Evening journal., 1911-04-08
Falling Foundation Pier at
Standardization Com
pany Building Respon-
sibIe for Bad Accident
This Afternoon.
ONE MAN May
DIE FROM INJURIES

BY the collapse of foundation pier,
two floors of the new building in
course of construction for the Stod-
dard Dayton Auto Company of
Wilmington. ON Orange street above
Tenth, collapsed shortly after one
o'clock this afternoon. burying a half
dozen men under the falling lumber.
Five of them were injured, and many
others who were employed I'm the
building had a narrow escape from
injury Those most seriously hurt
were
Edward Gross. Of Springer street.
d. and A. telephone lineman, frac-
tured leg and bruises. Taken to Del
aware Hospital
Thomas Dixon, carpenter, No. 1904
jefferson street. broken hip. taken 70
Homeopathic Hospital
Howard Hinton, carpenter, 3O4
Lombard street, lacerated scalp and
bruises. Taken to the Homeopathic
Hospital.
Henry Smith, colored, SO West Thir-
teenth street. laborer. fractured ankle
and lacerated foot. Taken TO Homeo-
pathic Hospital.
J. f. Robinson, of Stanton, carpen-
i'Af Aa1IA dANu dhOul AllG AdGt anu
hands and bruised Taken to Della
ware Hospital.
William c. Cleaver, a carpenter, Of
No. 6lO Washington street, also was
caught beneath the falling second
floor. He fell alongside a tool chest,
which kept the heavy timbers of him
and probably saved him from serious
injury.
Dig Out the Injured.
The injured men were dug out of
the debris as soon as possible and af-
ter being given medical attendance by
DR.. Mitchell Greenwood they were
taken to the hospitals for treatment.
The men were employed " Haddock
and Company, contractors. The acci-
dent was caused by one of those unac-
countable accidents I'm building opera-
tions and probably was due TO weather
conditions more than anything else
The pier that collapsed was eighteen
inches square and constructed of brick.
it supported the first floor timbers and
joists, and on Il another column was
placed to support the second floor grid
ers.
Weather conditions may have had
something to do with this brick pier
collapsing or buckling. as the con-
tractors call it. Without warning il
gave way, and as it crumpled in half
it allowed more than half of the first
floor and of the second floor to col
lapse. too. as the girders this pier sup
ported had nothing left to hold them
up.
The carpenters and others were en-
ployed on the first floor and were en-
gagged in laying flooring when the
crash came. They had no time to get
out of the way as they felt the floor
beneath them drop and saw the floor
overhead come tumbling down upon
them.
Some of the workmen We're outside
the danger zone and fortunately es-
capped. but those who were injured
were directly on the first floor that
fell and beneath the second floor that
collapsed at the same time.
Gross, the lineman, was walking
through the building at the time. He
had been engaged in stringing some
wires back of the building and had
just finished work He probably is
the most seriously injured Gross
only recently recovered from a broken
ankle sustained in an accident.
WOrkmen Remove Wreckage.
AS soon as the crash occurred the
greatest excitement prevailed and a
large crowd gathered. Other work
men Immediately began to remove the
wreckage and to dig out the injured
ones. DR.. Greenwood was summoned
Immediately and as he hastily exam
ined each man the patients were sent
to the hospitals in the Phoenix am
bulance and automobiles.
w c. Cleaver's escape was remark
able. Some of the falling timbers
struck him and knocked him down.
He fell along side a tool box, where
he snuggled. but the box kept the tim
Ders off of him.
H. E. Bartram, of the Delaware
Hardware Company, was standing in
the doorway when the flooring fell
One of the timbers knocked a cigar
out of his mouth. and knocked off his
glasses and his nat, but he was unin.
iured
Captain Joseph G. Denney. of the
tugboat Emily. of No. 1O6 West