Omaha daily bee., 1893-06-10
that IL imporiled the life OF every man who
was working in the building.
objection of mn pmc,ous Clcrk,


was done TO lay the dust so that the work
OF clearing away could be better accom-
plished died-in-thcwool government
clerk objected TO this procedure, because, he
said the place was stored with important
government papers. which would be ruined
by water, a man who was standing beside
him shouted back oXcitedly: "We don't care
id for the papers of government that
let's its clerks work in such trap. It's
men were trying TO save-not papers
AT the morgue the sight was ono horrible
to behold The little building, in which was
one ice chest and n dissecting table, was not
nearly large enough 10 hold the dead bodies
brought from the wrecked building. When
the morguc was filled the stable was turned
into reception room for the bodies
Blankets were spread on the floor and the
! remains were laid out as respectfully as pos
| sible under the circumstances.
Blood from the bodies formed large pool
| on the iloor and crushed skulls, broken
! arms and legs, made the scene neindescribable.
| Then there were some of the victims who
| had not been crushed. They had been
| smothcred, and the discoloraton of their
faces and necks gave visible evidence of the
| cause of death.
The president was informed of the sad
| event Just as he reached the entrance of the
white house, by one of the clerks and he at
once interested himself III relief measures,
| learning with satisfaction what had been
done by Assistant Secretary of War Grant.
At the Hospital.
The superintendent IN charge of the
| Emergency hospital says that none of the
men at the hospital will die.
| The following injured arc at the hospital,
! their condition at present being too bad to
| permit of removal:
f. w. Test, seriously, about face and
| arms and fractured ribs.
FRANK MErCALF, seriously shocked from
fall
A T.. AMRs, seriously injured about the
| neck, face and ankles.
ROBERT SMITH, fractured skull; operation
necessary.
An examination of the officials shows
| that the Insecurity of the building was
| brought to the attention of congress i'll u
pointed manner as far back as 1885. Attcn-
tion was then directed simply to the army
medical library ana museum. The protection
| of human life was not especially brought in
the question.
Mr.. S. M Stockslager of Indiana, who was
chairman of the committee on public build
ings and grounds in the Eorty-eighth con-
gress, made report in favor of the construc-
tion of new building for the museum ana
library in place of E'ord's theater, then used
for that purpose "The building now used
by the medical department for its library
and museum" he said, "is not only too small
to contain the records of the library and
museum, but 1t is unsubstaatial and dis
posed to destruction by fire"
Its Insecurity Well Known.
When the bill was before the house for It's
consideration, February 1G 1885, Mr.. Stock
Slayer said: There is medical museum,
the most complete in the world, the result of
the great war, which is now kept in the old
Ford theater building, Il building totally in
adequate to its safe keeping, a mere tindcr
| box surrounded by wooden buildings and
liable to be destroyed by fire at any time |
visited it short time ago in company with
the surgeon general and found the building
in an absolutely dangerous condition. The
ht,il, f1slllN lAp ,.f,-
tract in ninety days and was very badly con-
structed. The east wall Is more than twelve
inches out of plumb. The southwest corner
of the building has given way until there is a
great crack in the wall and the officers in
charge bave been prohibited from putting
heavy articles into the upper story for fear
of pressing out the west wall. 1t is, indeed,
in a tumble-down condition"
| General Slocum, who also visited the
building in the course of the same debate
said: My attention was directed to the
Importance of this proposed building by
visits to the building where the manuscripts
and books and specimens are now kept and
do not believe that there is a gentleman on
this floor who would hesitate to vote for this
bill after going there and seeing for himself
the value of the contents of that building
and the danger to which they are now ex.
posed "
Had No Thought for Human Life.
Congress acted upon these statements tc
The extent of removing the nanimate con.
tents of the museum to a new and safe
building, but congress and tho War depart
ment thought proper to expose governments
clerks to risks from which they shielded
skeletons and medical books
From a responsible gen ntleman who yester
day took look at the work going on under
the doomed building, this statement is OBJ
taiucd "As / passed the building Cap
tain NJ. II. Thorn, chief of the bureau OF
supplies of the War department, seemed tc
ha a tintr Lotto tn co.
what it was. There was n brick wall run
ming from the back of the building to the
middle of the lower floor which it supported
Anumber OF woritingmen were eNcavating
under this wall for the purpose, as
| was told, of putting in al
independent electric light plant anC
they were preparing to support ii by under
pInning. 1t now seems very evident to me
that as they undermined this brick wall the
first floor gave way, the second floor being
, | supported by columns rested on that floor
, collapsed also, ana that the third floor col
lapsed in like manner"
As soon as Secretary Lamont returns Il
Washington steps will probably be taken t.
thoroughly investigate the cause of the dis
aster and to fix the responsibility If thu
coroner's jury does not anticipate the de
partmeut in that direction.
f Other Unsafe Buildings.
The collapse of the building had exciteC
, earnest attention to two other great publi
buildings believed TO be in an almost equal.
I unsafe conditon-One the government print
. ing office, where l,SO0 people are EN-
! plOyeu; the other is the rickety shell
q known as the Wnder building, also be
1 longing to the War department and occupie,
n by hundreds of clerks of that department
L and the second auditors Office This plac
= is VIGOROUSLY dangerous, and tho floors ar
/ overloaded, all of the facts being known L
+ congress for years but receiving no atten
Y tiOn.
q Building Inspector Entwistle, who ha
v two assistants was on hand shortly afte
+ the accident occurred, He said that las
q week application was made to him for
q permit to underpin the building, but he dc
q cined TO give it, as it was a government
4 building, and came under direct supervisio
d of the federal officers. In fact he had II
Jurisdiction over the government building
e and was prohibited by law from il
II rerfering The cause Of the Who'll
v affair, he said, was undoubtedly due I
II the underpnning, The workmen du
n under the heavy upright columns which SUI
! port the building and the collapse followed
> One of the workmen, IA colored man, wh
a was employed in eXcayating the cellar, an
!. who escaped with only slight cuts. says: .
told them yesterday that the archway woul