The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-19
DROP WITH FALLING FLOORS.
NARROW ESCAPES IN COLLAPSE
or OLD BOWERY BUILDING.
Ten Floor, OverIaden. Drops Through Those
Below. Carrying Many Men and Women
No One Badly Hurt-One Alan lH,-
prisoned Two Heurs-TwO Arrests.

Ten Floor, Oyerladen. Drops Through Those
Below, Carrying Many Men and Women
No Ono Badly Hurt-One Alan In
prisoned Two Heurs-TwO Arrests.
Twenty persons were carried into the cell
lar and s,ib-celiar Of the old building at 40
Bowery yesterday morning when the third
door overweighted with great packages
Of cardboard, collapsed, carrying tops OF
debris vNth 1t.
Although number OF men and girls
we're buried beneath tremendous weight
Of paper, brick, wood and plaster, not one
person was killed, and no one was so badly
injured that he had to go to the hospital
The building which collapsed Is one OF the
oldest on the lower Bowery. 1t 10 on the
east side Of the street just south OF Canai
street, and years ago was the home OF Dan
Bryant's Minstrels Later 1t was concert
hall, operating under different names, but
last known as the Melodeon
For some time the ground floor has been
occupied by Isaac Polinsky's restaurant
In the rear room he had pool table and
several smaller tables where his patrons
played pinochle. The two upper noors
were occupied by David Albert and his
sons Joseph and Morris, who run paper
box factory under the name OF the
Lyon Box Company. The building Is
owned by the estate Of Charles Drake, and
il leased at present by P. P. Coppe!l. who
sublets II.
On the second floor the Alberts had
number Of girls and men at work making
paper boxes The top floor they used
es storeroom, and there they kept heaps
OF cardboard Although the building has
Long been known as one of the oldest
and rottenest downtown. the Alberts kept
pilins psper on the top floor, until the floor
could no longer sustain the weight Sew
eral truckloads of paper was delivered
at the place yesterday morning and men
began carrying it upstairs A good deal
of it had been put on the third floor when
the crash came
Ida Schleirnan of rs Division street was
the first girl in the box factory to notice
anything unusual She saw that the paper
boxes on the high shelves ON the second
floor were falling. and when she went 70
replace some OF them disco vered that the
hosses about the matter and he laughed
and told her to stop kicking. as there was
no danger and he didn't want her frighten-
inp the other girls. The words were hardly
out OF his mouth when the crash came.
the WEIGHT OF the paper and crashed down
10 the second floor. The second moor
was not strong enough to withstand the
shock and 1t collapsed, too. Both floors and
everything that had been stored on them mem
| With them down into the cellar. There
IL a sub-cellar to the building. and even
the floor above that gave away
In less than two minutes the building
was one open space from the roof to the
sub-cellar save ID 1ne r er0a ~hG In place
Everybody in the building went GOWN
with IL and the shrieks and cries that io!-
lowed the collapse could be heard block
away. 49,, ,..
fermsnt Of excitement. Ambulance calls
were sent to Bellevue, Gouverneur and other
hospitals and when it was seen that some
Of The debris had caught fire fire alarm
was turned in.
Meanwhile al The poicensSf ain IN tho ns'sa En-.
lieved that there bad been tremendous
les az ~, but as one after another OF the
victims was hauled out 1t was seen that oy
some marvellous good fortune they hao
scarcely been hurt at all.
Historically but not one injured oeyond
few scratches. When the firemen arrived
they soon put the fire out and then turned
in to help the policemen dig out the victims
Under about ton OF de PRE- t IN vs% at
Is Bowery. In falling he had slipped under
a gas pipe, which ran diagonally across
his body, keeping most of the weight from
him. Save for a few scratches and burns
he was uninjured:
found beneath lot OF beams and rubbish.
and 1t took nearly fifteen minutes after
he was discovered to dig him out His
injuries we're slight.
that OF Norris Kemensky Of II Essex street
Two hours after the crash, when the search
ers had made UP their minds that II any
body was left in the ruins he was dead,
firemen, who were working. in the sub,
cellar Under ps9aty .nist m MARIN vo ane
way down in the debris calling for help.
In an instant all of the available workmen
were brought to the spot and Chief Martin
yelled down:
-Oh, can stand it quite a while yet, y
came the responss.
The mans arms were finally uncovered
and II WAS seen that he was sitting in AZ?
open space made by the crossing OF several
large 6..%s rope va: p..sdsd nj, to r n,n
be was hauled out. The arst man who
Kemensky said In some alarm;
Say. do got pinched for thisf,
he WAS an9ufoQ t0kt Ho Wouu iwe NO
arrested, Then be took drink Of whiskey
and went home, the only effect Of his ex-
perience being little stiffness OF the legs
and arms.
Kemensky said he was on tho top floor
wben the crash came and that be went. with
the paper, clean down to the sub-cellAr.
Just before the accident. he said, he noticed
tho way the floor was sagging and spoke
about II to one of the bosses. The man
told him 70 mind his business.
Police Commissioner Greene, Deputy
Commissioner Piper and Inspector Schmitt-
berger were among the hrst to arrive at
the scene Of the accident. Inspector
Sohmittbereer gave orders at once to
shore up the adjoining buildings at Al and
81 Bowery.. Had this not been done a.
onoe the chances are that there would
have been tanother cave-in.
About the last officials 10 arrive at the
scene were tho Building Department in
spectors. They were slow IN coming,
but when they did get there eight Of them
could be counted wandering around the
ruins.
Al tho order of Inspector Schmittberger
Norris and Joseph Albert were placed
under arrest They were bailed In the
Essex Market police court, Isaac Polinsky
the proprietor Of the lunchroom, said to
a reporter that he was not surprised at
the collapse and that he had warned the
Alberta
They put four tfuckloads of cardboard
in said Polinsky. and then ! kicked
They had a fifth truckload ready to store
~vhon .slr>d 'thau ~ thov >Vaptad 70 hriD q