The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-08-29

was horribly mangled. 1t was removed
to Parslow's morgue.
1t did not take the police long to learn
that Mrs Bernit, Koerner and Emma
Reisch, the servant, were the only per-
sons in the building when the collapse
came. The Reisch woman ran out of the
basement as the building was falling and
escaped with few slight injuries. Even
after all three of the inmates had been
accounted for Police Captain Hayes kept
a gang of men at work to make certain
that no pedestrians had been caught IN
the street, and it was well on in the day
before he was satisfied that there were
no more bodies in the ruins.
To News" reporter the Reisch woman
said:-"When 1 was on my way down
stairs to the kitchen / stopped in the bar
room and asked Koerner what he would
have for breakfast. He said that some
ham or bacon and eggs would do l
noticed nothing wrong about the building
at that time. went into the basement,
got the bacon and eggs and was just
about to light the gas stove when / heard
Koerner on the floor above talking to Mrs.
Bernitt through the tube. | heard him
say You had better come down right
away and 1 wondered what was the mat
ter A minute later I felt the building
trembling and I ran out just in time to
escape the crash
The building was about 100x25 feet AT
the rear is a brick extension running
about one hundred feet along First street.
This did not fall. 1t was put up after the
old hall was built. The scene after the
building collapsed was interesting. Hug
ging the south wall of the brick house,
No. 102 Bloomfield street, which was built
close up to the old hall, were portion of
a stairway and half of two bedrooms.
The floor of one of the bedrooms had not
entirely given way and the bed was still
there with one of Mrs Bernitt's 8 wrappers
hanging over one corner of it. The closets
on the same wall held their places, but
their doors were wrecked and the things
inside could be clearly seen by the crowd
in the street. On the second floor where
the lodge rooms were there were hanging
a number of banners, one of which bore
the name of the Hoboken Veteran Corps
On the second floor of the house at No.
102 Bloomfield street lives City Prison
Keeper Thomas McAleer and family. Mr..
McAleer said he was awakened by noise
which he compared to the rolling of
thunder. He jumped out of bed, pulled
ON his trousers and rushed out to see
what had happened. When he reached
the street he saw the hall in ruins. His
wife and children were greatly excited
and it was some time before they were
assured that their home was not going to
fall also. The first floor of the Bloomfield
house is occupied by the family of Build
ing Inspector Fred Steigleiter. The In
spector believes that the old hall was
shaken badly by the recent tornado, to
which he attributes the accident. He or
dered Mrs. Bernitt to repair dilapidated
chimney on the hall some time ago, which
she did. Aside from this the building
was apparently in fair condition. Its
walls, however, were thin, the tenants in
the Bloomfield house being able to hear
the clock tick in the hall when they were
in bed.
City Prison Keeper McAleer rescued two
canaries and parrot from the ruins. The
parrot was talking away at lively rate
when he was dug out, but as he spoke in
German McAleer could not tell whether
he was swearing or laughing.
A trolley car of the Jersey City, Hobo
ken and Paterson Railway came near
being caught under the pile. 1t came up
First street crowded with passengers and
had just passed the hall when the acci-
dent occurred. The debris put stop to
further traffic on First street for the re-
mainder of the day.
While Captain Hayes was directing the
search of the ruins several hours after
the accident he was informed that there
was dachshund in a closet on the first
floor. He sent a man in and the dog was
brought out half frightened but unin-
jured.
About. ten o'clock this morning a por-
ton of the north wall which was left
standing tumbled down and caused con-
siderable excitement, the tenants of the
adjoining house fearing that their homes
would tumble with it. Inspector Steig-
letter has already started to move his
family out of the Bloomfield street house
and Mr.. McAleer says he will move out
also.
1t was rumored this morning that In
spector Steigleiter had instructed Mrs.
Bernitt some time ago to have the build
ing strengthened with iron girders and
that Mrs Bernitt had consulted the Fagan
Iron Works regarding the cost of the
necessary braces. Inspector Steigleiter,
however, denied that there was any
foundation for the rumor. He said that
there was no outward appearance that
the building was in imminent danger of
falling. He said he instructed Mrs. Ber-
nitt to repair the chimney only.
Mrs. Bernitt was the owner of the build
ing. She has not lived with her husband
for several years. Yesterday she was in
the Court of Chancery, this city, trying
to get divorce from him The damage is
estimated at $4,000.
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