The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-06-10
CRUSHED TO DEATH.
Another Dire Disaster in the
Capital City,
MANY KILLED AND INJURED.
Tnds Old Theatre Building COIlapSeS
With Deadly Effect,
vOgg THAN A SCORE OF LIVES LOST.
Eurting Used by The Government and
Filled With Clerks.
MANY APPALLING SCENES PRESENTED.
EolhTS, Wives and Daughters Wriu6lDs
Their Hands in Anguish.
THE HEROIC WORK OF THB RESCUERS
The Building, which is Now Used 10y tho
War Dcpariment,Was the one in which
Abraham lincoln was Assassinatcd
BY }. wilkes BoOth-Au of tho


" AottlNHAONt -. Asf 1uil' 90 fNii"ti'N'
tragedy. less national I'm character but
involving the loss of many more lives
and much more human suffering, has
stained the walls Of the old Fords
theatre. Washington, where Abraham
Lincoln was assassinated by j. Wilkes
Booth In April. 1866.
The horrors Of the scene were by no
means lessened 10y the knowledge that
blunder surely I'm this case almost
worse than a crime" had caused the
death OF from twenty TO thirty persons
at the least. and inflicted maiminss and
injuries upon nfty or sixty more.
The evidence as found in official records
appear conclusive that as long ago as
1855 this building which the Government
purchased after Lincolus assassination
and used as am army museum. was Of
ndally proclaimed by Congress an unsafe
depository for even the inactive skeletons.
mummies and books Of the Army Medical
Museum. for which safer place Of storage
was provided boy act of Congress. But
notwithstanding the fact that in the pub
lic press and in Congress also continued
attention was called 10 the buging walls
Of the building and its darkness and gem
eral unsuitabIuty and unsafety it con-
tinued to be used for The daily employ
ment Of nearly five hundred Government
clerks Of the pension record division Of
the War Office.
With refinement Of discrimination.
however, between what could Doe replaced
and what could not Doe so easily supplied
while the clerks were trusted i'm the I'M
safe building, the original records were
retained in the substantial nre-proof
ward department building proper. So the
comforting official assurance is given
that while thirty clerks may have been
Killed the pension records are all saved
and unnjurod.
The building collapsed in the midst OF
an ill-judged effort 70 remedy some OF |
its defects. The moral of the disaster If |
there IS any. is emphasized by the fact |
That there are known TO be at least two |
great Government buildings the prlnting
Office and the Winder building annex Of |
the War Department. each containing
many more employees than were caped in |
ford's theatre death trap. which are IN
m equally dangerous condition Tho |
hour OF the disaster was very shortly af-
t'r the departments had settled down |
Tor the days work. The workmon. whose
operations under the building were the
Immediate cause Of the catastropbe had |
been tiHkcring upon 80 for two hours or
more. Half an hour earlier ana few lives
would have been lest.
There We're f75 persons. mostly Govern
meo' clerks. employed In the building
rd nearly an of these were at work |
Naen he building fell
excavations for ana electric light planf |
was being made I'm the cellar Of the |
'.il,lbrr-a thrcC-st0ry anair-and ac. |
lI''s t1 the best information obtaina- |
,'' ine wortmcn this morning had dur |
'le'.h the foundation supports i'm front |
''' hliiH'ne weakening them 10 such |
nt ilat the walls gave way be-
'.e ihey could Boz lacked.
" explanation of the cause for the |
81 Hi is. the only one advanced. but
e. somewhat strange. iu view OF
first ''P "'o' save way
t ". men Who were in the building say
~, ''sh came without warning. Those
. lep Uoor were suddenly precip-
~ 20 tne hoor below ana the weight
N. railing timhers and furniture car.
T 'he second aud ftst floors with II.
"t'nalely only the forward half OF the
'ie gave way. The outer edges OF the
"id the rear part of the structure
+'"'' intact The wallis dld not fall
iNe news That the building had fallen
spread with lighteniug-IiSe ranidif,, and
'''n Tenth street and the adjacent thor
,,,iaies were crowded with people
"ilhin ana hour the news was known all
over Washington. and hundreds OF any
l,'H relatives and friends swarmed 10 |
'ne vicinity of the old theatre. Wombn
appealed anXiously 20 every bystander
lof Information about some particular
person. while men came with tears I'm
their eyes. and implorinsly besought no
Iieemen through the police lines that
they might obtain some knowledge OF
lhrlr friends ana relatives
Inc general fire alarm was turned In
q rev minutes after the crash. and fhen |
al the ambulances in the city were sum-
moned. As quickly as possible the police
ana hremcn formed rescue brigade
ana ready hands assisted them 10 take
out The killed and wounded In less
than an hour about twenty-five people had
been taken out. and every few minutes
hereafter fOms still form would be
b0rne on a stretcher from the bulldins.