Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-12

The sensation OF the morning was the utter
ances of Smith Thompson an elderly clerk, who
seemed to speak with considerable feeling and
who represented the clerks as being in a state
of fear and intimidation under the rule Of Col.
Ainsworth.
During the morning a letter from Secretary
Lamont was read reassuring clerks that they
would not jeopardiZe their positions by testify
ing. This letter and Witness Thompson's
boldness. it was thought, would unseal the lips
of clerks
Mr.. John B. Larner stated at recess that he
had been talking with one OF the clerks who
seemed to know all about the disaster, but who
was afraid to give his name.
CALLED TO ORDER.
When the jurors were all in place and ready
to begin DR.. Schaeffer. the acting coroner. stood
up and made little speech, saying that this
somewhat Of an experiment. It was
done to give all who were interested an oppor-
tunity to attend. He spoke Of the difficulty
OF hearing witnesses, and requested that all
present maintain as perfect quiet possible.
He remarked that this was an inquIsition into
the cause Of the death Of ]. H. Chaplin and
that there was no one on trial. He requested
that any one who had information should fur
nish his name Then he sat down and pro-
ceeded to an examination of the witnesses.
THE FIRST WITNESS.
The first witness called was Benjamin W.
Reiss of 404 II street northwest, a clerk in the
record and pension building. He was not pres
ent he said, in the building when the disaster
occurred. He had been excused at 8 O'Clock
that morning to attend to some business Wit
ness desk was in the southwest corner OF the
second floor. That was within ten feet Of the
door. Witness had seen the digging going. on
under the building. He was not aware of any
notice having been given to the employees as to
the excavation and had not seen any area roped
of. He was not aware of any inspection made
Of the work. He had seen DIR. Ainsworth in
the building a few days before the accident.
The coroner said this witness had been called
under the impression that he had been there
when the disaster occurred.
Mr. Warner asked the witness some questions,
in reply to which he said he did not know where
Chapin's desk located. He had heard
rumors among the clerks about the insecurity Of
the building, but not during the past month.
CHAs. Z. TRoUTMAN.
Chss. E. Troutman of Sc street southeast
was next sworn. He is clerk in the record
and pension Office. His desk was on the first
floor of the wrecked area. He sat right behind
McFalls and Schneider, who we're killed, and at
the right of Miller. who was killed. He was at
his desk when the wreck occurred.
II was about $50 or 10 clock. He was en-.
gagged on a case and was making memorandum
in red ink. He had just made the letter r.
when he heard a roar, and looking up saw the
ceiling was splitting across within ten feet Of
the front wall. The split extended
north. Then one of the iron girders
fell, and he knew what had
happened. Then he jumped and as he
jumped his chair tripped him and he fell. Then
he was buried and all was dark. He scrambled
through the debris The dust was settling like
lava. He got out without a scratch, thank the
Lord. The darkness was perfect and he did
not know where he until he reached q
tab Ia G.,o 1sak~ AAhl L.
knew where he was.
RoPED-oFF AREA.
Witness had not thought Of the dangerous
condition of the building because he had con-
fidence in Col. Ainsworth and the engineers in
charge and supposed Of course it was safe. II
he had known it was not underpinned he
would have thought it dangerous. He never
heard Of any protest made by the clerks. He
had been warned bv Mr.. J. W. Webb, in charge
of the first floor, about coming across q certain
| area which was roped off. This was eight or
ten days before the fall Of the building. Wit
ness had seen Schneider and Metals Jump
from their seats and that was the last he saw Of
them. Witness said he had never gone down
| TO inspect the excavation and did not know Of
any clerks that had.
Witness. in reply to Mr. Warner and other
jurors, said he would not say which floor fell
first He saw the ceiling split and heard a
deafening crash The area on the first door
| immediately over the excavation was roped of.
ADEAD LINE.
The clerks had jokingly referred to it as q
"twenty -four feet and as dead line." The
orders were not to wax across it, as 1t was
dangerous Witness saw Col. Ainsworth there
the day before examining very minutely. The
witness desk was on the part of the first floor
that did not go down. 1t was the wrecked Sec
ton of the firstAoor that was roped off, and
e. I, oil lacG hol Laa,, oral
had heard rumors and talk that the building
was unsafe. The old surgeon generals clerks
said the building was worthless and shell and
a death trap. Witness had full confidence in
the engineer of the army he supposed was in
charge and had no apprehension whatever.
ing from the alley in the east, but had never
noticed the east wall
SMITH THOMPSON.
Smith Thompson Of 1929 F street northwest,
an elderly clerk in the record and pension divi-
sion, followed:
He testified that he was at his desk at work on
the second floor just in the east Of the rec
tangular air well. He noticed the bricks and
debris coming down from the third floor. That
seemed to crush what was below it. When he
left his seat the wreck had nearly reached
the west side Of the we'll He began to look for
egress. He went to the south side of the sec
ond floor. There door there and several
times he tried to open il without avail and then
his first impulse was to get out of one of the
windows He met Mr.. Norris, who said, "Col-
onel. where are you going? and witness said,
II am going to get out of this building. Don't
you see that it is coming this way and the whole
building is going?"
COULD NOT GET OUT THAT WAY.
Norris said he could not get out that way,
that he would have to jump fifteen or twenty
feet The witness said that there was no fire
escape and no rope and only one outlet. The
witness then went to the window and could no.
see down, but he saw man with Il ladder COM
ing along. lie called TO the man aud the man,
who had q heart in him. came, but the ladder
was short and could not reach the whole dis
tance. The witness described how he got out
the ladder, which some one held SO it
would support him. He said he begged Arnold
not to Jump, but he did not see him jump.
HAb HEARD REPEATED WARNINGS.
He had heard repeated warnings before the
accident Messengers of Col Ainsworth
stationed on the stairways had notified them
with bated breath that it was Col. Ainsworth' 8
orders that they should 60 softly carefully
down the stairs and go few at time. Wit
ness WAS not at first apprehensve. 1t was his
custom at II o o'clock to go into the excavation.
He last went there on Wednesday. but then the
excavation had not reached the arches that sup
ported the pillars. Witness. who had been a civil
engineer had always had an idea that that build
ing was unsafe. That WAS common talk. He