Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-04-11

to- work. setting up timbers along the
FIRST floor so as 10 relieve the north
wall which is undoubtedly seriously
damaged. as can be seen by looking
through the big hole knocked in the
north wall of the Rice building. Many
tons of brick from the top OF the high
wall of the Hutchisson building We're
hurled
WITH TERRIBLE FORCE
through the north wall of the Rice
building aud up against the north wall
OF the Speyer building, SCATTERING this
wall and shaking the entire building
SO that 3lr. Speyer found that boxes
Of goods stored on shelves on the
south side Of the second and third
floors had been joited down upon the
floor. while boxes of cOrsets and other
goods against the north wall We're
knocked every which way. What
viii pc finally done with the Speyer
building can, perhaps, only be definite
lv determined after the removal of the
mass OF brick upon the second floor Of
the Rice building permits a thorough
examination Of the wall.
As to the building occupied by Rice
G Co., it is in a very bad way The
north wall. along alley nine looked
TO be i'm such bad shape, yesterday
morning. that it was shored up with
tim59rs, as
A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE.
The fan Of the section Of the Hutch
iss0n wall upon the second floor Of the
Rice building crushed the floor down
NJ about it's centre, and tore nearly the
whole Of the steel ceiling loose. Dur
Ing Tuesday night water ran through
this building i'm streams, and lay on
the first fccr to the depth of an inch
to an inch and a half, while the eel
lar was full Yesterday the building
looked quite dilapidated, and even
architects differed as to whether it
could be repaired OF not.
The north wall of the Chapman
building. which consists of about equal
portions of the original wall Of the old
NclOdian Hall building and the new
work. the latter on top OF the old, is
undoubtedly in a bad state. 1t was
examined yesterday by several build
ers. both from the street and from the
top Of the Greer 6 Laing building, and
was pronounced dangerous. especially
should The mass OF rubbish at its base
be removed. At the top the wall had
sprung away from the Greer & Laing
. wall q distance Of an inch or two, and
its battle SCARED face presents a most
UNINVITING APPEARANCE,
especially for the first sixty or seventy
feet back from Main street The por-
ton OF this wall on the alley, being
new from the ground up, is all right,
and viii probably not have to be dis
turbed.
Among other things Of this descrip-
ton. the rear portion OF the Hutchis-
son and Chapman buildings came in
for q large share of attention, yester-
day. The end OF the Hutchisson build
ing fronting on alley B, still has the
windows in it, and the roof is intact,
bat is entirely open to the wind from
the west. making q sort of sack which
catches ever breeze which blows. and
which might prove a very dangerous
thing to the Buffet building. which
stands Immediately across alley y, in
the event Of q big blow like that of last
Sunday night. The rear end OF the
Chapman building has not quite the
same element of danger, it being open
at the rear. but still the overthrow of
the end OF the Hutchinson building
might drag the other down with it,
and the two fragments together have
a very threatening aspect, particularly
when viewed from Main street. This
matter was discussed by Chief Healy,
members Of the Board of Public Works
and others, yesterday and it is prob
able that to-day the windows w be
taken out OF the end of the Hutchinson
building to allow free passage for
the wind, pending some other action.
There was a great deal of talk among
all classes Of people. yesterday, favor
able TO the enactment of
A BUILDING ORDINANCE
by Council. and such measure will
DE hailed with satisfaction by the vast
majority of the people of the city, if
properly and fairly framed.
Theories as 10 the cause of the acct
dent were quite as numerous, yester-
day, as upon Tuesday. and were widely
divergent Many still hold TO the idea
first advanced. that the Chapman
building first gave way, and that the
Hutchinson building followed as an
inevitable result, while others, having
q recollection of the protests against
the construction of the Hutchinson
building. and long believing it to be
unsafe. are as firmly of the opinion
that tine Hutchisson house collapsed
first. and dragged the Chapman build
ing after it I'm it's fall. A ,hird theory.
held hy many who dcprecate the idea
of putting new stories upon Old walls,
believe that both houses We're insecure,
and leu so together. The truth will
probably never be known.