New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-12
THE WASHINGTON CALAMITY
ApOIOGISTs FOR COLONEL AlNSWoRTh
NOT TROUBLED BY FACTS.
"rcoxouv~ rrFECTED BY HoLMANIsM WHICH
results IN ACTUAL EXPENSE TO
THE GOvERNMENT
INV ,r,rGRApm TO THE TRIBuNE.l


Inv ,r,rGRAPM TO THE TRIBUNEl
yah;,a,op June l.-Thcre appears TO be one
- no,son in Washington besides Colonel Aims
18th who holds that the deathtrap III Icnth-st
,ss safe and suitable place in which TO huddle
,no o,orls He is the author of Washington
5;.u.,ob nnhlishcd in New York newspaper to-
a,r IN which IT is declared that all the talk
hout clerks being 'hoIded' in the building Is
rubbish BECAUSE the number employed on each
Acor averaged only GO. Twelve years ago In
sncctor-General Jones, of the Army, after thor
ouch examination of the building, declared that
"a proper regard for the health of those employees
of the Government would limit the number on
the lower floor 10 eighty or ninety" colonel
1insworths apologist and defender in the dis
match mentioned also asserts that " an chtifeiy
wron. imprc s,ion j. conveyed by the suggestion
that th, building was an indecent one to work
in. II consisted of three long open nails inter
rupted only by pillars, four lines of which ran
through il from front to back. Inc helsh' "
tween floors was from twelve to hiteen le''
large windows AT each end permitted the passage
of air. and the windows in the roof furniNNe"
ventilation when IL was too cold 10 allow vi
the opening Of the end windows
In the report Of Colonel Jones which, as ne
remarked, was fully approved rv one vi 'ic
abest sanitary authorities IN the service vi 'h'
Government who was UNDERSTOOD 10 De surgeon
Iobo = pilIings of the army. who had been for
years stationed in the building IN charge OF 'he
great medical library belonging to the "oVefh-
mcnt-in that report the un>ultaoiIlty ana uii-
healthfuncss of the building as Il place Tor the
employment of clerks were set forth as follows;
lowing 20 the Inability properly TO llght IL pS
means of windows and skylightS, resort Is had 10
gas When the sun shires. twenty-siN burners
suffice: in cloudy days forty burners are needed
Al that time the average number of clerks kept
from their work ny sickness varied from u TO
pcr cent and it is asserted that the percentage
was as large last year as in any prior year. The
reasons for this high rate of sickness, Which. OF
course entailcd loss upon the Government, as
we'll as misery and distress and often death upon
the clerical force, were terscly set forth by
Colonel Jones in these words
THE air is extremely oppressive, the building
being without ventilation, and the clerks in the
upper floors are supplied with the vitiatcd hot
air of the lower floor through large central
we'll hole. During the half of an hour allowed
for lunch the windows are opened, and IN tins
way a supply of fresh air secured, but toward the
close of office hours the air becomes extremely
oppressive and then the water closets, which
open by a narrow, unventiatcd passageway from
the clerks rooms, have no ventilation
Colonel Jones also called attention TO the ap-
parent insecurity of the east wall OF inc bulid-
ing 1t is pertinent 10 remark that the report
OF Colonel Jones found no place to-day III the
newspaper which published the dlspatch ot Coio-
mel Ainsworth's Champion who declares in terms
that the building was no more unsafe before It's
supports were attacked by the excavation that
was made under it than any other sound building
IN the District" and calmly remarks that " if
builder should remove or impair the supports OF
The War Department building il would fall Just
a. the Ten@h-st building fell" Ergo. the death
tran known "a Fords Theatre was rs sale ana
sound a structure a. tine granite building when
houses the State War and Navy Departments is.
This is doubtless Colonel Ainsworths view of the
matter also Ii should not be forgotten, how
ever. that the work of the builder who removed
or impaired the supports Of the Tenth-st building
was subject 10 the daily inspection of Colonel
Ainsworth and his assistant, neither of whom
Possesses a scrap of knowledge to fit him for the
intelligent performance of such duty.
Colonel Ainsworths champion appears to think
il necessary TO the atter's defence TO sneer at
Commissioners Parker and Ross, eX-Commissioner
Douglass Bishop Hurst, the Rev. DIR. Bartlett
and other more or less eminent citizens who
took part in the relief meeting held OH Friday
afternoon and also at the men who escaped with
their lives from the wrecked building lie says
that some lives were lost through excitement,
and at least two persons were Killed VINO were Ill
no danger, but who were frightened by the noise
and rush. but he is careful to omit to say thao
there was not fre-escape on the building, anu
that the clerks on the second and third floors
were penned between ar abyss OF death on one
hand and a topping wall on the other, ana that
the air was filed not only with the shrleks ana
groans of the wounded and dying, but with clouus
Of dust and lime. which made the place as daik
a. night-the place which he says was not at all
dangerous Men less cool and courageous thah
Colonel Ainsworth, for example, wonder only that
80 few lives We're lost, and that 80 many per
sons escaped without serious injuries
II is not surprising that one who would rush
to the defence of officials whom ninety -nine-one-
hundredths of the people who have taken tiie
trouble to examine the slaughter-pen oeileve 10
be guilty OF inexcusable incfcency and stupidlty,
not to say Of gross and criminal negligence shoulu
attempt to excuse fiOlmanism by asserting tna'
there has been refusal to make such appro-
pratons We're asked for the repair OF TINS pu'N'-
ing" Iiolmanism is responsible for the occupancy
by the Government of that and dozen other un-
safe buildings in the District of Columbia. 1he
main cause OF the insecurity of most of these build
ings is the fact that their walls and floors are
weighted with hundreds and thousands OF tons OF
records and documents which those buildings were
never designed to bear. For years Congress has
been importuned to appropriate money Tor a suita-
BILE fireproof building in which to arrange and
store such archives and records of the Government
as not required for constant Use or frequent
reference but which it is necessary TO preserve,
and Holmansm in Congress has prevented the
making OF such appropriation. building
Ike the one described would not only remove the
dangers Of destruction of the documents them
selves by fire, but would greatly lessen the danger
OF life and limb 10 which thousands of Govern
ment officials and employees are constantly ex
posed Moreover the building of such a structure
would be a measure Of wise economy.
Holmanism also insists that the Government,