The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-03-03
NEW HOTEL
COLLAPSES
Many WOrkmen Dead OF Injured
In the Ruins Of the
Building.

skeleton Of ten story apartment ho-
tel that was being erected at 81 and
80 West Forty-sIxth street collapsed
at 1870 o'clock yesterday afternoon,
carrying a large gang of workmen
down in the wreckage. There were
about fifty men at work on the struc-
ture when the.disaster came, it was es-
timated, and but few Of them escaped
without injury.
The collapse of the building was ac-
companied by mighty roar that was
heard for blocks. One or two persons
who were in the vicinity said that just
before the crash they heard something
like an explosion. Some one thought
that there was an explosion Of the boil
er used in connection with the derrick
engine in the basement, and this was
advanced as a theory for the collapse
The engineer Of the derrick engine,
who escaped, said that the boiler did
not explode.
A body taken from the center of the
building was identified as that of Fred
Morley, foreman in charge of the con-
crete works Many Of the workmen
have been taken out badly injured.
Coroner Scholer stated that he be-
lieved the collapse was caused by over
loading the fifth floor with building
material. Assistant District Attorney
Rand began an examination of wit
nesses ON the spot.
The building was an uncompleted
apartment hotel and was to have been
called the Darlington. BY its collapse
thirteen lives are known 10 be lost.
Six bodies We're recovered, and seven
more are known to be buried under the
debris of the ruins. 1t is feared that
the list of those killed will be still fur
Their increased when the wreckers com
plete their task. In the hospitals are
fourteen injured, several of whom are
not expected to recover. Twenty per
sons are reported missing
Inspector Jordan said that from the
time the work upon the Darlington be-
gan friction between the builders and
the department of buildings has been
unceasing. Several times the plans
were rejected as faulty. The Orders
were declared to be too weak TO sup
port the load they would have to sus-
tain. The weight of the building it was
said, was improperly distributed upon
the foundation.
Work upon the building was ordered
to be suspended until it had been
strengthened. A final complaint was
made yesterday, and John f. Ahearn
had instructed that an injunction
should be obtained against the build
ers, but the collapse interviewed TO
make that step useless.
District Attorney Jerome is making
a personal investigation of the disas-
ter.
When Fire Chaplain Wakeley ar
rived he found two men pinioned in
the basement One was Frederick
Mohn, foreman Of the Roeblings,
who was in a cage formed of the en-
tangled steel He said he was not Sc
riously injured and begged that great
care be exercised in removing the de-
bris, so that none of the iron would
crush him. Another workman Of the
name Of Armstrong was also in a SINH
lar cage of steel.
Only ten of the fifty or more men
known to have been at work on the
building had been accounted for as
having escaped injury. One theory
offered for the disaster was that the
steel Orders buckled, allowing the
whole structure to collapse.
Mrs. Frank Storrs, who was eating
luncheon in the dining room Of the
Pattison apartment house. was taken
out in dying condition and expired
a few minutes later in DR. Barclays
Office in the Pattison Mrs. Storrs
owned a large summer house at Rye
n. Y. Her husband is travelling in Eu-
rope.
Ernest Meyers, a waiter was car
ried from the dining room of the Pat
tison badly injured.
Policeman Frank Martin of the East
street station, who was on
post near the wrecked building, dis
covered two dead bodies in the rear.
Two more bodies were found later
near the front of the building.
The building is a complete wreck.
The collapse once started. everything
was carried down. Nothing was left
Of what was to have been an imposing
building but a vast pile of twisted
steel and wreckage.