The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-09
FATAL SCAFFOLD FALL.
,,r WHIL II .TWO PAINTERS
D." WERE At WORK ON IT.

r,o, In the Desccnt Tried to Grasp
~ W.. u,or or mn Adjoining church Thirty
-, u.iov-Nisacd It-Both Were KILLED
80 noprs should Have Becn Used,
c,.-,cs Reich Of COS East Eighty.third street
pcrnard Flaherty Of ii4 West Nineteenth
-, az, about painting a sign for Dillingham;
, =, ibs gable end of the building at l19
-, Tvcnty.third street yesterday morning.
-orr was under the supervision OF G. p.
I'll NJ seventy first street and Third ave.
Patch and Flaherty, with a third work
Nn .Iuue The hanging platform over tho roof,
Ia letting it down about thirty.h V feet, to
"o,r, onposito the cighth.story windows on
p ucs, wall, began work. Tho scafiold was
18th a single rope to each end, instead of
",b,c rnpc. as is usual in work at high altl.
.,Ss. and Reich and Flahcrty began work.
I.,acr tbc suot where the men were laying out
A.. lettering is a ~six.foot passagcway between
.ho usll upon which they were at work and the
%cS,rA NJ 81, Vincent dc Paul, tho next build
". The roof of the church is about thirty
,o, below the level at which the scaffold hung.
a., hslf.past ! o'clock, shortly after the men
I'd resumed their painting, the ropc Mt the
na ar,h eri Of tho scatfold parted q few yards
I nmn,rc the fastening. Instantly the platform
apoonped from under the feet of the painters; \
nssseerby on the opposite side OF TMenty.third
F---zt hoard UlG VI NI tNh thltAs Ao'NN
amee saw them falling. He says that one of the
Up. rsarhci for the roof of the church as he
ny mi could get no hold upon it, and struck
~ sinnr tagging below only n fraction of II
tne,nJ nftcr his Comrade. They struck within
svard OF each other, and both were killed in
,tantly. ,u ,orors NJ tbo Woe, Tb;r,,o,h
la station, who was near by, had also heard
,,he cry of the railing man. lie ran to The place
.nd rang an ambulance call. Later no ar
s sa',ed Mr.. Carroll. who was arraigned in JEFF
t.rson Market Court and released on his own
sn1vni2anrc. The policeman cut off II soc
~, N NJ The broken rupe. as evidence. At the
tloh y where il broke. it had partly UNFINISHED.
Er Carroll said to II U reporter:
Saposh the men were experienced scaffold
s,on and GOOD workers. F1ahcrty, in particu-'
t,,r was an old hand. | believe IL was ho who
S.nnerinlcndeu tho hanging of the scatfold. |
,T around there early in the morning. Civ.
Ing the men some directions. hui | did not no
,Ie that the scatfold was hung by single ropes.
isnaiiv we use two. where there is enough rope
IN The roof. There was tao feet of spare rope
M M The roof when those poor fellows dropped.
II they had taken the trouble to use that they
would be alive now.
There was some doubt in tho minds OF the
coiice As to whether the scaifold should be left
inv,stigatiOn by the Coroner. MIR. Carroll snid
that il a high wind arose the scatfold might fall
and kill any one who happened to he passing the
riace, It.was finally decided that il should be
removed, and he went out to find men to re-
move il. Had there been any warming of tho
ropes breaking. any slipping OF the strands fora
second or two before the parting, as often hap
mems, the painters would have had time TO
hmm to the church roof below. and would
probably have escaped with broken legs at the
most. Reich was married and had one child.
Flaherty was unmarried.