Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-06-17
Shocking Tragedy in the Old
Ford Theatre, Washington.
q KILLED And 50 WOUNDED.
TIE Condemned Structure Used as
aPension Office Adjunct Collapses
Without Warning---Financial
Relief for the Widows and Or
hans---Cleveland's Check.


ion OF the office of the surgeon-general ofthe
United States Army, quartered in the old
Ford's Theatre bull ing, on Tenth street,
went to work at their desks a. usual, while
down in the basement number Of workmen
engaged in making an excavation for an
electric-Gghting plant, were undermining
the foundations of the structure. Suddenly
and W thout moments warning. just as the
work of the day was getting under Roadway
In the rooms abov e, one of the supports OF
the strengthening columns in the building
was disturbed Just enough to weaken it so as
to let the enormous weight of the iron giiders
and brick -arched floors above it fall in
mass to the cellar.
In the pile of debris tina. filled all the lower
who tad been at work at their desks a few
moments before. Twenty-Five of them are
dead and fifty lie writing on beds of pai,.
The walls of the building stood apparently
as firm as ever, but inside everything was a
complete wreck. Great iron girders were
twisted and broken as though they had been
reeds, and over all lay great heaps OF brick
and mortar while here and there a mangied
bleeding human form could be seen, covered
with dust. and in many cases with the face so
bruised and filed with the fragments OF
brick and o ortar as to be almost unrecog-
nizab.e. Here and there over the ruins could
be heard the groans Of the men who were
lying in the agony of death, imprisoned by
the weights n top of them.
There was no de ay in tle work of rescu-
ing the wounded and recoveri the bodies
of the deId. Willing hands of volunteers did
the first work, and they were soon supple
mented by the trained work OF firemen, po-
licemen and soldiers. Ambulances carrying
the wounded alternatel wit the wagons of
I'm .ertakers carrying the dead to the morgue,
while there was constant procession of
cars carrying away the brick and mortar
that were carried out of the buildin
The Presi lent WIS informed of the sad
event just as he reached the entrance to the
White House by one of the clerks, and he at
once interested himself in relief measures
The news of the accident spread rapidly to
every part of the city. and such scenes of ex-
element followed as has not been witnessed
here since Pres dent CART I'D was shot down
by Guiteau. The scene of the accident was
quickly surrounded by crowd that pressed
hard upon the ropes stretched by the poIce
to keep the street clear.
Mingled with the curious spectators were
relatives and friends of the clerks who had
been employed in the building. There were
women frantic with grief, and when a body
would be brought fiom the building they
would press forward, intent on seeing
whether they could recognize the features OF
a husband, brother or father. In many in
stances they were 50 overcome by the heart
rending scenes about them that they were
sent home by the police in carriages that
Tere kept waitin, to carry of the more
slightly wounded.
There were several joyous meetings on the
sidewalk opp site the building, when wives
who feared their husbands were among the
ruins found they had escaped SAFELY or with
only slight injuries.
The responsible for the accident will be
difficult to place. 1t is primarily, ofeourse,
the fault of Congi ess that suitable quarters
are not provided for government employees
an that buildings unsuitable foc such uses
and suspected of being unsafe. like the
bui ding which fell to-day. the government
pr ming Office and the Winder Building. oc-
cupied by the second auditors office, are
Kept in use
The work in the basement of the building
does not seem to have been under the direc-
ton OF any officer of the government with a
knowledge of architecture. Colonel Aims
wort , chief OF the records and pension
division, had the building under his imme.
date control. He is one ofthe most compe-
tent officials in the government service. and
he has made the record and pension division
the model of efficiency and excellent work
among al the offices in Wa hington. He is
not an architect however, but a surgeon in
the army. and. though he had the work OF
excaYafinS under-his ersonal supervision,
md visite it to see that nothing had been
done 10 weaken the foundation of the build
! & he could not be expected to have suffi-
Gent knowledge of such matters to enable
him to pass upon the question of VIII Their the
work being done was of such a character as
toanake the building unsafe.
The Work of Rescue.
genera fire alarm was turned in a few
minutes after the crash, and then all the am
balances In the city were summoned. As
quickly as possible the police and flremen
formed a rescue brigade. and ready bands
assisted them TO take out the killed and
wounded. In less than an hour about TWEEN
ty-five people had been taken out, and every
few minutes thereafter some still form would
be borne on a streteher from the building.
Police and army ambulances, cabs. carriages
and vehicles OF every description were
pressed into service for taking away the
dead and ;ured. All the hospitals in the
city were utilized in caring for the injured
and scores OF physicians volunteered their
services for this work.
The commissioners Of the District of Co
lumbia took possession;of the building and
vicinity in person and helped direct the po-
lice and the rescuers. Colonel Corbin, AS
sistant Acknowledgement of the army. was
sent by Maior-General Sehofie to represent
the War Department and to decide If it were
necessary to call out troops. Owing to excel
lent police regulations the reseuers were not
hindered in their work by the anxious
crowds, and it was not long before the debris
had been cleared awIy to such an extent that
the WORK OF rescue could be carried on with
out hindrance.
Both the military and naval authorities
took prompt action. General SchofieId or
dered two troops Of cavalry from Fort Meyer,
just across the river, and two companies OF
infantry from the arsenal to the scene Of the
disaster.
The Secretary Of the Navy ordered out all
the naval medical Offices stationed here and
Also opened the Naval Hospital TO receive
the injured. The commandment at the navy
yard was ordered to render ali assistance In
his power.
All the carts and workmen that could be
secured were pressed into service TO cle1r
AWAY the debris. The workmen shoyeled
plaster, brick, documents and broken furni-
Ere into the carts and each load was taken
EEay to a dumping ground near by. There
Gas much danger TO the reseung gangs, for
RE edges of the fsllen floors hung threaten
hgly downward over the heads Of the
workers.
A number OF clergymen utterly regardless
of their own safety ente ed the building and
administered TO the dying and injured All
creeds were represented.
Cause Of the Disaster.
So far the cause of the accident has NOT
been fully ce.ermined by the officials, but
there seems to be no doubt that an excaya.
ton made under the front walls Of the build
In brought about the catastrophe.
The building i. a large one and is entirely
wit out partitions. In order TO a low as
much space as possible for desk room and