The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-04-24
ROOF OF SCHOOL
/. COLLAPSES WITH
HUNDREDS BELOW
Bergen Street Pupils Frightened
and Seven Ir0nwOrkers More
or Less Seriously Injured.
CHILDREN LED TO SAFETY
Teachers Use the Fire Drill and
None of the Little Ones
Is Hurt.
CRASH HEARD FOR BLOCKS
Beams Weighing Tons Fall to
the Street, Tearing Hole
in Wall.
CHILDREN LED TO SAFETY
CRASH HEARD FOR BLOCKS

With grinding. crunching roar.
which could be heard for blocks around
andwhiel1 filled the entire district with q
nameless terror, four great iron girders.
the support of the roof of the new adj
dition to the Bergen Street Public
School, weighted down with nine tons
of joists and beams. collapsed yester-
day, knocking large jagged fragment
of the wall of tho fourth floor of the
building to the street.
Working on the top of the partially
constructed building directly in the
path of the avalanche of iron, wood and
brick were nine carpenters, who were
busy adjusting the beams OF the fourth
floor and the roof rafters to the giant
iron supports, BY some miracle not
accounted for by the ratio of probabili-
ties, death passed all of these men by,
but only two of them escaped unin-
jured. Bicycle and mounted policemen
who hurried TO the spot sent in rush
calls for all the ambuIances in the city,
and the reserves were summoned from
the Fourth Precinct.
Recalled Recent Rumors.
To the 1900 children and the thirty
teachers in the old school building.
which directly adjoins the new addition,
the crasn of the falling roof spelled that
actual Back Hand disaster concerning
which the mere foolish rufnors had pre-
cipitated panics in other schools two
weeks previous. That the teachers as
we'll as the little ones were frightened
by the appalling roar they admitted
freely, but with that admirable presence
of mind in the face of unknown danger,
by responsibility for the
safety of others, they all rose noby to
tho occasion and prevented a second
and greater disaster which panic would
have meant.
Principal Maurice Bamberger ran TO
tho front of the building and met the
crowd of mothers of the neighborhood
the crash had brought to the scene. He
refused all admittance and assured
them danger was past.
In the building Miss Edith r. Reuclz,
vice principal. took charge. She ordered
rooms 1 and 8, nearest tho scene of the
where windows had been
broken out by the mere shock of the
concussion, to be cleared.
One hundred children ranging from 5
TO 10 years old were sent out by the
fire drill under the guidance of their
teachers, Miss Rose Kussy and Miss
Margaret Hetzler. Once on the out
side, with the crowd of parents con-
stantly augmenting, it was thought best
TO let them go home. None of the other
children were allowed to leave ths
building.
Injured Taken to Hospital.
Meantime additional policemen and
the an1bulances arrived. and the injured
were taken away. The most seriously
injured were taken to the City Hos
pital. They are Victor Holbig. 40 years
old. of 26g Hunterdon street, hurt about
the head and nose broken: Elmer
Helmstadter, As years old, 7S Seven
teenth avenue, fractured ribs.
The other injured men are Christian
Z. Karius. "a years old, 429 Springfield
avenue, right arm sprained; Hugo 1ir-
kel, "a years old. % Seymour street,
bruised about the face and head; Prank
Schoenweisser, 40 years cid, 81 Belmont
avenue. bruised about body and legs
Michael ere, 81 years Dius % I9oilttVits
avenue, back injured; Matthias Unway,
26 years old. AS Mercer street. hurt
about back and hips. These men were
all carpenters working on the top floor.
Directly below them wore four elec-
tricians wiring the building. One Of
these mon, G. A. Rosseter, was badly
cut on the hands and wrists by bricks
which fell through the gap in the iioor
above.
Investigation Begun at Once.
Not less promptly than the manner
in which aid had been hurried to the
scene of the disaster was the investiga
ton begun to fix responsibility for the
collapse. Prosecutor Mott immediately
detailed two men TO thoroughly probe
the affair, and Building superintendent
O'Rourke made personal inspection OF
the wreckage an hour after the front
wall fell into the street
Architect Alfred Peters, after looking
over the situation. made the following
positive statement:
"This collapse was not the result OF
poorly built wallis nor poor construc-
tion in any particular 1t was due to
IN direct defiance OF my
a,.gare ordered fhe frorrVnrleer4 IL