The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-06-11
Th6rs Az Several Other Govern
mont Buildings Much Like the
Collapsed Theater.
rho Oalamity Has Started an Agi-
tation That May Avoid
Others Similar.
navlseA xist Of the Dead. The,r Resi-
Aeaos and Families Hard to
Place tbs Hlams.

~ Sha downfall OF The old Ford's theater
furnished the principal topic Of convarsa-
oIop iii day. The opinion 10 unanimous
chat lthere 10 blame somewhere for the
sheckInR fatality, and many mon echoed
Vhs vssds OF Or. Bastlstt that the accident
Il not one the responsibility for which could
~ laid upon God. The moro The matter IL
discussed and The farther along the work Of
CLEARING away the dsbris prcEresses. the
more evident this becomes. This morning
~ uniniursd clerks In the doomed build
iue were about che seene OF the disaster
md holding little indignation meetings.
II II evident that the feeling ran very
rAtona among them and many were loud In
express!ons OF condemnation for officials Of
che government who hsrded them together
ID suon i building. Col. Stewart, supeRin-
AendenN OF construction OF tbs new city
postofaoe, seemed to think. as others do,
1haN the whole trouble came from the
weakening Of ths structure caused BY exca.
vasions In the front part Of thu basement.
Thsre 10 no decrease In the general feeling
Of indignation that fills Tho city over the
1acs that NOT a nag on any public building
was hAlf-mastsd to-day. #
Until late last night workmen were
engaged in removing the wreckaRs
s. Tho building. Broken desks were
removed and the litter Of papers
and books wore gathered up and such ~
wsrs 81 value wefe taken to places Of safety.
The clerks who escaped gathered around
the wrecked binding early n r%eeounted
Shcir experiences In the calamity. No snit.
able building has yet been secured u It
Will probably be several days before work
will DO resumed. Stories OF sntfering and
distress growing out of the calamity are
heartrsndinq. A coroner's jury was i'm
psnsllsd this morning and will begin the
Inquest Monday. An investigation will
also b mado By the war department.. The
following Is q rsoapitulasion OF the death
list: George o. Allen, of Pennsylvania. a
veteran 81 the war. in the departments sinoe
1866; George M. Arnold, OF Virginia. COL
oYsd, who leaves a widow; Samuel I. Banes.
OF Pennsylvania, q war veteran. leaves q
family; John Bussias, of Washington City.
wal veteran, leaves family;
j., p. Capin.. OF South Carolina, leaves
miah Daley. Of Pennsylvania, unmarried;
Joseph 4. Pagan. Of Kansas, leaves .
widow and two little girls in straightened
circumstances; J. B. Gage. Of Michigan.
: war veteran. leaves q family; j. Boyd
Jones. OF Wisconsin. no details; David Jor-
QuUs u AI96OWE4s AohVdD q AuAAAly Al puOA
circumstances; Frederick B. LOTUS. Of New
Jersey. moro than thirty years in the gov
eminent service, leaves q widow and six
children; j.. H. MoFall. Of Wisconsin.
eleven years in the war department, leaves
q wife and child; +. w. Otto Maeder, OF
Miller, OF New York. unmarried; Michael
T. Aalledy, Of Louisiana. nc details; Bur-
rows Nelson. of West Virginia, leaves a
widow and five little children; Howard S.
Miller, Of Ohio, no details; VIM. Schrieber,
OF. Maryland, no details; Emanuel Gates
Shut. Of Kansas. leaves a widow and child;
Frank NJ. William, of Middleton. Wis,
L. w. W. Boody. of New York. who was
reported In the list of the dead. escaped un
injured. This makes the total number Of
deaths twenty-five. There 10 doubt about
the reported death of j. M. Jarvis, of Mich
iaan. Al seven this morning A. M. Jsra uls.
jules. He leaves a wife aud a boy. The
most of tho injured are improving.
Secretary Lamont arrived here this after
noon. Soon after he reached the city he
expressed a desire to see Acting Secretary
Grant and Col. Ainsworth. and those ofi-
eonfsrence in regard to the future action OF
the department concerning the calamity,
The records Of the war department. chow
shat the collapsed theater building
was Tor years known officially to be unfit
for human occupancy by reason not only oil
structural weakness. but also OF its defect.
I've sanitary condition. This frightful &C
cident called to the attention Of the officials
the condition of other public buildings
which are said to be more or less unsafe.
An official of the treasury department.
whose duties require him to be much of the
time in the department of justice, said the
weight resting upon tho floors of thai
building was alarming to a man of nerves
The Winder building 10 occupied by tn.
war department md the second auditor o.
the treasury il frequently criticised anG
clerks who work there assert that it is non,
too safe. Tho Bush building, which form
an annex of the postofies department.. ii
another Of these structures about which
clings an unsavory reputation fos safety
the substantiability Of the patent of
nee, a massiye rtone structure, is not ex
empt from general criticism.
Ihe building in which tho office OF thu
elxth auditor of the treasury department
Is located, though u now one. is 80 hsavil,
weighted with public documents and othe
material that the floors have sunk from tw,
TO three inches already, and the clerks ar,
In constant fear. There ia no more dan
gerous trap in the city than the patched u
government printing office, which has beef
from time to time strengthened by woodel
II iron supports. On its various floor
arc stored tons of metal. printing materia
and millions of copies of bound books, t.
say nothing of 5000 employees who swarm
within the walls. Increasing the danger q
their lives.
l.U. .aY.'
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