Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-08-05
CH{LSEA'S O|ASTER.
Defective Construction Of
the Balcony.
MAIN SUPPORT WAS WEAK.
Interesting Statements by the Build
ing Inspector.

CHELSEA, Mass, Aug 5.-Viewed In the
honest, y, SEARCHING light of the sun, the
evidence presented by the torn and splin-
Chelsea Yacht clubhouse leaves no fur
ther doubt as to the cause Of Thursday
nights terrible disaster.
The precious lives of some 70 people
were bung upon bit Of wood-a tenon Of
but two inches wide and four In depth,
supporting heavy girder OF sxl0 inches
IN dimensions, and with absolutely moth
ing beneath 1t to support stout timber
should the tenon snap just as 1t did
Six Of the 10 inches Of that sound girder
~three- fifths of It's supporting strength
Dor vertical pressure-were cut away.
sacrificed in the mortising. Therein lies
the key to the whole situation. Every
riven timber and floor joist shows its
inner core as sound and firm as when first
put in new into the building. There was
not rotten bit of wood visible anywhere.
All of 1t appeared as sound rs nut.
"Faulty Construction"
said Superintendent Lord, shat is the
ouly cause that can be given for che fall
of that platform" In his view, however,
the fault appeared to lie In the placing of
the mortise originally too high in the
balcony post, The particular workman
who did this had filled up the hole thus
the tenop Of the girder night up against
the filled portion.
The cause OF the trouble Is best told In
Mr.. Lords words. THE cross beams
We're sxl0 inches" said Mr.. Lord, "and
when IL was originally framed the mortices
were made eight inches wide, or the full
width of the cross beams. Later on, how
ever, part of the cross beam at the point
where it entered the upright beam was
sawed away until the I art of II which en-
tered the upright was only four inches
deep by two inches wide, and then the
upper part of the open space In the up
right beam was plugged up.
THE saving away OF such q large por-
ton Of the cross beam at the bottom of
course weakened 1t to considerable ex-
tent, but another circumstance
Weakened IL still More Fatally.
IA season check, or split, ran along the
center of this cross beam from the point AT
which 1t entered the upright post almost
to the wall of the clubhouse, which prac-
tically made 1t two beams instead of one.
This crack ran from about the point
where the beam entered the upright, or
four inches from the top Of the cross beam
Then there were lighter joists running
crosswise on these cross beams overhead,
on which the flooring of the balcony was
laid. Portions of the upper part Of the
cross beams had been cut away, perhaps
for couple Of inches, to allow these joists
to sink into the cross beams.
This practically cut away all the por.
tion Of the cross beams which had entered
the uprights, and then the crack running
along the center Of the cross beam had 30
weakened the remainder that 1t
Cracked or Sharply
about eight feet from the front Of the
balcony.
1.-THE weight being then thrown on the
lower portion of the cross beam. which had
scarcely any support where 1t was NOR
tised into the upright, that portion, too,
broke of, and down went the balcony"
Mr.. Lord further stated that he was not
supposed, under the ordinances Of the city
of Chelsea. to make an examination ofany
building unless some one complained
about IT, No complaint had been made Of
the yacht clubhouse, and he had not.
therefore, examined IL.
The most casual observer who glances
at the woodwork of the place where the
balcony broke down will be inclined to
agree ut once with the opinion of Mr..
Lord an to the cause Of the accident, and
many were the expressions of surprise on
the pert of the spectators yesterday that
an accident had not occurred before.
Thatportion Of the cross beam which en-
tered the upright one appeared SO slight
that one marvelled how 1t could ever have
supported 100 or $50 persons, ss Is said to
have sometimes been the case.