, 1870-04-30
TIE RICHMOND DIaABTEK

of the Treasury Will justify no such
pasdme. IS 50. -
>>TM R1CHMoHp n1sAsTER.
The recent terrible less Of life at Rich.
nond should not merely elicit the practical
sympathy OF all for the immediate suffer
| ers, but should convey lesson of erare
import This building WAS erected in 1902,
and was well constructed For NEARLY
eighty years it stood the test of time, and
during that period, has been frequently
crowded to its full capacity. Tbs court.
roam was IN the part Of the building imme-
diately over the Hall OF the House Of Dele
gatea. The floors were supported by col
urnns or pillars in the ball below, and the
building generally was as strong and as
soEdly constructed as any: edifce Of the
kind in the. country But, some time since,
the "hand Of improvement was employed,
and, with view of adding to the attractive
ness Of the Hall Of the Delegates, some Of
these pillars were removed, depriying ths
girders Of the support on which they had
rested for more than half a century. In
+ the original construction, the grders were
ar1anged 50 rs to have the firm support Of
these pillars; when the latter were removed,
it seems that no attention was given to the
condition Of the girders, and finally the
floor gave. way under, the weight Of the e1-
Haordinary crowd If the building had
been left as originally constructed, NO such
calnmity would have happened 1t Is not
difficult to understand the painful, agoniz-
ing distress which this sudden calamity has
occasioned in q city of comparatively
small population. si1ty-f7e of the most
Influential citizens instantly killed, and
three, times that. number manned
and n,ang1ed in the most horrible manner.
Such a calamityis sufficient to appa1 the
nation, and the extent Of its desolation-
among the friends md families of the VIC
Tins is itDmeasurable. Tie Judge, whowas
about to decide the case; the contestants,
the counsel, and the friends of both sides,
were Ill carried down together, and their
bodies buried in the ruins of the fallen
floor The dead. can be honored with
Christian burial and the respectful attention
Of their fellow-citizens; the wounded can
be nursed, and can have the aid of skill and
tender care, but who Gun heal the bleeding
hearts Of the wives and mothers, sisters and
children Of those thus abruptly cut down in
the very vigor Of their manhood? The
dying man nnder the ruins, who, with his
last gasp, sent u message Of his love to the
wife he had left at homs IN hour previous,
told the tale Of the concentrated agony OF
the scores who were, in, Like manner, lying
around him. There is nothing in history
or romance, in prose or poetry, more
pathetic than this simple recital.
This city is now erecting public bnild-
ings, which, even before their completion,
have given palpable evidences of weakness.
In the light of this terrible calamity at
Richmond, is there any person who will
higgle over the cost of taking down the H.
terror Of these buildings, and commencing 4
them over again? In the case Of the east
wing, the foundation columns and arches
have been so mutilated and shattered that
the necessity Of putting in new supports to
prevent IN immediata fall Of the whole
building, has beenL Lconeeded- Shall We 60
on with such building, and hare it fa1l in
two, Eve, twenty, or fifty years? Should
we erect any building, Of which there is any
danger Of its falling at any time? VIII the
saving Of money now recall the dead who
muy be buried under it ten OF twenty years
hence? Is there any citizen who would
1un the risk Of such calamity as this ut
Richmond, to save any amount OF money:
The architect who advised the re-
moval of the pillars from the As
semb1y Hall at Richmond thought
Of no such caIarnity. There WIS no sign OF
weakness following his act, and yet the re-
suit is TO be seen in the sizty-dve funerals,
and in the hundreds Of men laugnishing in
pain, and in the long array of widows and
orphans of Richmond, But in our case, We
have the warning of detected wills, gaping
assures, csu1nbling arches, and sinking col
umns. Shall we not bo guided by this aw-
ful lesson at Richmond, into the path of
safety? -, .
Il is customary, when great calamity Of |
this kind occurs, to speak Of it as mystic
rious dispensa6on of Providence It is
sheer blasphen,y to say that holocaust, re-
su]ting from the recklessness Of the man
who removed tie pillars, was visitation of |
Divine disp1easure, Such philosophy is
worthy only Of the Brule Sioux It is but |
the device of human ignorance to hide its
owu criminaity under IN accusation Of |
Providence. Providence had nothing todo |
with the falling of the Richmond Capitol |
or Of tbs roofs of our Court House. The |
has established the law of gravi-
tation, and has given to wood, md stone,
and iron, certain properties Of resistance to
When these laws and these
properties are violated, certain results fol |
low, and it is the gossest impiety to seek
to shove these results of human Ignorance
Or Leedlessness over upon Divine P1ovi-
dence.