Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-06-10

! great government buildings-the print
ing Office and tho Winder- Building annex
of the War Department--each containing
many more employees than were Gagged
IN ford's Theatre death-trap. which are
IN an equally dangerous condition.
Ihe hour OF the disaster was very shortly
| after tho departments had settled down
for tho days work. The workmen. whose
| operations under the building was the i'm
mediate cause of the catastrophe. had been
tlnkering upon 1t for two hours or moro.
| Hall an hour earlier and few liyes wonld
| have been lost.
| There we're 4I5 per9ons-mostly govern
| ment clerks--employei in ths bn,ldino
and nearly all of .hese were at work when
\ the building tell.
CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT
An excavation for an electric light p,snt
! was being made in the cellar OF tho struc-
| ture-a tbreo-story affair-snd. according
TO the best information obtainable. the
workinen TINS morning had dug beneath
the foundation supports in front of the
building. weakening them TO such an ex-
tent ihet the walls gave way before they
could be lacked. This explanation of the
cause Of the accident ~ the only one ad-
vanced. but II seems somewhat strange IN
view OF the fact that the top floor gave
way first.
Men who were in the building sav the
crash came without warning Those on
the top. floor were suddenly preclpitat0d
to the floor below, and the weight OF fall.
ing timbors and furniture carried the
second and first floors with II. Fortu.
nately only the forward half Of the floors
gave way. Tho outer edges of the floors
and the rear part of tho structure remain
ed intact. The walls did not fall.
ANXIOUS RELATIVES AND FRIENDS.
The news that the building had fallen
/ spread with llghtning-like rapiditv, and
soon Tenth street and the adjacent
thoroughtares We're crowded with people.
Within an hour the news was known all
over Washington, and hundreds OF anxious
! relatives ana friends swarmed TO the vi
! cinity of the Old theatre. Women appeal
ed anxiously TO every bystander for IN
formation about some particular per-
son. while men came with tears in
| their owes and imploringly besought
the policemen to let them through tho
police hines that they might obtain some
knowledge of their friends and relatives
A general fre-aarm was turned in few
minutes after the crash and then all tho
ambulances In the city were summoned.
As quickly as possible the police and fire.
men formed q rescue brigade, and ready
hands assisted them to take out the killed
and wounded.
THE WORK OF RESCUE.
In less than an hour about twenty-five
people had been taken out and every few
minutes thereafter some still form would
be borne on q strctcher from the building.
Police and army am6ulances. cabs, car
rlages. and vehicles OF every description
were pressed into service for taking away |
the deed and injured. All the hospitals IN
the city were utilized in caring tor the IN
lured, and scores of physicians volunteered |
their services fOI this work. The Commis- |
sioners of the District OF Columbia
took possession of tho building and |
vicinity IN person and helped 10 direct tho |
police and rescuers. Colonel Corbin, AS |
s,stant AdiutaBt-General of the Army, was |
sent by Maior-General Schotol1 to repro |
sent tho War Department and to decide II |
II were necessary to call out the troops. |
Owing II the excellent police regulations |
the rescuers were not hlndered IN their |
work by the anxious crowds. and 1t was |
not long before the de5rts had been cleared |
away TO such an extent that the work of |
rescue could be carried on without him 4
dTance.
MILITARY AND NAVAL AID.
Both the military and naval authorities |
took PROMPT action. General Schofcld |
ordered two troops OF cavalry from Fort |
Mver, Just across the river, aud two com |
panIes Of infantry from the arsenal 10 the |
scene of the disaster and the Secretary of |
the Navy ordered out al the naval medical |
officers stationed hero. and also opened the !
Naval Hospital to receive the injured. The |
cOmmandant at the navy-yard was also |
ordered TO render all the assistance In his |
power. Every hospital In the city was 1
called into reQuisltIOn, and ambulances, !
carriages, ana other vehicles, filled with |
wounded. were quickly travers,ng the city |
IN every direction.
A VIRGINIA VICTIM.
Those who were early on tho scene |
found the body of colored man in the |
III Of . ba hu,l1incy hara John |
Wilkes Booth had his horse tethered the
night be killed Lincoln. This was
George 81. Arnold. well-known colored
clerk, appointed from Virginia. Ho had
been seen at a thlrd-storv window and
warned not to jump, but despite the pro-
testations OF numbers of people be had
climbed out. and lowering himself from
the sill let 20. fell upon n covering at the |
lower floor, and slid of into the cobblo-
stoned allev. striking on his head and beng |
instantly killed. His head was mashed TO
a jellv and the cObblestones for distance
of several yards were bespattered with
blood.
CoLORFD HERoIsN.
One Of the bravest and most daring IN
cidents connected with the calamity was /
performed by colored boy 10 or % years
of age named Basil Lockwood. As soon |
as the floors collapsed and the dust had
cleared away. realizing the danger OF |
those AZ tho rear windows who were Wild
" climbing out and calling for aid. no
climbed up u large telegraph-pole as high |
"a the third story and lashed ladder TO /
the pole, putting the other end in
window. BY this means ten or fifteen |
were assisted down the ladder In safety.
THE DIRE CRASH.
None Of those who escaped injury could |
tell which OF the floors first gave away.
To the occupants Of each floor there was \
but one crash heard and instantly the
whole building was filled with blindipg |
lime-dust. Running directly through all
of the floors and IN the middle OF the |
building was light well. ten feet or more
long and nearly as many wide. The fatal
area was in front of tins. having space of
SIX or seven feet in width undiStur5ed on
either side. The entire back part OF the |
building. containing more than halt OF the
hoor space. remained intact.
MARROW ESCAPES.
There we're many very narrow escapes
from desth. number of clerks whose
desks rested directly upon the limo where
the floors broke away saved themselves.
while the desks at which they sat were
precipitated down the awful cbasm. others
who were walking across the room heard
the ominous sound and stopped just at the |
very threshold Of death. When the crash
came those who survived heard mighty
scream of anguish from their comrades as
they sank out of sight. and then, cropping
IN darkness. they found their way to safe
", trem bling in every joint and with the
pallor OF the dead in their faces
No women were employed in the build
ing, but in few minutes after the crash
came the wives, mothers and daughters
of the victims began 10 arrive. Mithin q
yery few moments o hundred or more men,
stripped for hot work, jumped into the
building and began throwing out, the
wreckace in front and under the hooTs
which remained standing IN the rear.
HOSPITAL FACILITIES ovERTAXrD
Most OF those first taken out OF the ruins
were carried TO the Emergency Hospital. |
About 1880 A. VI. the dead and injured be-
Gan 20 arrive faster than the corps of sur
eeons could attend to their injuries. Car
RED in on stretchers. they were dumped
az the most convenient places. Ihose VINO
were most seriously injured were attended
10. while the Others. groaning aud crying
from the pain of broken limbs, lay limn.
beseoching the doctors to dress their