The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-03-04

new ork. March 3.-Fourteen per-
sons are believed to have been killed.
or whom the bodies Of only five have
been recovered. about a score injured
and several are missing through the
collapse today OF the steel skeleton of
the Hotel Darlington, a 13-story
apartment house in course of erection
at 81 West 46th street. The steel franz.
work mad been erected as far as the
l1th floor. and the structure was
swarming with iron workers. mason,
ana laborers. when. without an in
stants warning. the upper floor sagged
and collapsed and the whole struc-
ture fell with a crash that was hea rd
Tor blocks, and shook all the buildings
IN the vicinity. A portion of the steel
frame fell upon the rear OF the Hotel
patterson, on West 47th street, crush
ing in the wall OF the dining room
AMI killing Mrs. Ella Lacey Stores.
the wife OF Frank Stores, a wealthy
resident OF Rye, West Chester coun-
~: DIS sne was sitting at luncheon
with the wife Of the Rev. DIR. HinoI
savage, who escaped unhurt.
Inc other bodies so far recovered
are frederick Morrills, foreman of the
zoe Building Constructors Company:
t'errall S. Pagan, and two unident,-
neo men, apparently laborers.
among those missing is Frank j.
Alllson, among the builders of the.
hotel, who Is known TO have been In
the building when it fell. Efforts to
recover the bodies OF the dead and
rescue those imprisoned in the wreck
were begun by the firemen immedt-
ately after the crash and the work OF
searching the ruins will be continued
all night. Owing to the enormous mass,
or metal wreckage days NAV eIapse
before all the bodies are recovered.
The cause of the disaster generally
accepted is overlooking of the floors.
FOREMAN James HaIpin, in charge of
the iron workers. stated that there
was a large quantity OF cement and
other building material on the fifth
moor, and that on the ninth floor wer.
elghty-three iron beams, which were
to have been used in constructing the
remaining floors Of the building.
Ihat criminal carelessness Ia
chargeable to somebody Is shown by
the fact that the building department
had placed repeated Violations
against the building. the last one be-
Ing filed today at the instance Of In
spector Charles French, because "the
side walls were more than two stories
In advance OF the front walls, and the
moor beams were not properly bolted
and tied"
In spite of this and previous warn
lngs those responsible for the con-
struction Of the building went ahead,
regardless OF consequences
Adjoining the collapsed building on
the west is the four story brown stone
residence Of Harold Brown. Some Of
the huge iron beams struck the side
OF the house and stove holes in the
wall and roof and dislodged a par,
OF the brown stone front, which was
thrown to the street The occupants
escaped uninjured. On the east side
is house occupied by A. Walpoie
Cragie as a school for boys. The pu-
pills had gone home to luncheon a few
minutes before the crash occurred
Some OF the beams struck the house
tearing on q portion Of the roof and
smashing holes in the side walls.
Mrs. STORES, whose husband Is in
London. England. was sitting at
luncheon with Mrs. Savage when the
a waiter, were instantly buried under
the debris OF the roof and walls. Mrs.
Savage barely escaped being struck.
but her skirt was pinned to the floor
by mass OF fallen bricks. Mrs.
Stores was breathing when extricat-
cd, out dled IN few minutes The
waiter is believed to be fatally in
jured. The other occupants OF the
dining room escaped unhurt
The Hotel Patterson was shaken to
its foundations and the rear fire es-
capes on seven stories were torn from
their fastenings and all the windows
on these floors were smashed The
occupants of these apartments hastily
quilted the building. Rev. Minot J..
Savage was Ill in his apartments in the
front of the hotel at the time OF thr
collapse.
AT IL o'clock tonight. the contrac-
tor in charge Of the wrecking work
said that his men had discovered
seven bodies and that two were knows
10 be pinned under the wreckage on
the east side OF the building.
Splendid work was done by the fire.
men who. at the risk of their lives,
crawled under the trangled wreckage
to rescue the imDrisoner workmen.
They were accompanied by Chaplain
Smith. OF the fire department, who ad-
ministered the last rites OF the church
to several Of the injured.
Harold Clark. a watchman, was res
cued unhurt from the cellar after be-
ing imprisoned for four hours. He