New-York tribune., 1911-04-05
GIRL KILLED BY
FALL OF BIG WALL
Tons Of Brick and Mortar Crash
on House and Hurt Four
Others of Family.
SIDE OF HILL TORN AWAY
Disastrous Collapse in The Bronx
Attributed to Loosening Of
Five Ton Rock by
the Rain.

A big retaining wall at Fulton avenue
and 115th street, The Bronx. collapsed
last night with a roar and a crash like
a mountain landslide and carried death
and destruction in its wake.
4 fifteen-year old girl In the house at
No 1904 Third avenue. which stood in
the rear OF the retaining wall. was
buried beneath tons OF brick and NOR
tar and killed Her father. two BROTH
ers and a younger sister were seriously
cut and bruised by the shower OF rocks
which caused the first two floors OF the
rear wall OF the house TO crash inward.
The family of William Graeff. Janitor
of the house at No. 4064 Third avenue.
consisting Of katherine. Frederick.
Henry j., Eva and the mother OF the
children. were all seated at the supper
table at 8 o'clock last night when the
accident happened. The Graeffs live on
the ground floor OF the five story brick
tenement house and were eating in tho
kitchen. Gracff Is a cripple. and when
he first heard the rumbling sound In
the rear OF his back yard he could not
imagine what caused the noise. Just as
he started to rise to his feet, aided by
a crutch. the entire rear wall OF thu
kitchen caved in.
Katherine who was seated nearest the
wall, was struck by huge mass of
brick and stone and hurled To the floor.
The other children were all struck hy
flying pieces of brick and knocked down.
Graeff was pinned by large section Of
the wall against the kitchen stove. which
contained a fire. Despite the agony
which he suffered, he was forced to re-
main in that position for at least fifteen
minutes before he was rescued by fire.
men.
Mrs. Graeff, who was emerging from
the pantry al the time. escaped without
state by the shock. Everything in the
kitchen was smashed by the weight Of
the wall
The retaining wall ran parallel with
Fulton avenue, which Is about thirty or
forty feet above the level of Third ave-
nue. at that point. II extended for about
seventy 1ve feet. and was about three
feet in thickness and was constructed
for the purpose Of preventing the huge
mound of earth from, encroaching on the
rear Yards Of the row of houses on
Third avenue
Before the roar Of the crash OF the
great twenty-five foot section Of the wall
had subsidized William Seiderman. WHO
lives az No. 1889 Fulton avenue. directly
west Of the huge pile. heard the piercing
screams Of the Graeff family and rushed
from his home. TIE ran to his back
ward. and saw that the entire side OF the
hill on which his house stands had been
torn away. He telephoned for a fire
truck and the police Of the fremont
avenue station. and then ran 10 the
mass Of ruins to see il he could be of
any aid.
AS soon as the flremen and police ar
rived they saw that the entire rear wall
Of the Third avenue house, for width
Of twenty-five feet and for height OF
two floors, had been pushed in by the
IMPACT Of the retaining wall. They
worked for twenty minutes before they
were able TO extricate the Graeff family
from its predicament.
An ambulance surgeon from Fordham
Hospital pronounced Katherine dead, and
Graef and his two sons were taken TO
the hospital, all suffering from broken
bones and possibly internal injuries. Eva
and Mrs. Graeff were able To remain at
home Captain Brennan and the re-
serves from the station house kept tho
crowds back, and Coroner Shonsut or
dered all the other fifteen families out of
the building. They found refuge I'm the
Bronx Church house. at 1I1st street and
Fulton avenue.
IL is said that the cave-in was caused
by a five-ton rock. which had become
loosened by the rain. This rock was found
I'm the Third avenue house. The house
injured was built about six years ago.