Evening star., 1893-10-25
THE METZEROTT SUIT.
Confirmation of the Trial Late Yes
terday Afternoon.


After The Stars report Of the trial OF the
suit instituted by Miss Ida White against
VIM G. Metzerott & Co. and others. grow
ing out Of the falling Of the walls OF the
Metzerott Music Hall on the I'D of Novem-
ber 1891, closed yesterday the examination
Of Draughtsman Summers, who was super
intending the construction Of the building
at the time Of the accident was continued
The witness stated the District building
inspector was cognizant Of the character
of the work and. except in some minor
matters. did not interfere. The witness,
Mr. Metzerott and others had discussed the
question Of raising the rear and side walls
to the roof line while waiting for the terra
Gotta necessary for the front wall. and he
had read them the building regulations to
show that a story wall could be 50 carried
up.
Mr.. Worthington-"You mean that was
your construction Of the lawT'
The witness-"Yes, SIR"
Mr.. Worthington-''Even II the story was
| hundred feet high?"
The witness-"Yes, SIR"
Continuing. Mr.. Summers stated that he
believed now as he did at the time Of the
| accident that the walls were sufficiently
braced and supported to withstand any or
| dinarily severe storm, and that they Tell
simply because the storm was one hardly
to be successfully provided against
builder PLACER, to whom was given the
| ing. and one of the defendants, followed
| Mr., Summers upon the witness stand and
| testfned that the structure was a new one
| to him, and that he examined a building
| in Philadelphia In which the z bar columns
were used to acQuaint himself with their
use. Detailing the course pursued by him
PLACER explained that when the first Sec
ton of the bars had been completed. the
section being % feet in height. the terra
Gotta for the front wall gave out. The
putting up of the second section Of the
bars, "a feet in height, was then pushed to
completion without carrying up the front
wall. The bar columns were fastened
together with beams. and the columns on
the south wall were guyed with 1-4-inch
telegraph wire fastened to trees in an ad-
joining yard. The north wall columns were
In addition to such guys the columns were
braced on the inside of the building by
4x6 Georgia pine timbers 80 feet long. the
braces being placed when the first section
of the z bar columns were finished. The
interior Of the building at the time Of the
accident was a perfect network Of heavy
scaffolding. put up for the use and conven
! ience Of the iron workers. and which,, n
the opinion Of the witness. added consider
, ably to the security Of the walls. 1t wal
true that he had protested to Mr.. Metzerot'
! the front wall. but he had protested onl,
on the ground that he would thereby b'
put to unnecessary expense, the questiof
Of danger not entering into bis his m;nd ni
Describing the storm and Its erect upor
the building the witness stated he hat
: never before witnessed so severe wind
) and was confident that had It not been 81
extraordinarily severe no damage woul'
. have resulted He believed that the storr,
was most severe in the immediate neigh
borhood Of the building.
| The examination OF the witness had no
been concluded when. at o'clock. the cour
adjourned for the day.