The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-07-28
HoLcoMB INQUEST CONCLUDED.


. .
The O,sners of the Building Cesswred bJ,
the Jury.
Coroner Maley this morning contin
ued the inquest on the body Of Thad,
deus Harry Holcomb, the victim of the
late disastrous tire, and the following
additional testimony was elected:
Lewis Wisby, Assistant Chief Of this
Cincinnati Fire Department, testified as
follows: have known the deceased
about 81 years; did not see him the night
OF the fire; has attended most every fre
during the last year. am member oil
the Board of Insecure Buildings, which
consists OF the Chief and his two Assist.
ants. The building, No. 150 w. Fourth
street, has never been reported as inse.
cure since have been member of the
Board; heard it had been, however, pre-.
vious to my membership; / was on the
fourth floor of the building on
the night of the fire, but noticed
nothing that would Indicate any
danger of the building falling.
In my opinion the cause Of the accl.
was thrown into the building, and which
had accumulated on the fourth floor
without any means Of escape, caused
the center columns and the foundations
to give way and the floors and north
wall to fall. In calculation which we
made the next morning after the IRE II
was ascertained that from six streams
n0less than fifty or sixty tons of water
had been thrown into the building. The
premises at the time we're also loaded to
their fullest capacity. The north wall,
which killed the deceased and under
which his body was found, fell almost
in n hud n N VIZ
any of the joists on which the floors
rested, but only supported the girders.
The building was not anchored. The
fire itself did not cause the falh ss5
w. Ii. Hughes, Assistant Chief of the
Fire Department. testified that the cause
OF the accident was that the building be-
ing laden with material and water
caused the foundations supporting the
columns 10 settle and draw the joists
out Of the walls. These foundations j
think were also not properly construct
enough in the ground for proper support.
On the night OF the fire l went through
the ell tire building before / ordered any
Of the fremen inside. At the time did
not think the building insecure, or l
would not have gone in. l never Went
into building with greater feeling Of
safety Of my life than did in this. /
knocked In door on tho first hoor, and
noticed quantity ofipaper, and several
presses and paper on all the other floors.
The fire was all in the southwest cor
Iner OF the fourth floor at the start. The
fire was not the cause of the accident,
as nothing burned that would weaken
the building. 1 have been to look at the
ruins three or four times since the fire,
and think the girders nearest the alley
must have settled first. 1i7flt
Az this point the testimony in the case
was closed, and it was submitted to the
jury. The following verdict was re-
turned: afs, y lsl .l5sAsJi
"We the jury find that the deceased,
Thaddeus II. Holcomb, came to his death
from injuries caused by the falling Of the
rear part of building No. 100 West Fourth
street. We further find the same was
caused by the unsafe and insecure con-
diJion of the building, and not the result
Of the fire, and we censure Mr. Troun-
stein. the owner OF the property, for per-
miJting business to be carried on, in
his building which had to carry the
weight the business in it requireI."