The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-08-29
CRUSHED
To DEATH.
HOboken House COllapseS
Killing a Woman and
Injuring Several
People.
WEAKENED BY TORNADO
Mrs. Bernitt the Own
er Dug Out of the
Ruins With Diff
ficulty.
TENANTS FLEE IN ALARM
Parrot Found Under the
Debris Jabbers Away
in German.
POLICE TO THE RESCUE
Panic Among Terror Stricken
People Allayed By the
Authorities.
Parrot Found Under the
Debris Jabbers Away
in German.
POLICE TO THE RESCUE
Panic Among Terror Stricken
People Allayed By the
Authorities.

With scarcely more than minute s
waring and with noise that sounded ike
the rolling of thunder the old two-story
and basement brick building known as
Bernitts Hall, which has stood for the
past fifty-six years on the northwest cor
ner of First and Bloomfield streets, Ho-
boken, collapsed this morning, killing one
man and injuring two women. The dead
man is George Koerner, who was em-
ployed as bartender in the saloon on the
first floor, and the injured are Mrs
Helene Bernitt, proprietress and owner OF
the hall, and Emma Reisch, a servant
The tornado of Saturday is believed to
have loosened the foundations of the
structure and caused it to give way.
1t was about $40 o'clock when the crash
came. At that time in the morning First
street is crowded with people on their
way to the ferry and it was at first be-
Heyed that some of them had been crushed
by the ruins. Upon search of the debris,
however, only one body. that of Koerner,
was found.
Koerner was fifty years old. 1t was his
duty to open the saloon in the morning
and tend bar during the daytime. There
were lodge rooms on the second floor over
the saloon and on the top floor were the
living apartments of Mrs. Bernitt and the
servant, who were the only occupants OF
the building. Koerner opened up the bar
room about five A. NJ. Emma Reisch, the
servant, arose shortly afterwards and be-
gan to prepare some breakfast in the
Kitchen in the basement. Although
Koerner's story will never be known he
was evidently aware that something was
70 h0
Mrs. Bernitt whistled down through the
speaking tube from her bedroom to the
barroom as was her custom every morn
ing when she got up, to inquire whether
everything was all right, Koerner answer
ed:-"Yes, everything is all right, but you
had better come down right away.
Mrs Bernitt asked what was the mat
ter and Koerner yelled back
Come down in hurry
She started to dress but she had no
sooner gotten her wrapper on when there
was terrible crash and the whole outer
wall of her bedroom fell to the street
The hail from the second floor down was
built against a row of buildings on the
north and did not go with the rest of the
structure This probably saved Mrs. Ber-
nitt's life. She had gotten into the hall
but could go no further, the door leading
from the hall to the stairway being
closed tightly when the building began to
lean over While she was trying to force
the door she was struck by falling timbers
and knocked int a hole among the ruins.
Here she lay unconscious for half an hour.
when she came to she screamed and the
rescuers dug her out and sent her to st.
Mary's Hospital.
Meanwhile the noise oceasoned by the
crash had attracted throng of people.
For fully ten minutes after the building
fell the dust caused by the crumbling
plaster and other debris filed the atmos-
phere and the wreck was entirely con-
cealed in the cloud AT Police Head
quarters in the City Hal, the rear OF
which is diagonally. opposite the ruins, the
day squad was just preparing to go out
on duty. Sergeant Flatery and Rounds
mtan Hammond. who were IN charge
heard the crash and upon running to the
window on the Bloomfield street side saw
an immense white cloud rising from the
ruins. Not knowing whether 1t was nre
or an explosion a fire alarm was sent IN
s nv the police at once and all the available
men in the station were hurried to the
scene. When the dust had cleared away
so that il could be seen whath ad nap
pened the police and onlookers set to
work searching for the dead or injured
They were Joined a minute later by the
fremen and the work of turning over the
debris was hastily prosecuted. While they
were at 1t they heard Mrs. Bernitt
screams and found her pinioned under a
pile near the stairway She was badly
bruised and cut and was conscious only
at intervals. A half hour after Mrs Ber-
nitt was taken out the men came across
Koerner's body. 1t was lying under the
centre Of the pile directly in front Of the
barroom. It is believed that he had start
ed to run out after talking with Mrs-
Bernitt up the tube, but was crushed be-
fore he could reach the door. He had evil
IDENTIFY been killed instantly az his body