The morning news., 1897-06-04
FIVE ENORMOUS TANKS FALL.
ONE CORPSE FOUND AND ONE MAN
STILL MISSING.

The Tanks Go Through Five stories
of New Building Carrying Every
thing Before Them-IrOn Girders
snapped Like Pipe Stems-Each
Tank 13 Feet Square and 20 Feet
Deep and Nearly Full OF Water.
Three Men Arrested on a Charge
of Homicide,
New York, June 9.-Five enormous
tanks, each containing 1900 gallons of
water, fell five stories through the new
building of David s. Brown & Co.. soap
manufacturers, at Twelfth avenue, Fifty
first and Fifty-second streets this morn
ing, burying two men under the tens of
tons of debris.
The body of William Frazer, 40 years
old, a surveyor in the employ of the Otis
Elevator Company was taken from the
ruins this afternoon.
Jacob jacobson, a carpenter is missing.
The place was nearly ready for occu-
soap fat. They were put in by the Cotes
iron works of Cotesvilie, Pa.
Alexander Brown, the brick contractor,
Henry F. Kilburn, the architect, and Ar
chic Hamilton, inspector for the iron work
contractors were arrested, charged with
homicide.
The five tanks shot through the five
floors like a stone dropping through so
much space.
There were fifteen men in the building at
the time of the accident. They were scat
tered around the factory. There was not
a seconds warning of the fall of the tanks.
They had been filing with water for test
ing and were nearly full
The tanks were each thirteen by thirteen
feet square, by twenty feet in hight. They
were made of sheet iron and were a quar-
ter of an inch thick. To prevent the wa
ter from bulging their sides, stout iron
bands had been placed inside of each tank.
The fall of the tanks, carrying with
them five floors of iron and woodwork,
was heard for sevral blocks around. At
the fall of the tanks they carried down
iron girders and beams foot in width,
and four inches in thickness, swapping
them as if they were pipe stems There
was no stopping as they struck the floors
in succession, so enormous were the
weight of the tanks.
All of the men, who had been inside the
building were got together and counted. It
was found that two were missing. They
| were Jacobson and Fraser.
A wrecking firm undertook the removal
! of the debris. AT O'Clock Frazer's body
was partially uncovered and three hours
| later it was taken out. Coroner Fitz-
patrick said that probably the bulging of
| the tanks had caused the dislodgment of
| the wall. and caused the fall of the tanks
| and floors.
Agent John B. Jackson of the Pennsyl-
! vania iron firm, said that the breaking
Of the bands on the inside of the tanks
| had probably been caused by the settling
| of the floor. Police Captain Schmittber-
ger said that the tanks had been filled
too full, and that Jackson would be ar
| rested for it..
Architect Kilburn said that he had per-
| sonal charge of the construction of the
| building, which had been planned by him.
! and that 1t was one of the finest buildings
/ of it's kind he had ever seen. The walls
| of the factory were a third thicker than
the specifications had called for. All the
| work was of the best material and work
| manship, and no expense had been spared
| in the construction of any portion of the
! new building or in fitting it up as a fac
| tory. He could give no opinion as to
| what caused the accident.
/
| tor, said that the accident was probably
| due to defective girders. He said that
| the masonry was first-class In every re-
| spect, and had been put up under close
| supervision
| Another phase was put on the question
| Of inculpation by the decision Of ex-United
| States Superintendent of Buildings Hugh
| Angler, now with the street cleaning de-
| partment of this city. He took up some
| of the mortar in the refuse and pronounce
ed it of a bad quality. ITS nothing but
| mud" he said.
| Samples Of the mortar will be examined
by experts District Attorney Olcott will
| attend the inquest and will prosecute
| those responsible for the disaster.
There is some discussion as to the COM
| bined weight of the tanks on the floor
| and the weight the floor should sustain
| II was said by a representative of the
| Cotesvile Iron Works that the floor
should have sustained a weight of twenty
/ times the weight Of one of the hlled tanks
| -s-op--
NOT AGAINST PUBLIC POLICY.