The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-06-14
The Famous Ford's Theater
at Washington Partially
Wrecked.
The Crash Game Without Warn
ing and Many People Were
Hurled Into Eternity.
Twenty-Five Mangled Bodies Taken
from the Ruins-Forty-five Per-
sons More or Less Seri-'
ousy Hurt.
The Building Used by Branch of the
War Department-The Unfortunate
Victims Were All Government
Employees Scenes
and Incidents In the vicin-
ity of the Disaster.

ity of the Disaster.
WASHINGTON, June 10.-Another trag-
edy-less national in character, but in
volving the loss of many more lives and
much more human suffering - has
stained the walls Of the old Ford's the
ater, Washington, where Abraham Lin
coin was assassinated by John Wilkes
Booth, in April, 1865. 1t is q coinci-
dence, also, which will go into history,
that this second tragedy occurred on
the very day when the remains of the
great tragedian whose life was SO dark
ened by his brothers crime that he
never visited Washington afterwards,
were being laid to rest in Mount Au-
burn cemetery, Massachusetts,.
Ford's old theater, in which Abraham
Lincoln was assassinated, which had
been used by the government for many
years as part of the Office of the surgeon
general of the army, collapsed yester-
day morning shortly after $3.50, with
terrible result in loss oflife and injury.
The building stood on Tenth street
northwest, between L and + streets
and not far from Pennsylvania avenue.
1t had been condemned years ago
some claim as many as fifteen or twen-
ty-and had been repaired, propped up
and renovated from year to year.
There were 475 persons, mostly gov
ernment clerks, employed in the build
ing and nearly all of these were at
work when the building fell. An ex-
cavation for an electric light plant was
being made in the cellar Of the struc-
ture-a three-story affair-and accord
ing to the best information obtainable,
the workmen had dug beneath the
foundation supports in the front of the
building, weakening them to such an
extent that the walls gave way before
they could be lacked up. This expla.
nation of the cause for the accident
is the only one advanced, but it seems
somewhat strange in view of the fact
that the top floor gave way first.
Men who were in the building say
the crash came without warning.
Those on the top floor were suddenly
precipitated to the floor below and the
weight of the falling timbers and fur
niture carried the second and first
floors with it, Fortunately only the
forward half of the floors gave way.
The outer edges of the floors and the
rear part of the structure remained in
tact. The walls did not fall.
The news that the building had fallen
spread with lightning like rapidity and
soon the streets were crowded with
people. Within an hour the news was
known all over Washington and hun
dreds Of anxious relatives and friends
swarmed to the vicinity Of the old the
rter. Women appealed, anxiously to
every bystander for information about
some particular person, while men came
with fearful eyes, imploring the search.
ers to let them help so they might OBJ
tain some knowledge of their friends
and relatives. A general fire alarm
was turned in few minutes after the
crash and then all the ambuances in
the city were summoned. As quickly
as possible the police and fremenformed
a rescue brigade, and ready hands as
sisted them 10 take out the dead and
wounded.
In less than an hour about twenty-five
people had been taken out and every
few minutes thereafter some still form
would be borne on a stretcher from the
building. Police and army ambulances,
cabs, carriages, and vehicles Of every
description were pressed into service
for the taking away the dead and in.
jured. All the hospitals in the city
were utilized in caring for the injured.
At the morgue the sight was horrible
to behold. The little building, which
was one dissecting table, was not near
large enough to hold the dead bodies
brought from the wrecked building.
There was no one at the morgue who
was able TO identify the bodies, and SO
superintendent Schoenberger tagged
them with numbers as they were
brought in. Along the floor they were
arranged in numerical order and during
the day thousands Of persons called and
viewed the ghastly sight
The morgue was filed, and then the
stable was turned into reception room
for the bodies. Blankets were spread
on the floor and the bodies were laid
out as respectfully as possible under the
circumstances.
Blood from the bodies formed large
pool on the floor, and the crushed
skulls, broken arms, and legs made the
scene indescribable. Then there were
some Of the victims who had not been
crushed. They had been smothered 10
death, and the discoloration of their
faces and necks gave visible evidence
OF the cause OF death.
Those who were early on the scene
found the body Of colored man in the
alley in the rear Of the building. This
was George NJ. Arnold, a well-known
colorcd clerk. He had been seen at a
third-story window. He was warned
not to jump but despite the protesta.
tions Of numbers Of people, he climbed
out and lowering himself from the sill,
let go. He fell upon covering at a
lower floor and slid off into the cobIe.
stoned alley, striking on his head, in.
stantly killing himself His head was
mashed TO Jelly and the cobblestones