The state herald. (Holyoke, Logan County, Colo.) 1887-1921, 1893-06-16
KILLED IN A FALLING BUILDING
Twsnty-Four Government Clerks Less
Thor Lives by the Collapse Of tbs
Ford Thestsr Building q

AWonty>Foor NoVeFumont ChoF2S Ao9e
Thor Lives by the Collapse Of the
Ford Thsstsr Building u
washiugton.
A terrible catastrophe occurred y y ash
$50 and 10 o'clock the noors ofthe ~ yerd'l
theater building, on Tenth street, oeslpied
by the records and pension division Of ths
surgeon-gencrals Office, fell In, - though
they bad been the cards Of card houses.
This old building, In which President
Lincoln was assassinated, had been con.
demncd years ago, some claim ~ many q AZ.
teen or twenty, and had been repaired
propped up and renovated from year to year.
There were 475 persons, mostly government
clerks, employed In the build Ing, and nearly
all Of these were at work when the building
fell.
An excavation for an electric plant, WA be.
Ing made In the cellar Of tho structure
three-story afinir-and, according to Tie best
information obtainable, the workmeu had
dug beneath the foundation supports II the
front Of the building, weakening them to
such an extent that the walls gave away be.
fore they could be lacked. This, the explain.
alton Of the cause Of tho accident, Il The only
one advanced, but 1t seems somewhat strange,
In view Of the fact that the top noor gave
away hrst The men who were In the building
say the crash came without warning. Those
on the top floor were suddenly precipitated TO
the floor below, and the weight Of falling
timber and furniture carried the second and
first floors with It. Fortunately only The for
ward half Of the foors gave way. The outer
ends OF the floors and the rear part q the
structure remained intact.
The news that the building had fallen
spread with llghtuing-like rapldIty, and sepn
Tenth street and adjacent thorough
crowded with people, Within an hour the
news was known all over Washington, and
hundreds Of anxious relatives and friends
swnrmcd to the vicinity Of the old theatr. A
general fire alarm was turned In few MIN
utes after the crash. and then all the ambu-
lanccs In the city were summoned. As quick
ly MS possible the frcmen formed . reserve
brigade, and ready hands assisted to take ont
the killed and wounded. Police and army
ambulances, cabs, carriages and vehicles Of
every description were pressed into service
for carrying away the dead and injured All
the hospitals in the city were utilized In car
ing for the injured, and scorcs Of physicians
volunteered their services for this work. The
commissioners Of the District Of Columbia
tooi.possession Of the building And y.ciuity
and In person helped the rcscuers.
There were many very narrow escapes from
death. A number Of clerks whose desks
rested directly upon the line where the floor
broke away, saved themselves, while the
desks at which they sat were precipitated
down the awful chnsm.
women were employed In the building,
but Ia a few minutes after the crash came,
the wives, mothers and daughters Of the VIC
Tins crowded to the scene.
Within very few moments hundred or
more men, stripped for hot work, jumped In
To the building and began throwing out the
areceage In front and under the floors which
remained standing on rear. Most OF those
first taken out Of the ruins were carried to
the emergency hospital. About 10 80 clock
The dead and Injured began to arrive faster
than the corps of surgeons could attend TO
their injuries. Carried In on strctchers, they
were dumped At the most convenient places
Those who were most seriously injured were
attended to, while the others, groaning and
crying from the pain Of broken limbs, lay be-
seeching the doctors TO dress their wounds.
Three companies Of soldiers were placed on
guard at the scene Of the catastrophe.
The main duty Of the soldiers vas to guard
the rebellion records stored In the building.
Clerks who escaped were pressed into service
mud went willingly to work Removing bundles
Of valuable documents. A great deal Of the
work Of the pension Office Ia dependent upon
thcr records, and their value 70 ,ha se..r:,-
ment aud to lndIvlduals " ..aasslimab,e. They
cannot he Ir6iscci.
Every few minutes during the hrsi two
bours after the accident dead and wounded
men were taken out Of the debris. To the
on-lookcrs all the bruised, maimed and dust
covered bodies seemed bcrcfi OF life. One
man whose face was covered with blood and
who was seemingly dead, suddenly raised up
IN the ambulance In which he Was placed and
swallowed a glass Of whisky. This brought II
cheer from the crowd and thereafter every
rescue WAS accompanied by applause.
All the carts aud workmen thai could be
,eeurrd were pr,.,cd in,o .erv,c. N c,.,r
avny the debris The wo,Lm.n shov.,sd
plaster. rock. document. and brot.u furnI.
,ure into their cart, and each LOAD va, ,,te,
away 10 a dumping ground near by. There
was much danger to the rcscuIng gangs for
the edges Of the fallen floors hung threaten
ingly downward over the heads Of the work
en-, I, seemed tha, nm. nroc,ss. co,,,5 n.
mad, in clearing AWAY the ,mm.r,. ma. a,
falls, ,,bhI.h I'm, m. vors n.,.-,h.,..'
nro,rcs.e,i r,nlllv An ,nc,d.n, ~ IN. ,.,
wn, The Number az clergy Who n, hs.,i.y q,
The disaster nockca 10 The ,csns i,r..,r -
%, r,,l.., a, ,h.,r own ..,.,v ,,,.r ..,...; ~.
SuIId,,c m. ,.,r vail. a, v,,,on 49,. 80
Inrly hnlr,n, ON, and n,n,,,.rs1 N IN. s,,n.
,na ,,,nr.N ''N ~ Wv '''
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