New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-14
FALLING WALLS KILL FIVE.
DEATH AND INJURY FROM THE COL
LAPSE OF A HARLEM BUILDING.

YEAR THAT THE LIST OF DEAD MAY BE LARGER
THAN FIvE-coNTRACroRs NOT TO BE FOUND
Several lives were crushed out and a number OF
men were terribly injured yesterday morning by
the collapse OF two hve-story hat-buildings In
NJ erection Nos. 20 and p East One-hundred-
and-sixteenth-st The rear and side walls fell with
a grinding crash that was heard for blocks carry
ing some twenty-five or more brickayers and labor
ers with them.
THE DEAD
When the work of was stopped last night
the list OF killed. whose bodies had been recovered
Ave In oil. was as follows:
DnKELEKD Fred. brcklayer: married. and lived at
PARK and Railroad
twenty secendst Se VAS alive when
taken ont, but died soon afterward in the Harlem
xAMTNIsKI: Albert, brckiayer: lived in ConSrssss'
LDDIN Erie Of No II East @ and
his body was recovered from under sixteen feet Of
sA1DowARIE. Peter. bricklayer: home unknown
THE WOUNDED
r,,-HRAN. william. a mason. o No.
dred-and ixteenthst terribly mangled. his chances
Q. recovery are slight.
MULLER Paul Of No 400 East Oneh hundred forty
pAsouALh Peter. Of No 22sa Firs;-ave may recover
RCZER Frank lived at One-hundred and eshth-st and
Frst-ave.. may recover.
WEISBACHER. Sebastian, o: No 7Ce hundred
And-siNty- seventh-st.. recovery doubtful
II
Henry Mueller. OF No. 54s East One-hundred-and-
tory-sixth-st the contractor in charge o, the
work. and his superintendent and brother. Frank
Mueller. OF No. 4l9 st. Anns-ave.. were not at home
n late hour last night. Some say their bodies
are beneath the debris while others intimate that
both men have left the city. The work had
progressed TO the fifth floor and the men were all
near the top OF the building Several were engaged
in placing the stringers FOR the fifth floor when
the collapse came.
WITHOUT ANY WARNING
II was without warning OF any sort. and as tho
walls fell outward with a deep roar the unfortunate
vorkmen hurled in every direction their
shr1eks ascending above the crash. Policeman
Kelly o. the East One hundred -and-fourth-st sta
ton, heard the noise saw the cloud OF Gust that
enveloped the ruins and ran TO call help. Two
anbulances from the Harlem Hospital, several
companies OF fremen under Battalion Chief Short
and the reserves from the East One-hundred and
fourth and East One-hundred- and-twenty -siXth-st
stations responded in a hurry and the WORK OF
rescue Immediately begun Fire hhes were
established and the great crowd was kept al
SAFE distance.
Chief Bonner Inspector Mclaughlin and Super
intendent Dooner. OF the Building Department with
a large number OF inspectors arrived within an
hour and took command o. the work. A gang OF
twenty-five Italians at work across the street on
some blasting proffered their help ana me " 1
80 81 The Injured were Imprisoned and that
every moment was for lie or death. the men
ire apprentce boy Frederick Hartman was the
nrs, person taken out He Was tern a o he gave
one AWFUL cry Of pain and then became UNCONSCIOUS
dia at cor Ss Gon 6oy Of eighteen was found
under many feet OF debris ano as me men .eaGne
the spot where no was ne gave them INSTRUCTIONS
We are Sreo one 5eoP o. .ow caed ,eS
SSR ack o" Al H right s,imuants syen to him
badly Injured REED that "a be he T f s
her husband is in the runs.
John Grit o: No. sl2 East Nneiieh-st believes
as n aon BY 'i the man name Of Confer who
cited that he coud give no other in,ormaon epous
smsG h@" o Wdy a @sn S S!Sd Kline who
be VI, I'D, Il. ,a aH'' ''-''N' - "
TEL BUILDING METHODS CRITICISED
c,s,,c-. q .rland a builder and contractor. Of No
$40 .a.M One-hundred-and-tyent severely
critt.asss che methods employed In the building
He .sys be was bidder for the work. and knows
what he IS talking about. He says ne went 10 Louis
Finn o; No $50 Broad-st.. the attorney for Fordln-
sky & Barach. the owners OF the property 10 see
the plans and specifications so he could bid he
says that only lump sum Vas named ana e , ths,
speeincations were furnished except IN e iG S
gen.l al sense. He did not get me Jop anu seS M
couid not have made any Kind o. a sG Jt "a
sg io4 nor says Hariand story
and is the result o. his dsapponntmfad nol ger
The las, week had oosened the foundations and the
shocks from the blasting across the way lac m
creased the damage To these TWO causes ne lays
Staris? Ka7ninski whose brother was killed and
who escaped himself with trifnS injuries thoush
hurled IRON the fourth floor. says the lns}"ciI9r
OF the building known as Montgomery ne
asserts that MONTGOMERY never came around
oStener than once a week. and then confined his
work 10 a cursory examination OF the nrst moor
Alexander Hatt, builder who came out OF the
place about minute before the collapse. says MI
Fnn's theory OF the cause OF the collapse Is cor
rect A workman. who refused 10 give ms name
said the contractor Mueller, was al the Duhdlng IN
the morning and that he was overheard 70 expires
The fear that a collapse might result from 700
heavy rains Martin Sands one OF the orlcKiayers'
dsrla red ne would have his union. Brickayers no
is not the only building that IL going up IN rotten
way" ,.s... r,oo,.- t.o,h
saw The bricks seem have had very weak mortar
on them and that little lime was used Iney
would talk no further. Captain Creeden caused tie
srrest Of John Nowak. OF No 7S5 East one hundreo
end-fortv-second- who was the assistant Tore
man He Is held for the Coroner.
II Is said that two in buggy drove up 70
away al a mad pace. The same men later ASKED
sbe druggist al Fifth-ave and Onehundred- anc-s x
teenth-st II any lives had been lost and when ne
fold them yes they drove downtown at gaIop
The nolice think Il possible that these mon were
Mueller and his brother Frank -, -,
Several OF the men who went DOWN WIN tne
walls escaped serious injury, but the nunper Is
rot known as no accurate list OF the men VINO
were al work the building could be obtained
JUSTICE DICKEY TO HEAR THE NOTION