Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 March 1904 — FRIGHTFUL COLLAPSE [ARTICLE]

FRIGHTFUL COLLAPSE

Eleven Stories of a Skyscraper at New York Tumble to Ruin. UNKNOWN NUMBER IS DEAD Bat Ten Bodies Have Been FoundScore Are Wounded. One Victim a Lady‘Who Was Lunching in a Restaurant Next Door—i Criminal Carelessness Is v Alleged. New York, March 3.—Ten persons are known to have been killed, about a score Injured and several others who are believed to be dead are missing, through the collapse of the steel skeleton of the Hotel Darlington, a thir-teen-story apartment house in course of erection at 57 West Forty-sixth street. The steel frame work had been erected a 6 far as the eleventh floor, and the structure was swarming with iron workers, masons and laborers. When the upper floor sagged and collapsed and the whole structure fell with a crash that was beard for blocks, and shook all the buildings in the vicinity. Woman Killed While at Lunch. A portion of the steel frame ftll upon the rear of the Hotel Patterson, on West Forty-seventh street, crushing in the wall of the dining room and killing Mrs. Ella Lacey Storrs, the wife of Frank Storrs, a wealthy resident of Rye, Westchester county, as she was sitting at luncheon with the wife of Rev. Dr. Minot Savage, who escaped unhurt The other dead, so far as known, are Frederick Morrills, foreman of the Roebling Construction company; Farrell S. Fagan, a derrick man, gnd seven unidentified men, apparently laborers. The more seriously injured, with one exceirtion laborers on the building, are: Joseph Siuto, Andrew Maher, James W. Smith, Henry Strobe, Tony Smith, Dennis McGinnis, Frederick Weissenmuiler, Gottlieb Wittreau, B. Viddrol, Jose Genty and Ernest Meier, a waiter employed in the Hotel Patterson.

Might Have Keen More Horrible. Adjoining the collapsed building on the west is the four-story brown stone residence of Harold Brown. Some of the iron beams struck the side of the house and stove holes in the wall and roof and dislodged a part of the brown stone front, which was thrown to the street. The occupants escaped -uninjured. On the east side is a house occupied by A.Walpole Cragie as a school for boys. The pupils had gone home to luncheon a few minutes before the crash occurred. Some of the beams struck the house, tearing off a portion of the roof and smashing holes in the side walls. LAW COULDN’T BE ENFORCED So tho Builders Took the Chances, and One of Them Is Dead. Records of the building department show that from the beginning to the end there has been a constant contest between' the building department and the Allison Realty company, the contractors and owners of the property. Amendment after amendment to the plans was tiled, and the engineers of the building department time and time again disapproved of the suggestions made for the betterment, both by the owners and the architects. The approximate cost of the building, exclusive of the lot, wus $350,000. Among those missing is Frank J. Allison, of the Allison Realty company, the builders of the hotel, who is known to havd been in the building when it fell. The cause of the disaster generally accepted is the overloading of the floors. Foreman James Halpin, in charge of the iron workers, stated that there was a large quantity of cement and other building material on the fifth floor, and that ou the ninth floor were eighty-three iron beams which were to have been used in constructing the remaining floors of the building. The building laws had been repeatedly violated during the construction of the building. The building department explains that as the building was under construction It possessed no power to summarily stop the work. Harold Clark, a watchman, was rescued unhurt from the cellar after being imprisoned for four hours. He said that he left Frank Allison, one of the owners and builders, on the ninth floor a few minutes before the crash. Patrick Murphy, the engineer of the hoisting engine, and six workmen were arrested and held at witnesses.

Dowle Had to Hide In Organ Loft New York, March I.—John Alexander Dowle, of Zion City, 111., has appealed to the American consul for protection, according to an American dispatch from Melbourne. When the mob broke up bis meeting Sunday he is said to hare hidden three hours in the organ loft Hereafter, his meetings will be held behind locked doors. All Clan To Bo Lighted by Electricity. Chicago, March I.—Announcement is made that the Chicago and Alton railway has decided to equip immediately with electric lights all the cars In all its trains. The current Is to be produced by a dynamo driven by the axle during the run of the twin.