The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-17
FLATIRON STOOD LIKE A ROCK
WIND FURIOUS OUTSIDE, But
WITHIN WAS CALM.
18th Floor Tenant Says That Eve" HIS
Electric Bulb Filament Never Qu'S-
crcd-A Little Glass Br0ken--Deuce
10 Pay In she street. rs Usual.


The Flatron building weahered the
storm in great shape yesterday. A great
deal II fiction has got into print about THIS
skyscraper, hut the hardest roast 1t ever
got came Yesterday from an evening paper.
which solemnly said that the storm had
broken every window in the building and
that the tenants were moving out. The
manufacturers OF glass will no doubt be
panied to hear that the first part OF this
yarn is untrue. So is the second part.
The actual damage done was the break
ing Of two plate-glass windows, eight ordi-
nary window panes and four fanlights.
The fanlghts were in the interior and we're
broken by back draughts. The two plate
glass windows we're on the ground floor
in the "nose." The nose gets the brunt
of every windstorm. and the windows in
it have been broken several times.
This "nose," or sidewalk projection, is
part Of the space occupied by cigar con-
Germ. There are three plate-glass win
dows on each side. Two Of the Fifth ave-
nue. windows were broken. Two Of the
window panes that were broken were on
the Twent v second street side Of the build
ing and the other six on the Broadway side.
How much vibration. If any, there was
in the gale will remain a matter OF con-
lecture Five out OF thirty tenants OF the
three upper floors with whom a Sun re-
porter talked declared that there was a
perceptibe vibration while the storm was
at its height. Twenty-Five said positively
that there was no vibration and that they
were willing to swear to it.
my Office Is in the apex Of the building
on the eighteenth floor" said one man,
"and when the storm came ] was on the
lookout for a vibration. l watched the
flament in an electric light bulb in my
Office for nearly an hour and l could not
detect any movement
good many people went to look at the
Flatiron building yesterday morning be-
cause the newspapers had reported that a
large stone had fallen from the nineteenth
floor at 1880 in the morning, What fell was
a piece OF terra Gotta weighing about 100
pounds and it dented the asphalt in Fifth
| avenue where it struck, 1t came from
! the Intel over a window. Workmen have
been examining and putting extra fasten-
| ings Oh the lintels on the nineteenth story
and at each window they erected scat
folding. When they moved scadold on
| became looeened These terra Gotta lin
tells are anchored to the building by strap
, iron braces. AZ well as with cement. Three
weeks ago a piece fell from one of the upper
| stories and an anonymous letter writer
/ sent word to the owners that the struc-
| ture was falling apart. The Fuller Con-
! struction Company ordered an examina-
(; ton OF all the lintels on the upper floors
! They are still at this job and Will be at it
+. for several weeks.
!! While there was so little doing in the
/, Flatron building during the storm there
| was all sorts of trouble outside the build
| ing The policemen at the crossing say
the wind never blew so hard before. Not
| only were men, women and children lifted
| from their. feet, but wagons were over
| turned and horses thrown. A crowd stood
| about in the other three sheltering corners
and watched things happen.
| Only a few pedestrians had the nerve
to walk on the Fifth avenue and Broadway
sides of the Flathon. Those who did
| kept their eyes skyward, as il they mo-
| mentariiy expected the building to topple.
The Twenty-third street crossing, how
| ever, was braved by many. to their sorrow.
| Women and children were tossed about
| like ninepins, and many a man was bowled
| over. too. About IL 80 O'Clock the two
| plate glass windows in the cigar store
| crashed in. There were awnings over
| the windows, and they broke away
from their fastenings and smashed the
| windows. Just as the windows went in
a one hors" American Express wagon
| turned into Fifth avenue from Twenty
third street The wagon was blown over
within few feet of the safety isle south
of tho crossing The driver went out Of
his seat with rubber blanket covering
his head, slid along the pavement and got
up unhurt While Policeman John DAILY
was sitting on the horses head the big
., 10 or "
isle was blown off and just missed him.
few minutes later another express wagon
coming up the avenue was upset at twenty
second street. While it was being righted
glass was flying in every direction. Most
of this glass came from the southwest and
window In each of these corner buildings
was blown In.
Over on the Broadway side Of the Flatiron
building there was Just as much excite
lnen, IL not more The easterly wind was
blowing great guns. The sheltered place
was Oh the east side OF Broadway A
little girl holding her mothers hand was
blown loose and whirled into the roadway
directly in front OF a Lexington avenue
car. The motorman got the brake on
in time.
Four big blanks fell from the Flatiror
building on the Broadway side. They came
from a scaffold on the nineteenth floor
|
Twenty second street and scared the pas
sengers into rush to get out Nothing
else fell Before the car could go on the
motorman and conductor had TO clear
away the broken wood
The Tenderloin district suffered severely
In loss of plate glass windows The window
in the jewelry store OF william Reiman ir
the Hoffman House was blown in Just as
Mr.. Reiman was sorting some diamonds
Tho stones were loose and after the glass
missing They were worth $500 apiece
Reiman said II is not thought that the
, wind removed them,
!, The Downing building. in Fulton st rect
, with seventeen stories Of wide windows
side of the structure has n courtlike indenta
ton above the low roof of the building mex
door The gale struck in here, recurvec
and sucked out forty-two windows anc
Filings. including awnings Many Offices
r up there were flooded bv the torrent tina
rushed almost horizontally across the city
The police returns for the day are full o
accidents OF one sort or another due 10 thu
l wind and rain It will take indus' RON
$ glazing to Ak the town up. So many re
, ports Of broken window glass haven't fol
| lowed a storm within the memory Of tn,
weather sharps.
-Four windows on the top floor of th
= eight-story building az l5Oth street ant
. Melros~ avenue, where the "Melroae" tele
phone exchange is, bew@ir Yesterday fore
, noon and scared some of the eighty girl
by gloss