The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-05-08
WALL COLLAPSED
ON LABORERS
AT THE CITY HALL SITE.
THREE WE'RE SERIOUSLY IN
JURED YESTERDAY.

NUN Oh OF luE "alA u AhN
1t Fell, But lie Escaped Serious
lnjuIy-INey stewart Was Buried
in the Falling Mass, But Was Only
Slightly Hurt-Thc Collapse Came
Almost without Warning.
The walls Of one of the old city vaults
on the east of the City Hall site. col
hpsed yesterday morning, and tons of
earth and brick work fell upon a group
of laborers twenty-five feet below, en-
gagged in excavating for the foundation
Of the new building.
Two of the men were buried in the
debris and were dug out with difficulty.
At the time the wall fell, there were
ten or twelve men at work beneath
1t and it was little short of miraculous
that all of them were not killed.
Three of the negro laborers were SER
iously injured. Tom Hayward was bur-
led by the falling mass and was some
time before he could be reached. He
was badly crushed, and may die from
the effects of his injuries.
Alexander Spell another negro, was
also buried, and was unconscious for
long time after he was found. He was
injured about the head and his condi
ton is serious.
Sam Patterson had his left arm
broken by the falling brick.
Foreman Warned LabOrers.
The falling of the wall was almost
without warning. The negroes at work
in the excavations below would never
have known there was any danger un-
Ill they were struck, had they not been
warned by others.
Mr.. J. T. Sloan, one of the foremen
on the works, was standing on the top
of the wall that fell. AS he felt the
wall beginning to give way he shout
ed to the men below to run for their
lives. Patrolman ScullyI who was
over on Factors Walk. watching the
work, also saw the wall as it started
TO fall, and shouted to the men. They
all ran for safety. but three of them
were caught while several others were
hit by falling bricks, though not seri-
ously hurt.
Fell with the Wall.
Sloan. who had warned the work
men at his own risk, went down with
the wall. He was only slightly bruis
ed. Mr.. Ivey Stewart, a son of the
contractor, who is removing the old
-
workmen directly where the wall fell.
When the warning was given he
fed with the others for safety. He
was knocked down and almost buried
in sand, but managed to eXtricate him
self without serious injury. He lost
his watch and chain in the debris and
received several ugly bruises.
All of the workmen were badly
frightened, and 1t was thought for a
had hppn
buried. After the injured had been
gotten out all the negroes were lined
up and the roll called to ascertain If
any were missing. All of the men
were accounted for. An ambulance
from police headquarters had been
summoned and the injured negroes
were sent to their homes.
Cause of the Cave in.
The caving in of the walls and en-
bankment was caused by the removal
of the big outside wall. This wall,
which was by the path that former
ly led down on the side of the EX-
change had been removed. 1t was a
very thick wall, and was able to stand
the pressure the other walls put upon
it.
The adjoining wall, the one to the
first vault was not strong enough to
stand this pressure. The sand, which
the vaults were built upon is ocean
sand and likely to shift. The excava-
ton for the foundation on the east
ern side of the site had been carried
down several feet below this retaining
wall of the vault.
The shifting of the sand is supposed
to have caused the wall to collapse.
After a certain depth is reached it
is impossible to dig without putting
up boards to keep the sand from shift
ing in.
After the accident work for the day
was suspended. There is some dan
ger of the second vault falling, and
the bridge next to the Exchange site
has been closed up, as it is deemed I'M
safe.