Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-09
4 Call Upon Citizens to Meet
This Afternoon.
MANY LEFT HELPLESS.
The Progress of the Work in the
Ruins.
SOME HAD MARVELLOUS ESCAPES
The Clerks Who Were Employed
in the Building.
SOME had MARVELLOUS ESCAPES

Outside Of the building Just before noon the
Commissioners held an informal meeting A
number Of prominent citizens were present,
including s. W. Woodward, John Joy Edison
and other members Of the board OF trade.
At the suggestion Of Mr.. Woodward the Com
missioners decided TO call public relief meet
ing. The meeting will be held at Willard Hall
at o'clock today. Action looking TO the relief
Of those who suffered from the catastrophe will
then be taken
1t is earnestly urged that all citizens who can
do anything toward the object for which the
meeting is called be present.
The necessity for relief among the many
needy and distressed among the families so
suddenly and terribly bereaved by the
Ford's Theater catastrophe lie urgent
The number Of these destitute ones
is great. their employer, the United
be needlessly slauehte, ed, is unable to furnish
the immediate and effective relief which the
occasion requires, and as in other cases of pub
Lie calamity the sympathetic and public-spirited
among the people Of Washington will gladly
and quickly respond to the cry Of distress from
afflicted and destitute neighbors and fellow
beings.
Those who wish to contribute TO the fund
that is to be raised and who may be unable to
attend the public meeting can send their con-
tributions to The STAR. They will receive
proper credit and the money will be turned
over to he citizens relief fund.
TIE STAR requests that all who were in the
building and escaped alive furnish their names
to The STAR for publication in order that the
full extent Of the disaster may be speedily
known.
THE CAUSE OF THE DISASTER.
The Excavation Under the walls-How the
Floors Were Constructed.
During the morning, while the heroic work
Of rescue was going on, the officials paid
little attention to the causes which
led to the horrible disaster. No one
could say exactly at that time where the
blame lay or the fault rested So far as
could be learned the building, though q very
old one, bad never been condemned, nor had any
orders been issued to have it strengthened.
Though officials connected with the building
are not inclined TO SO state, and declare
that they cannot understand the reason
for the fall, there seems but little doubt that
the primary cause was some excavasing
which was being done under the front wall
A subceIlar was being dug to give more room
and at the same time afford means Of ventila-
ton In order that this should be
accomplished there was considerable under
pinning. The contractor for this work was Mr..
George Dant, while the digging in connection
with the job was being done by Mr.. p. r Pull
man.
Nh. PuLLNAN's STATEMENT.
The latter appeared at the scene shortly after
the accident and said to . star reporter that he
could not explain why the floors should have
caved In. "The work in the cellar" he said,
"was about completed, and il was only
yesterday that l was looking at it.
was congratulating myself that the work was
almost at an end and that the danger was
passed. The crash commenced on the third
floor. SO that the underpining could not have
been the cause. The work was most carefully
done, and only few bricks were taken out at a
time.
COL AINswoRrH CANNOT Explain IT.
From Col. Ainsworth, chief Of the record
and pension division, it was learned that there
was no storage on the floors and that the only
weight was the desks and the clerks employed
there. He said that the undsrpinning was not
being done in order to strengthen the build
ing, as it had never been animated that it was
in any way insecure. He was unable to sug-
gest any reason for the disaster
CHIEF PARRIs' SUGGESTIONS.
Chief Paris Of the fire department had not
had an opportunity to make even Q superficial
examination Of the building, and said that from
q glance he would say that the Orders which
supported the floors must have weakened.
HOW THE FLOORS WERE cossrKucrED.
From Q view Of the interior Of the building
it would appear that the floors between the
joists were filled in with about one foot Of
brick and mortar. On top Of this was
laid thA