The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-06-11

ers Frank /. Hanvev, a carpenter and
builder; j. A. Sibley, architect.
The body of j. c. Chaplin of South
carolina, living at No. 907 Florida ave
nuc, was selected for the jury to view
and determine the cause of death.
THE WAR DEPARTMENT INQUIRY.
Col. Ainsworth's request for a board Of
inquiry will undoubtedly be granted. In
making it, Col. Ainsworth has greatly
simplified matters for the war depart
ment, for military court has powers
recognized by law, and would give legal
enecG TO the findings, while a civilian
board OF war department officials could
only make recommendations that would
have no force Of law. The board to be
appointed at the request of Col Aims
worth Will be given power to make full
ana Tree inquiry into all matters relating
TO the eaccident, and twill not be restricted
IN making its findings to the responsibility
OF Col AinswOrth alone. 1t will have
power to call for all persons and papers,
and to determine whether the court-mar-
tial Of any officer Of the army is neces-
sary. 1t is clearly accepted by every
body that the government and war de-
partment as the executive branch having
Immediate control of the building must
accept the responsibility for the calamity.
Even the war department officials are
willing to admit that the district authOri-
ties are in no way to blame.
LACKED EXPERT SUPERVISION.
1t has taken considerable inquiry TO,
find out the exact methods under which
the work of eXcavating was being per-
formed, so diverse are the ways of the
government in handling such matters. 1t
has been finally learned, however, that
the first steps looking to the establish
ment OF an electric light plant in the old
museum were taken by Col. Ainsworth,
the officer in charge of the record and
pension division. The specifications for
the plant including excavatiDg, were
prepared in the supply bureau, presided
over by Capt. U. T. Thorpe.
They were prepared by Col. AinswOrth
and Capt Thorpe jointly, after consulta-
tion with experts Advertisements were
then issued by Capt. Thorpe for the
erection of the plant, and the contract,
including eXcavating, was awarded to
George Dant, who sublet the work of ex-
cavating to p r. Pullman. Col. Aims
worth and Capt. Thorpe made frequent
inspection of the work to sec that the
contract was being complied with, and
the engineer of the building made re-
ports OF its progress, but it
does not appear that any really
competent expert stood between the gov
ernment and the contractors. Col. Aims
worth is a surgeon in the army, but he
has never made any pretention to being
an engineer. Neither has Capt. Thorpe.
The engineer of the building did not have
any knowledge of construction.
CLERKS KNEW THEIR DANGER.
The dangerous condition of their place
of business was a matter of common
knowledge and discussion among the
r,r,1C ~, 1,a ton
The records of the war
department show that the collapsed
theater building was for years known
officially to be unfit for human occupancy
by reason not only of structural weakness,
but also because of its defective sanitary
condition. This is on record in a report
made in February, 1881, by Lieut.. Col. r.
Jones, assistant inspector general, to
Alexander Ramsey, then Secretary of
War. Architect Clark of the
capitol, who supervised the re-
construction of Fords theater when
the government purchased it,
in 1866, said this morning that he consid-
cred the building safe. The fact that the
four walls remain in their proper places
demonstrates, he says, that they were
stable, but the alterations being made were
the cause of the catastrophe.
Nobody has been found as yet who can
describe the catastrophe as anything eX-
cept sudden and overwhelming crash
that was over as quick as
it was begun. There was not
q moments warning for anybody
even to rise from their chairs. Many
bodies were found crushed with their
desks and chairs. The disaster would
have been two or three times more fatal
but for the circumstance that that por-
tion of the building Immediately over the
excavation had been vacated pending the
completion Of the cellar extension.