-fell in car
rying to the cellar parts OF the four floors below
them. and throwing out part of the roof and the
east wall of the building upon one-story annex,
the roof Of which was forced in by the mass.
tar sent cloud OF dust into the air which, with
the Eeport and roar Of the burst tanks and
Clancy who was at Tenth @ 9Ve9ue and t1&mts Fdftr
first street, TO think tug on the river had
blown up, He ran toward the wreck. and, see
call for an ambulance. He soon learned that
Jacob Jacobson. a carpenter. had been overborne
BY the falling tanks and timbers. together with
William Frazer a surveyor OF the Otis Elevator
Company, while at work on the first floor. The
other workmen had escaped at the west side Of
the building. The foreman got them together
and found that everybody, so far as known. who
h. had been in the building. except Jacobson and
the men went into the cellar, wading in couple
fleet of water which had come down with the
tanks and flooded the place and peered around
the debris, shouting TO find out whether the
buried men We're yet alive. There was no answer.
When the tiremen arrived Assistant CHIEF
Gicque thought the building unsafe for them
to enter. He was sustained By the Building De-
Iartment men when they reached the place, and
Contractor 7. p. Galligan was sent for to shore
up the ruins and overhaul the wreckaRe for the
buried men; He put fifty men at work. Some
which was Identified by the trousers. They had
70 take down a wall from the second floor to the
o'clock, crushed horribly. 1t had fallen between
JACOBSON 81 'Hs eoua hs BE- h II thai
for the night.
:. The police reserves were required throughout
the afternoon to guard the fire lines which were
established. although there was no fire. As soon
as cursory examination showed the nature OF
Archibald Hamilton of 3lO East E!shty-third
,treet, who was in charge OF the ironwork OF tho
Of ass Fourth avenue; He Henry F. kSarn 9he
architect, who lives at the Hotel st. Andrew, In
West Sesenty-second street, and Alexander NJ
Brown OF 245 West Fifty-fourth street. who
,,spresenited M his & father; Alexander Brown; Jr.,
The build ng. Theithree, men were arraigned in
forkville Court on a charge OF criminal negli.
gcnce. 1t not being then established that
any one had been killed in the collapsed
building. They were released under $1,000
bail each, to appear for examination at . O'Clock
tomorrow morning, when the Cnarge is likely IN
be changed 10 one OF mansaughtcr. None OF
the men arrested wanted to say anything for
publication as to the cause OF the collapse. Mr.
Brown, however, said that the brickwork. for
which alone his father WAS responsible srOkc
for itself, as great pieces OF t remained intact
after falling from the top story. The condition
OF bricks and mortar showed them 10 be all
right
Every one connected with tho work on the
building expressed his confidence that he him.
GEL or his firm was in no way responsible for the
disaster, but not apparently with as good rea-
bon as the masonry contractor. One firm blamed
the Building Department.. Al Post g. McCord' 4
II was said that they had nothing to do with the
hlatter. as their part OF the work-the structural
Eo1Tork-was finished two months ago. and
was done under the Building Departments in
ts:Ec,.on. The tanks were supplied by the
III. -, e.