Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1893-06-16
Awful Disaster in Washington.

Ate o'clock on Friday morning last the
| five hundred clerks of the record and pen
sion division Of the Office of the surgeon
general of the United States Army, quartered
in the old Fords Theatre building, on 10th
street, Washington, went to work at their
desks as usual, while down in the basement
number of workmen, engaged in making
an excavation for an electric lighting plant,
were undermining the foundations of the
structure. Suddenly and without mo-
ment's warning, Just as the work of the day
was getting under Roadway In the rooms
above, one of the supports OF the strengthen
ing columns in the building was disturbed
Just enough TO weaken it so as to let the
enormous weight of iron girders and brick
arched floors above it fall in a mass TO the
cellar.
In the pile of debris that filled all the
lower part of the building lay one third of
the men who had been at work at their
desks few moments before.
The walls OF the building stood apparently
as firm as ever, but inside everything was a
complete wreck. Great iron girders were
twisted and broken as though they had been
reeds, and over all lay great heaps of brick
and mortar, while here and there mangled,
bleeding human form could be seen covered
with dust, and in many cases with the face
so bruised and filled with the fragments of
brick and mortar as to be almost unTecog-
nizable. Here and there over the ruins
could be heard the groans of the men who
were lying in the agony OF death, imprisoned
BY the weights on top of them.
There was no delay in the work of rcscu-
ing the wounded and recovering the bodies
OF the dead. Willing hands OF volunteers
did the first work, and they were soon sup
plemented by the trained work of tlremen,
policemen and soldiers. Ambulances carry
ing the wounded alternated with the wagons
OF undertakes carrying the dead to the
morgue, while there was constant pro-
cession OF carts carrying away the brick and
mortar that were carried out of the building.
The President was informed of the sad
event just as he reached the entrance to the
White House by one of the clerks, and he at
once interested himself in relief measures
The news of the accident spread rapidly
to every part Of the city, and such scenes of
excitement followed as have not been wit
messed since President Garfield was shot
down by Guiteau. The scene of the acct
dent was quickly surrounded by crowd
that pressed hard upon the ropes stretched
by the police to keep the street clear.
Mingled with the curious spectators were
relatives and friends of the clerks who had
been employed in the building. There were
women frantic with grief, and when body
would be brought from the building they
would press forward, intent on seeing
whether they could recognize the features
OF husband, brother or father. In many
Instances they were so overcome by the
heart rending scenes about them that they
were sent home by the police in carriages
that were kept waiting TO carry off the more
slightly wounded.
There were several joyous meetings on the
sidewalk opposite the building when wives
who feared their husbands We're among the
ruins found they had escaped safely or with
only slight injuries.
The responsibility for the accident will be
difficult to place 1t is primarily, of course,
the fault OF Congress that suitable quarters
are not provided for government employees
and that holdings unsuitable for such uses
and suspected of being unsafe, like the
building which fell on Friday, the govern.
ment printing office and the Winder build
ing, occupied by the second auditors office,
are kept in use.
The work in the basement OF the build.
ing does not seem to have been under the
direction Of any officer of the government
with knowledge of architecture. Colonel
Ainsworth, chief of the records and pension
division, had the building under his imme.
date control.
In this frightfu accident twenty four per.
sons were killed and about sixty wounded.
A coroner's jury has for several days been
the matter