Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-06-16
q KILLED and 50 WOUNDED,
The Condemned Structure Used as
aPension Office Adjunct Collapses
Without Warning---Financial
Relief for the Widows and Or
phans--- -Cleveland's Check.


Ford's Theatre bull ing, on Tenth street,
went to work at their desks a. usual, Wnlie
down in the basement number OF workmen
engaged in making an excavation lor III
electric-lighting plaut were undermining
the foundations OF the structure. Suddenly
and W thout moments warning, just as the
work of the day was getting under headway
In the rooms abov G, one Of the supports OF
the strengthening columns in the building
was disturbed lust enough to weaken it so as
TO let the enormous weight Of the iron itders |
and brick -arched floors above it fall IN
mass to the cellar
In the p lie of debris that filed all the lower
part of the building lay one-third OF the men
who lad been at work at their desks 1ew
moments before. twenty-five Of them are
dead and fifty lie writhing on beds Of pain.
lhe walls of the building stood apparently
a. firm as ever, but inside everything was
complete wreck. Great iron girders were
twisted and broken as though they had been
reeds, and over all lay great heaps OF orlck
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 filed with the fragments oil
brick and n. ortar as to be almost unrecog'
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 en- top of them.
There was no de ay in the work OF resoa-
Ing the wounded and recoveri g tue bodies
ofthe dead. Willing hands of volunteers did
the first work, and they were soon supple
mented by the trained work OF firemen, po-
laemen and soldiers. Ambulances carrying
the wounded alternatel vita the wagons OF
undertakers carrying the dead to the morgue,
while there was a constant procession OF
carts carrying away the brick and mortar
that we're carried out of the buildin'
The President was informed of the sad
event lust 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 ex-
citement followed as has not been witnessed
here since President Garfield was shot down
by Guiteau. The scene of the accident 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 pody
would be brought fiom the building they
would press forward intent on seeing
whether they could recognize the features Oh
a husband brother or father. In many In
stances they were so overcome by the heart
rending scenes about them that they were
sent home by the police in carriages thar
were kept waiting to carry OF the more
slightly wounded.
There were several joyous meetings on the
sidewalk OPP site the building, when wives
who feared their husbands were among the
ruins found they had escaped safely or with
only slight injuries.
The responsible 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
AMI that buildings unsuitable for such uses
and suspected of being unsafe, ike the
bui ding which fell to-day, the government
pr .nting office and the Winder Building, oc-
| cupied by the second auditors office, are
| kept in use ~
The work in the basement Of the building
does not seem to have been under the dlrec-
ton of any officer OF the government with q
knowledge OF architecture Colonel AIMS
wort chief of the records and pension
division. had the building under his imme-
diate control. He is one ofthe most compe-
tent officials in the government service, and
he has made the record and pension division
the model of efficiency and excellent WORK
among all the offices in Wa hington. he ls
not an architect however, but surgeon IN
the army, and, though he had the work ol
excavating under his personal supervision
and visite it to see that nothing had been
done to weaken the foundation OF the bulld-
| he could not be expected to have sum
cient knowledge of such matters to enable
him to pass upon the question OF whether the
work being done was Of such character as
to make the building unsafe.
The Work of Rescue.
A general fire alarm was turned in few
minutes after the crash, and then all the am
balances in the city were summoned. As
quickly as possible the police and firemer
formed q rescue brigade, and ready hands
assisted them to take out the killed and
wounded. In less than an hour about TWEEN
ty-five people had been taken out, and every
few minutes thereafter some still form. would
be borne on stretcher from the building
Police and army ambulances, cabs, carriages
and vehicles of every description were
pressed into service for taking away the
dead and injured All the hospitals In the
city were utilized in caring for the injured
and scores of physicians volunteered tnen
services for this work.
The commissioners of the District OF 20
lumbia took possessionsof the building anC
vicinity in person and helped direct the po
lice and the rescuers Colonel Corbin, as
sistant Acknowledgement Of the army, wa
sent by Maior-General Schofe d to represent
the War Department and to decide II 1t Wer'
necessary to call out troops. Owing to excel
lent police regulations the rescuers were no
hindered in their work by the anxiou
capwds. and it was not long before the de6ri
had been cleared aw ~ to such an extent ina
the worx of rescue could be carried on with
out hindrance.
Both the mhi5ar,' and naval authoritie
took Lrompt action General Schofeld or
dered two troops of cavalry from Fort Meyer
lust across the river, and two companies 0
Infantry from the arsenal to the scene OF IN
disaster
The Secretary of the Navy ordered out al
the naval medical offices stationed here ant
nj n