The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1904-03-03
MANY CRUSHED
BY BIG ORDERS
At Least IA Killed by Collapse
Of Steel Structure.
MANY INJURED AND MISSING.
Overloaded Floors Caused incomplete Frame
work 10 Give Way : Repeated Violations
Of Building Laws Reported.
MANY INJURED AND MISSING.

New York. March s-Fourteen persons
are believed to have been killed, OF whom |
the bodies OF only ive have been re-
covered. about score injured. and sew
eral are missing through the collapse
yesterday afternoon OF the steel skele- |
ton OF the Hotel Darlington. a 1s-story |
apartment house in course OF erection at
81 West Forty-sixth street.
The steel framework had been erected
as far as the llth floor and the structure
was swarming with iron workers, masons
and laborers when. without an instant's
warning. the upper floor sagged and col
lspsed and the whole structure fell with
a crash that was heard for 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
Forty-seventh street. crushing in the wall
of the dining room and killing Mrs Ella
Lacy Storrs, the wife OF Frank Storrs.
wealthy resident OF Rye. Westchester
county. as she was sitting at luncheon
with the wife of the Rev. DIR. Minot j.
Savage, pastor of the Church OF the Mes
siah, who escaped unhurt.
The other bodies so far recovered are
the Roebling Construction company, and
three unidentified men, apparently labor
ers.
The more seriously injured were labor
ers on the building, with the exception
| of Ernest Meier, walter employed In
the Hotel Patterson.
AMONG THE MISSING.
Among those missing is Frank J. AL
! lison OF the Allison Realty company, the
/ builders OF the hotel. who is known 10
! have been I'm the building when 1t fell
| Efforts TO recover the bodies OF the dead
and rescue those imprisoned in the wreck
were begun by the firemen Immediately
1 after the crash, and the work OF searching
| ther uins will be continued all night.
| Owing TO the enormous mass OF metal
wreckage days may elapse before al the
! bodies are recovered.
The cause OF the disaster generaHy
accepted is the overlooking of the floors.
Foreman James Halpin, in charge OF
| the iron workers, stated that there was
| a large quantity OF cement and other
| building material on the fifth floor ana
| that on the ninth floor were S3 Iron beams,
which were to have been used in con-
! structing the remaining floors OF the
building
BUILDING INSPECTOR REPORTS.
That criminal carelessness Is charge
|
that the building department had placed
repeated violations against the build
ing. the last one being hled today at the
instance OF Inspector Charles French, De-
cause the sidewalks were more than TWO
stories in advance OF the front fails, ana
the floor beams were not properly poiteo
and ted
In spite OF this and previous warnings:
those responsible for the construction or
the building went ahead, regaraine1ss ns.d oi
buiISing on the west side Is the four-story
brownstone residence OF Harold broWn. NJ
Some Of the huge iron beams ,a1 s.ruGR ir the the
walls and roof and dislodged part OF
the brownstone front. which was thrown
into the street. The occupants escapeo
on the east side is a house occupied by
A. wslpole Craigie as a school tor cs poys
The pupils had gone home 10 luncneoii
, a Few minutes before the crash occurred.
Some OF the beams struck the house; USE
tearing Of So,ss poraSon 10 ,Ss s,Se de Walls. vn ~ M
KILLED WHILE DINING.
Mrs. storrs, whose husband Is In Lon
! don was sitting at luncheon win MI -. D
Savage when the crash CANT ,r,stantIv ui bur
led under the debris of the roof ana WALLS walls
Mrs. Savage barely escaped being struck; en-
< sui mass ass OF of fallen bricks. Mrs; storrs
was breathing when extricatea,, out ~, l., uteu hal
Wthp few sS gatai% minutes iDures Ss wSs TSe Other
Occupants OF the dining room escaped
ON. OF the three unidentified bodies was
subseouentIy identified as that OF Farreli
8 Fagan, a derrickman a..
= The Hotel Patterson was shaken 10 Tvs
! foundations and the rear fire escapes on
seven stories were torn from their iHt-
4 enings and all OF the windows on thAe
Z floors were smashed: The occupants OF
these apartments hastily quilted the
q Pew DR.. Minot ]. Savage was III IN
his apartments in the front or the hotei
at the time OF the collapse.
ARRESTED AS WITNESSES
At II O'Clock last night. the contracto
IN charge OF the wrecking work, said
that his men had discovered seven bodies
and that two were known 70 be pinned
under the wrecksge on the east side
! OF the building.
Q Records OF the building department
show that there has been a constant con-
test between the building department and
the Allison Realty company. the con-
tractors and owners OF the property. over
! the plans.
The building department explains that
as the building was under construction
q Il possesses no power TO summarily stor
! the work.
Patrick Murphy. the engineer or the
: hoisting engine. and six workmen were
arrested and held as witnesses. Rep.
resentatives of the district office ex
amined the wreck last night and begar
= an investigation 10 place the respon
= sibility for the disaster.