The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-05-28
THE SIDEWALK BROKE DOWN.
One Man Killed and About 100 Per-
sons Injured While Viewing the
ROchambeau Parade in New York.

sohs injured while Viewing the
ROchambeau Parade in New York.
New York, May 27.-Elvin L. Cool
idge, circulation manager of the New
York Commercial, was almost instantly
killed and about 100 others injured this
evening by the breaking down of a
temporary sidewalk at Fifth avenue
and Eighteenth street. Some of those
injured may die.
Those who fell were part of the
crowd gathered to watch the parade of
militia in honor of the visit of the
French Rochambeau Commission of
this city.
Two hundred persons were on the
sidewalk when it gave way. They
were precipitated twenty feet into an
excavation for new building and fell
on piles of building material.
The accident occurred just as the
head of the parade had passed the cor
ner. The French visitors had gone
past and knew nothing of the acct
dent until some time later.
Prompt Work of Military.
Troop c had just gone by and the
22nd regiment was passing when the
crash came. The officers in command
at once gave the order to break ranks
and fifty militamen were detailed to
the work of rescue. Hurry calls were
sent for police reserves and ambul-
ances, and in a very short time
those who fell were assisted out of
the excavation and the work of binding
up wounds and conveying those most
injured to hospitals was in full swing.
The authorities are busy endeavor-
ing to discover who was to blame for
"a Cal,.o 49,. -.
sidewalk had not been built of mater
ial strong enough to stand such a great
weight as was on il this evening.
He said the real cause of the accident
was the giving way of an upright tim
Der, four by twelve in dimensions, that
extended from the bottom of the eX-
cavation to the cross beams on which
the sidewalk rested. About ten feet
of this timber, he said, was rotten
and very weak.
Few Serious Injuries.
Considering the nature of the acct
dent and the number of persons in it,
the hospital surgeons express surprise
at the few who received serious hurts.
Many were able to go directly home
after having their injuries treated by
the ambulance surgeons. Those
| taken to the hospitals, and who
|
| sig George, patrolman, scalp wound
and shock; Kelly, James j., detective
sergeant attached to Inspector Thomp-
sons staff, scalp wound and shock and
possible internal injuries; McManus,
NJ. j., patroIman, three ribs broken and
Commissions; Werner, Charles, Contu-
sions of body and internal injuries.
! z. L. Coolidge, who was killed, re-
ceived a fracture of the skull. He was
born at Natick. Mass, and was edu-
Gated at the Westford Academy, West
ford, Mass. He leaves a widow and
four children.
Police Were Suspicious.
Early in the afternoon the police Off
| Gals became suspicious of the strength
! of the sidewalk and a detail for hours
kept the crowd from collecting on it.
! But as the time for the parade came
| the crowd became unmanag eable and
| in spite of force on the part of the
police to keep the crowd from the for
hidden sidewalk, it staked there until
the breaking of the support landed
them in the excavation.
After viewing the body of Mr.. Cool
idge and issuing the necessary permit
for its removal, the coroner ordered
the arrest of Contractor Cowan and
of ]. G. Miller, the ub-contractor. Mr.
| Cowan, however, had heard of the aC-
cident and went to the police station
where he saw the coroner. Cowan ex-
planned that he was not responsible
for the accident, and promised to APP
| pear at the inquest in case he was
| wanted He was then allowed to go
Detectives were sent to arrest Miller
but they had not returned up to a
late hour tonight. James Lawton
foreman of the work at the building
was arrested by the police and later
allowed to go under bail of $4,000 d
charge of homicide having been placed
| against him. The contractor, sub-con-
tractor and foreman insist that they
warned the police to keep the crowd
| off the sidewalk, as it was not built
To orpat q strain