The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-17
TWO MORE BODIES FOUND.
THE LAST OF THE VICTIMS OF THE
IIaTOWEHVILLE DISASTER.

me Remains or the Children OF John Conroy.
who AIse Lest HIS wiz. Pound Floating in
tho Etiver-An EnGineer's Statement OF the
Cause OF the Bursting or the Two Dams.
NKwBURe, July 16.-Tho bodies OF Julia and
John Conroy, children of John Conroy, whose
wife also lost her life in the flood at Timoney-
willie last Wednesday morning, were recovered
to-day. The scarchors were well nigh disoour-
aged whom to-day's noon hour arrived. They
had gone over every bit of the ground two and
three times. Hooks had been brought into
requisition to drag the streams, which ordinarily
are nothing more than brooks. The heavy
machinery which was used for hosting brick
was moved, but no trace Of the missing children
could be found. When the mon returned to
work there was some dissatisfaction among
them. They had toiled necessarily for forty
eight hours and felt that further search was
f%ruitless. Coroner Bevier. who had worked as
hard as any OF the men. insisted that the search
DO continued. At this ~junoture big High Baglcy
stepped up and said:
Boys, I've not had my clothes Off in two
days. Jack Conroy's away burying his wife.
His children are somewhere in this heap. for
one will not give mp"
The men then went to work with n will. In q
few minutes they saw a piece of nightdress
above the ground. Some OF the bystanders at
once recognized 1t as the dress of one of the
Conroy children, and word was sent to Coroner
Bevier that It had been found.
Investigation proved. however. that the ru-
NOR was unfounded. but when the men were
again about to give up two strctchers were seen
coming across the yard below where they were
working. On those two stretchers were the
bodies OF the Conroy children, bruised and man
Rled almost beyond recognition. They had been
found side by side floating in the river opposite
the brickyards Of Aldridge Brothers, three
quarters of a mile above where the Malzingah
stream flows into the river. The Captain OF q
canal boat had discovered them. They were
taken to the rooms Of Undertaken J. K. Bottell.
Their funeral will be held at Verplanck's Point
at 2 o'clock tomorrow.
When THE misrepresentation saw John Con-
roy tonight he was q physical and almost men,
tai wreck. His right arm was done up in q
bandage. He said that he had lost all, his wife,
home, children. and money. Even tho clothes
on his back he had borrowed from a brother
brickyarder to attend his wife's funeral. II
wish l had gone, too" he repeated many times.
The Coroner's jury this afternoon paid their
first visit TO the broken dams. Coroner Bevier
had George H. Wood, District Attorney of
Duchess county; w. Hoysradt, his Assistant,
be ascertained that the Fishtiii and MatteawSn
Water Company will be held responsible for tho
deaths; but not because the dams were not built
securely. The trouble was that there was not
sufficient overflow. This. Engineer Brevoort said
to the District Attorney. was the first thing to be
looked at in the construction of a dirt dam.
My idea is," he said, that the overflow on
the small dam was inadequate. This caused tho
water to rush over tho top of the dirt. and there
was a general washing away. The breaking Of
the small or upper dam caused the larger one to
break
District Attorney Wood said that he intended
to personally conduct the investigation. 1t has
been adjourned until Tuesday, at Metropolitan
Hall, the largest public place in the village OF
M~atteawan.
This afternoon THE Z representative was
told that the keeper OF. the dam failed to open
the f~ioodgate during the awful storm. II this
charge can be proved before the Coroncr's jury,
the water company for criminal negligence.
When the Coroncr's jury retired from the
scene John Robertson, the civil engineer,
handed THE Sun representative the following
signed statements:
1.-THE Melzingah dam was Of the rip-rap type,
and for that sort Of a structure was fairly con.
structed. II had a wnter cell of masonry run
ming its entire length. Its dimensions were
three feet wide at the base and eight on top, ter.
water cell was constructed Of cobble stones and
cement. which any. one can observe could not
stand Of its own weight unsupported. On either
by an embankment OF earth. This soil,
In consequence, constituted the dam, 40
that by an insufficient overflow the
embankment was washed away. The news.
papers should call the attention Of engineers to
all rip'rap dams and have an examination Of the
overflow. They should be certainly OF sum cient
size, and. above all. low enough. Had those
overfows been four feet lower there would have
been. no accident. AS they stood they were
nothing more than a pair eidcath traps erected
over our heads. The theory OF a cIoudburst.
as spoken of by Giles Taintor of the water com.
pany, is not worth consideration as there was
nothing but ordinary rains that night"