The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-27

tnt BtlOkc.
Suddenly the east wall OF the factory
on Bedford street began to sway. 1t curved
out and in and then just crumbled. Deputy
Chief Kruger saw the danger. He shouted
and ran toward the entrance to bring the
men out of 90 Carmine street. He was
almost at the door when another roar was
heard and the north wall of the factory
toppled over. 1t fell on the roof Of the
house at 80 Carmine street, a wooden two
story building occupied by an Italian
AS a fruit store. and on the three story brick
house at 90, where the men Of Engine II
were.
With the fall a mighty cloud Of dust
arose. Then followed a stiffness that was
oppressive. Every engineer of the fire
apparatus shut of power for a few seconds.
He ordered the men Of Truck 8 to the rescue.
The wall had crushed in the floors of the
house at 02. The front remained intact ..
The building IN the corner al 90 was in a
heap, and the debris came within two
feet Of burying O fire engine. The engineer.
around the corner, but the machine kept
on working.
When the wall struck the house at 81
Firemen Cohen and McKeon held the nozzle.
Foreman Walsh and the other men were
behind them. The centre of the floors
gave way first and all were precipitated
to the ground floor, Fire started in the
debris. 1t came in with the failing walls.
Mekeon was terribly burned and was
pinned down with Cohen. McKeon shouted
and shouted for help. The roar was such
that he could not be heard. Cohen turned
to him and said:
What's the use Of hollering? No one
can hear you. II we've got TO die let's
die bravely right here
Then both men became unconscious.
Soon the men Of Truck 8 dragged out
Cohen and McKeon. They were hustled
away in one Of the -four ambulancee that
were in attendance.
Back vent the rescuers. In half an
hour they dragged out Healy, who was
Just breathing his last. He was { aiken to a
plumbing shop across the street, where
Chaplain Smith Of the Fire Department
administered the last rites. He was dead
almost as soon as he was put on the floor.
No trace of the other men could be found
Cohen said he saw the head of one Of his
companions in the fire. He saw two other
men being burned.
The north wall having fallen, it was only
a few minutes before the south wall went.
1t crushed the windows of the grocery
store of Curtin Bros, on the southwe est
corner Of Bedford and Downing streets.
and it smashed the entrance of an unoc-
oupied store on the northeast corner OF the
same streets. At this time two tenements
were on fire on the east side OF Bedford
street, four on the south side OF Downing
street and four in the rear on Carmine
street. The firemen directed their energies
TO stopping these fires and by 2 O'Clock
the fire was under control, the factory being
in complete ruins.
The men continued to dig in the ruins
back of 81 Carmine street, but at 4 o'clock
Chief Croker came around and called them
all out. Part of the remaining wall was
threatening to come down and the place
a extremely dangerous. Then he set
the wreckers at work pulling down the
threatening sections Of wall.
The gas men also arrived and began to
dig up the streets SO as to shut of the gas
from the ruins. About an hour later work
was resumed in trying to get at the bodies
of the buried firemen Thoee of Halpin
and Chistman were recovered just before
7 o'clock. Walsh's body was recovered
shortly before 0 o'clock
Foreman Walsh was well known in the
department for bravery. He had been on
the roll OF merit three times and had a clear
record. He and Christman and Healy were
injured at a fire at Broadway and Thirteenth
street about six weeks ago. He was APP
pointed on the force in 1891 and in 1905 was
made engineer of his company. In 1901
he was made assistant foreman and was
appointed foreman in 1908. He leaves a
widow and five children the Oldest being
II yeas and the youngest 3 years. When
he was leaving his home at 300 East Twenty
third street Yesterday morning. his five
yea r-old boy Jimmie ran after him to the
head of the stairs and cried out;
"Good-by, papa. Kiss me"
Walsh went back, took his boy up In
his arms and kissed him as his wife stood
in the door.
Walsh had two life saving medals. One
was presented to him for saving a long
shoneman who had fallen into the North
River.
George B. Christnan. Jr., was 2s years
Old. He lived with his parents at 3ai East
contractor, The young man studied law
for five years in the office Of ex-Judge
Crosse. He joined the Eighth Regiment
at the time Of the Spanish American war
and went South with it. He was made a
fireman April IA last.
When news of the accident reached his
home his sister Marguerite, who is a teacher
in the public schools. went to the ruins
with Undertaken Everhard. She was told
ttat the body of her dead brother was in
q Vincent's HosE ital. At the hospital size
was told the body was not there.
Back to the ruins she and the under
taker went. and the police permitted her to
search b the debris. On Carmine
street she saw the feet and a part Of the
legs of a fireman sticking out from under
seemed to tell her it was her brother. and
some fremen pulled away the bricks and
showed young Christman.
Halpin was unmar ried and lived with his
a fireman September !, 1908. Healey was
not married. He lived with his parents
at PIT East Sixty-ninth street.
The building at the corner Of Carmine
and Bedford streets that was crushed was
an old landmark in Greenwich Village. 1t
was a frame structure with a gabled roof.
and for ~sixty-four years was known as the
West Side Morgue. 1t was Benediot's
undertaking shop.
Among the earliest to arrive at the fire
were Fathers O'Flvnn and Spellman of
st. Joseph's Catholic Church, Sixth ave-
nue. and Washin gton place. Many Of their
narishioners suffered from the fire and
they remained until dark helping them.
Al one time there were more than thirty
children kept by the police on the TOP floor
Of 10 Downing street. Their mothers
had been running around for several hours
trying to find them. At nightfall they
had all been taken care Of and most Of the
evicted tenants had found shelter.
The police said yesterday that after the
factory building was finished the Building
Department would not let it be occupied
| for six months. 1t had TO be reinforced
II was occupied for several years by a
candy factory but it became vacant last
fall. About the first Of January it was
purchased by the Metal Stamping Com
pany, who's president is John F. Calvin
The company had been at work in the
building only about six weeks.
Half an hour after Fire Commissions
O'Brien arrived he was discovered on the
north side of Carmine street standing