The sun., 1916-08-29
SIX ARRESTED FOR
BUILDING COLLAPSE
Three City Inspectors Included
in Manslaugltcr Charge for
Bronx Accident.

Six men. including three city officials,
were arrested yesterday afternoon on
the charge of ~manslaughter as tho result
OF the collapse Of the unfinished build
Ing In Marion avenue near 18TH street.
TIL Bronx. which caused the death Of
two persons and injury to sixteen last
Wednesday.
The arrests were made at the close
Of the preliminary hearing by Coroner
Flynn. District Attorney Martin. who
requested the arrests. Five of the ac-
cused were In tho court room the
other "a arrested at his home within
"a brief time. and each was held In
$1,000 bail to insure his appearance
AZ the inquest on September 6. The
men arrested are
Jacob Polstein, IS years old, : East
iOsth street. partner In the firm Of
Ioewy n polstein. mason contractors.
who were constructing the building.
La Beck. 81 years old, 29S West
112th street. partner in Chase d Beck,
owners of the building.
John Paterson. 80 years old, 1874 Clay
u " Ilhfiic YIN
The Three inspectors.
Joseph j. Dunno, 3? years old. c6jG
Decatur avenue, inspector Of construc-
ton and masonry. employed by the
Bronx Building department. whose duty
it was To oversee the building which
collapsed.
william Shary. - ear old. 500 East
207th street. Inspector In the Bronx
Building Department. who was assigned
10 inspect the building for ten days,
while Dunno was on a vacation.
Ralph G. Smith. 80 years old, cO1s
Bailey avenue. inspector OF iron con-
struction for the Bronx Building De-
partment.
Many witnesses testified that the con-
struction OF the building was faulty.
Charles kreymborg. the architect. said
that his plans had been changed two
standard ] beams were substituted for
a Bethlehem Is iDch | beam blue stone
tcmplars were substituted for cast iron
templars 10 be placed or the crossbeam
q! a base for the wall. and other
changes were made by the builders with
out consulting him.
He had designed n Ncstibul. wall
which would stand "A strain Of thirty.
nine tons. he said the wall that was
hulIt would stand less than nineteen tons.
He said the contractors had failed 20
build an inside wall he had planned :
that the mortar which was used was
81 per cent. inferior 20 the mortar his
specifications called for.
Testimony of Inspectors.
Inspector Shary admitted that the
cement FOR the mortar had not been
carefully measured. Inspector Smith.
whose duty IL was 10 SEQ that all irot
that went into the building Tailed with
the specifications approved by the Build
lag department. said that he thought
that the 10 inch iron beams allowed to
he used were AS strong as the II inch
beams specified. lie admitted that The
substitution of blu. stone ,emplars FOR
iron ones had weakened the wall.
Thomas 7. Peterson. x, ncral INSPECTOR.
said that second hand Orders had been
used and that every specialization ~ 20
materials and methods had been yio-
lated.
"The collapse 81 the building was due
to the grossest negl.gence.' said District
Attorney Smith, in asking for Tho ar
rests. The building WAS insufic.enrlv
constructed. and Il was Impossible for
l. to stand. II was a Godscnd tht, II
fell when +, aid, Killing only tw" persons.
instead "F waiting until /; va, 0ll-l wiki
tenants, when scores nigh. have died"