Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-06-15
CRUSHED TODEATH
Horribly Calamity in Washing.
ton City.
Fords Old Theater Falls to the
Ground.
Nearly Five Hundred People Ir
the Building.
BUT FEW OF THEM ESCAPE SERIOUS
INJURIES.
A SCORE OR MORE INSTANTLY
KILLED.
A SCORE OR MORE INSTANTLY
KILLED.

The Building That Collapsed Was the One
I'm which Abraham Lincoln Was Assas-
sinated and Was Used by the Govern
ment as Part Of the ONCE of the Sur
geon General Of the Army-Four Hun
dred and seventy-Fiye Persons We're
Employed In the Building.
WASHINGTON, June 10. - Ford's old
theater, the building in which Abraham
Lincoln was assassinated, and used by
the government for many years as part
of the Office of the surgeon general of
the army, collapsed Friday morning,
shortly after $50 o'clock, with terri
BILE result in loss of life and injury.
The building stood on Tenth street,
northwest, between E and F streets
and not far from Pennsylvania avenue.
It had been condemnedyears ago-some
claim as many as 10 or 20-and had
been repaired, propped up and reno
waited from year to year.
There were ATS persons, mostly gov
ernment clerks, employed in the build
ing, and nearly all of these were at
work when the building fell.
An excavation for an electric light
plant was being made in the cellar of
the structure-a 3-story affair-and ac-
cording to the best information obtain
able, the workmen had dug beneath the
foundation supports in the front Of the
building, weakening them to such an
extent that the walls gave way before
they could be lacked. This explana-
ton Of the cause for the accident is the
only one advanced, but it seems
somewhat strange in view of the fact
that the top floor gave way first
Men who were in the building say the
crash came without warning. Those on
the tep floor were suddenly precipitated
to the floor below, and the weight of
falling timbers and furniture carried
the second and first floors with it. For
tunately only the forward half of the
floors gave way. The outer edges of
the floors and the rear part of the struc-
ture remained intact. The walls did
not fall.
The news that the building had fallen
spred with lightning-like rapidity and
soon Tenth street and adjacent thor
oughfares were crowded with people.
Within an hour the news was known
all over Washington and hundreds of
anxious relatives and friends swarmed
to the vicinity of the old theater.
Women appealed anxiously to every by
stander for information about some
particular person, while men came
with tears in their eyes and imploring-
ly besought the policemen to let them
through the police lines that they might
obtain some knowledge of their friends
and relatives.
A general fire alarm was turned in a
few minutes after the crash, and then
all the ambulances in the city were
summoned. As quickly as possible the
police and firemen formed rescue bri-
gade, and ready hands assisted them to
take out the killed and wounded.
In less than an hour about 25 people
had been taken out, and every few
minutes thereafter some still form
would be borne on q stretcher from the
bnilding.
Both the military and naval authori-
ties took prompt action. General Scho-
field ordered two troops of cavalry from
Fort Myer, just across the river, and
two companies of infantry from the ar
senal, to the scene of the disaster. The
secretarY of the naxE .-ordered ont all