Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-19
for building permit under which the
construction was carried ON.

the DeTmft
was given with the understanding that the
old wall should be used, because Of the
character of the employment for which the
building was said to be intended.
If you had known that 1t was intended
to be used as mandatory instead of q
warehouse, would You have granted such a
permit?' inquired Mr.. Thomas.
NO, ST." vas the quick response. II
would have ordered the old wall taken
down altogether. The vibration Of ma
chihery would have required thicker walls.
This morning an application was made
TO me for permit for the reconstruction
OF the building. I told them they would
have to take down all the present walls
and rebuild with twenty-two-inch walls to
the second story and with walls eighteen
inches thick from there to the top"
Inspector Entwisle said 1t was not known
until June last that the building was be-
ing used for anything but warehouse pur-
poses.
The Order for Fire Escapes.
Immediately upon learning this the noti-
fication was sent to the Stumph Brothers
ordering fire escapes erected. The firm &C
coded to this notification after some delay,
and the inspector understood that the fire
escape had arrived in this city on the day
Of the fire. In response to questions of
turymen. MIR. Entwisle said there were en-
tirely too many buildings being erected and
repaired in the District for himself and his
force to attend to. He was occupied in his
office for several hours a day, and of his
three assistants two were devoted to in
specting buildings for fire escapes.
Some Important AdmissiOns.
He was forced to admit that his Office
was practically useless SO far as a proper
government of new buildings was concern
ed. Builders could practically do as they
pleased. regardless of the plans and the
permits, and were sometimes caught doing
just such things. A large force in the
building Inspectors office was absolutely
necessary. The amount received from fees
was greater than the amount now expended
on expenses for offices.
Returning to the subject Of the burned
building, Mr.. Entwisle said that walls such
as he had informed the Stumph Brothers
rebuilding their factory would not be able
to withstand the heat of such fire as that
Of Monday.
There are very few walls that can stand
such heat" said Mr.. Entwise.
Mr.. Stumph Recalled.
Mr.. Stumph was recalled and said that
the old building had been used for manu-
featuring purposes. just as the late one
was. Three n .ors of the space were used
for storage purposes. and while witness did
not remember giving instructions in which
the word warehouse was used when he
wanted the building erected. he believed 1t
was more of a warehouse than q factory
any way 1t was looked at.
A recess was then taken until 2:15 pm.
Architect Clark Examined.
After recess the first witness called was
Appleton p. Clark. jr., an architect. He
had examined the burned building this
morning. The plans upon which 1t was
built were handed him for examination.
Witness did not believe 1t thoroughly good
building 70 erect three stories of new brick
structure upon two stories Of old. Witness
would net reCo mmend such a course. The
walls of the burned building were not as
thick as the witness would have designed in
a building intended for manufacturing pur-
poses. The interior construction of the
Stumph building was good. There would
been used.
Contractor Hanvey's Opinion.
Frank l.. Harvey, a contractor and
the building was erected might have been
improved somewhat. The front and
back walls were thick enough. but the
party walls might have been better If they
had been thicker up to the top of the Sec
ond story. The falling of the walls was not.
witness believed, due to any structural de-
fects in them. He thought the intense heat
caused the expansion of the walls.
Witness would not have designed q build
ing for even such light manufacturing as
the Stuinphs carried on with such thin
party walls. The means of exit from the
various floors were inadequate in the build
ing. Witness said there should have been
fire escapes on the building. and said he be-
lieved that all the employees would have
escaped If such appliances had been in use.
He thought there was no excuse for allow
ing tall buildings or those wherein human
lif, might be imperiled to be without fire
escapes.
An AIl-Night Search.
The search for the victims of Mondays
fire catastrophe whose bodies were suppos-
ed to be in the ruins Of the Stumph build
ing. progressed slowly and tediously all
day yesterday until 8 o'clock, when the
Commissioners. upon the representations of
Police Superintendent Moore, ordered a
larger force Of men to be placed upon the
work. and something like system began to
be apparent. Instead Of continuing the
well-digging process which had char1cteriz-
ed the search into the debris during the
day, the laborers extended their efforts in
all directions from the former site of the
elevate shaft. and shortly after O'Clock
do inward in a mass of corn shucks was
uncovered. The remains were burned al
most tc crisp and were found near the
former location of the stairway down which
the employees at work on the fourth floor of
the building had fled when the flames were
discovered. The body was removed to the
morgue. where il was identified as the body
of Robert Reitzell, a young Swede, just APP
preaching his majority, who lived with his
at No. $50 f street southeast.
He was recognized by his uncles, W. H.
Spellhouse and Harris Martin, by means of
his small ears, regular teeth and a crooked
finger.
Bodies Identified.
In the meantime. the identity of the
charred bodies which had been lying at the
morgue since their recovery had been es-
tablished. The third body taken from the
ruins Monday was proven to be that of
Philip Reichman, the German cabinet
maker. who had been employed but a short
while in the Stumph factory and who lived
with Philip Alderman, another victim, at
ga New York avenue. The last body taken
out on Monday was also identified as that
of Francis Henry Fowler, the foreman, who
lived at 431 NJ street northwest. With the
recovery of poor Reitzelrs body the work.
men redoubled their efforts to find tine
corpse of Philip Alderman. which was sup
posed to be the only other body remaining
in the ruins, and all night long, beneath a
steady dowprour of rain. the search was
prosecuted.
Around the death Of young Reitzell clings
a world of pathos. He had recently fallen
heir to several thousand dollars through the
death of his grandfather in Germany, and
had already selected life partner to share
IT in the person of Miss BERTHE Van Horn Of