Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-22
.F0RD'S OLD THEATER
The Building Has Now Been
Thoroughly Repaired
And is READY FOR OCCUPANCY,
viii the Records and Pensions
Clerks Go Back There
is NOW THE QUESTION

One of the lessons taught by the dreadful
calamity at the Ford's Theater building was
the necessity of placing all government
buildings in Washington in charge Of per-
sons competent to judge of their condition
as to stability and healthfulness. All the
buildings under the War Department. ex-
cepting the State, War and Navy building,
were placed in charge of Col. ]. NJ. Wilson
or the engineer corps, commissioner OF pub
lie buildings and grounds. The execution of
the act of Congress providing for the repair
of the Inflated Fords Theater building
therefore naturally fell to his lot. Congress
appropriated $1,000 for this purpose, and it
is said that the appropriation was based
on an estimate made by Mr.. Clark, the
architect of the Capitol. The legislation
was enacted by Congress while the catas-
trophe was still fresh in the public mind
and excited no special comment at the time.
1t is now said that the proposition for the
repair of the building originated in the Sem
ate. without any sort of suggestion from the
War Department. At that department, 1t
is said that neither the Secretary nor any
other official so far as is known, suggested
the repair of the building or made an esti-
mate to that end.
The Union buildings Occupancy.
The action of Congress relieved the de-
partment of ali discretion in the matter es-
pecially as no provision was made for the
renting of other quarters for the clerks of
the record and pension office who were
turned out in the street by the accident.
They have since been quartered in the Union
building on street. but such action on the
part of the War Department is still subject
70, he al Of ~ fho
building was offered free of rent and was
| accepted in the emergency. 1t is now tn
derstood that the owners of the building eX-
pected to be paid for the building at the rate
of $4,000 a year for two floors. In directing
the repair of the Ford Theater building it
is assumed that Congress intended that the
temporary quarters should be abandoned as
soon as the building was again ready for
the accommodation of its former occupants.
The Repairs Completed.
Col. Wilson has faithfully executed the
duty assigned him and has put the old
building in the best condition possible with
in the limit of the appropriation. The walls
were strengthened and new floors put in,
and the building is reported to be as safe
and strong as it is possible to make II
without an entire reconstruction from top
to bottom Col Wilson has reported to the
Secretary of War that the work of repair
will be entirely completed by Saturday
night. All that now remains to be done is
a little painting. He has devoted special
attention to the work, supervising every
detail of II, and has inspected Ii at least
twice a day since II began. All the ma
terial used in it's reconstruction was person
ally inspected by him, and no single thing
necessary for the safety or stability of the
building was overlooked or neglected. The
| walls and floor beams have been thoroughly
tested and are certified to be much above
the standard required for the weight to
which they may be subjected. Col. Wilson
was merely instructed to repair the build.
ing in accordance with the act of Congress-
and he is in no wise accountable for its
future use.
An Examining Board.
The act. in addition to the appropriation.
provided that the Secretary of War should
appoint board of three officers of the army
to examine the building when repaired and
before 1t was occupied. in order to demon
strate beyond all question it's strength and
capacity for the uses to which it was to be
put. Secretary Lamont has devolved this
duty on Col. Elliot Maj. Adams and Capt
knight of the engineers corps, all officers
of acknowledged ability. They have just
completed thorough examination of the
building and are now engaged in the prepa.
ration of their report.
VIII the Clerks Go Back?
In the probable event Of their confirming
the report Of Col Wilson as TO the stability
of the building, the Secretary of War will
be called on to determine the question as to
it's future use. 1t was evidently the inten-
ton of Congress that it should be used by
the record and pension office, the same as
before the accident, but whether this will
or will not be done remains to be seen. 1t
is unfortunate that Congress adjourned
without action on Senator Voorhees, resolu-
ton prohibiting the use of the building, ex-
cept as a museum. Otherwise the secretary
of War would not now be called on to settle
the delicate question of sending back to the
grewsome building the clerks who recently
escaped from it's ruins, and who naturally
are supposed to dread going back to it, re-
gardless of its renewed strength. To them
1t Will undoubtedly have an indescribable
horror that cannot be removed by any evil
dence, no matter how good, that the build
ing is as strong and safe as any building in
the world.
Will Probably Defer Action.
The impression at the War Department is
that Secretary Lamont will defer action in
this matter until the reassembling Of Con-
gress after the holidays, in order to await
action on the Voorhees, resolution. In the
meantime he has received a copy of a reso-
luton adopted by the so-called Survivors
Association expressing willingness to re-
turn to their old quarters when it is ready
for occupancy, and also petition signed by
a majority of the clerks of the record and
pension office now in the Union building to
the same effect.
In answer to a Star reporter Col. Aims
worth said today that he had had nothing
whatever to do with the action of Congress-
directing the repair Of the Ford's Thaater
building, and that it was a matter of in
clference to him officially whether the
clerks remained where they were or were
transferred to another building.
President GOmpers' Mission Failed.
ST. LOUIS, Dec. 22.-President Gompers
of the American Federation of Labor left
this city for the east last night without
accomplishing a settlement of the differ
ences between the employing brewers and
their striking employees. There is some dis