Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-17

The FIRST witness at the afternoon session q
the coroner's inquest was J. r. Imbrie, . olsrk
in the record and pension ONCE.
During the recess il stated that Col
Aims worth would be permitted to testify IL he
so desired, but that he would not be sum-
moned.
Mr. Imbrie stated that he saw the work q n
was being done, but did not carefully examine
il. He was on the second floor at the time Of
the fall. on the very edge Of the break.
His immediate superiors in the Office were
Mr.. Brown, Mr.. Frech and Col Ainsworth In
that order Witness has been clerk in the
Office for twenty years. He was asked rs 10 the
treatment the clerks received from their su-
periors.
Mr. Warner interjected the question whethss
that was q relevant matter in this hearing
NO HARSH TREATMENT OF CLERKS.
The question was allowed, however, and Mr..
Imbrie stated that he had heard more Of this
treatment since the investigation than ever be-
fore. Col Ainsworth was strict
'''p nnmSer ano Of Changes. mao o essr
clerks considered him severe. but he himself
did not consider him a cruel man. The rules
were strictly carried out according to the War
Department customs He believed that
had been honest In their statements,
but he considered that the trouble came from
strict enforcement OF the departments rules
The only objection that Col. Ainsworth did
not show enough feeling for individual cases.
When clerks wanted TO communicate with
Col. Ainsworth they did not do
SO personally. One clerk. c. Mclaughlin, an
injured nan. wrote to complain Of the smell OF
gas and the matter was attended TO by the en-
gineer. He himself, being in charge of
| noor, made II practice to see Mr.. Brown.
Mr. Thomas endesvored to draw from the
witness the admission that the clerks did
not dare to 60 to Col. Ainsworth, but
Mr.. lmbrie would only go so far as
to say that il was not customary for the clerks
70 make the attempt They would let their
complaints or other communications through
| the proper channels.
| NEVER COMMUNICATED DIRECT WITH AINswoRrH.
Mr. Imbrie said he had never communicated
directly with Col Ainsworth. Everything that
way went through the same routine, being Ill
| tered by Mr.. Brown first
There had been considerable hard feeling
| against Col Ainsworth since the catastrophe,
| but he said that il the clerks had had any
\ grievances against Col. Ainsworth prior to that
time he did not know of them himself.
The clerks had to work hard under Col. Aims
worth and he considered that most OF the hard
feelings against their chief from the strict
| discipline that he maintained. He himself
considered il a wholesome discipline and did
not think there were any unnecessary rules
among those issued by the War Department tor
the different bureaus
Mr.. lmbrie was asked whether there had not
been a fire escape in the building, which Col
Ainsworth had removed and the place made
| into water closet at the time the building was
remodeIed. He said th.a he could not recollect
il though he remembered in a general way that
there had been some such stairway. He was
! asked as to the removal of clerk VIM.
NJ. Potter, but said that he knew
little of il personally. He admitted that he
A. 4 -, H.r1
Mr.. Thomas showed him copy of Potter = re-
cord. and Mr.. Imbrie said it was very high
record.
MIR. PorTER's REMOVAL
Mr.. Thomas read from the record that Potter
was dropped because his superior ohicer had
characterized him as incompetent and inethci-
ent and then asked how a man with such a record
could have been dropped for inef6ciency. Mr..
Imbrie said that it must have shown a marked
falling off in his record. lie had hear il ru-
mored that Potter was removed because he
wanted somebody elsc-some man with q war
, record-as head OF the bureau.
CASES LEAVES OF ABSENCES
As to the matter of absences, Mr.. Imbrie said
that il man wanted to leave the
: building for few minutes the per
: mission WAS not granted No leave les,
than a half dsy WAS granted. Casos Of late
, | ness and brief absences we're noted. and wheu
. a number had accumulated a half day wai
|. charged up against the man. The OBJ
= ject of such rules. he took il. wers
: for the purpose Of putting stop 70 indscrim
nate running in and out IL was pretty hard
|, for n man to get out of the building when once
he got in.
= Mr.. Harvey asked if they were not all striving
{ 30 make records, and Mr.. Imbrie said that hs
I presumed all the government. clerks desired
good records for efficiency. As for him elf.
/ he had never asked any favors that the o:he,
clerks did not enjoy. In all the twenty year
c of his service he had probably not been la;s
more than half dozen times. He expected &c
Z furnish excuses just the same the othe
j, clerks. although he had been promoted an
in charge of a floor. The half Of a da,
% absence rule was one added by Col Aims
1 ! worth