Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-04-19

and was opposed to the practice OF
uniting new walls on old ones. There
is net a big old house in town which
has walls
SAFE TO BUILD ON
Witness referred TO the Hutchinson
fuiIding. and described a bulge IN
the Old south wall. Witness described
the effect cutting holes for Joists had
or q wall
From what You know Of both the
Chairman and Hutchinson buildings,
from figuring on the Chapman work,
and from seeing the wreck, what IN
YOUR opinion, was the cause OF the
iau2'
In reply 10 this, the witness said the
old wells were of poor brick, too high
iii. their thickness, and the life had
been cut cut of the walls by putting
in Ioists. I'm his opinion, thirteen
inch wall should not be over three
stories high.
AS to- the cause of the fall Of the
buildings. witness said in his opinion
the cutting OIL of the old Melodeon
hail floor trusses. when the partition
wall was erected through the old hall,
had weakened the whole original
house. by cutting the ties and the
cI.eraScrs. additional weights, etc,
had finally brought about the collapse
as q whole. The brick in The old walls
were very poor; witness saw some,
which had been wet, almost turned in
-o uud. and he had crumbled others
up I'm his hands.
Harry Gutley said he was a few
steps above Wilson d Sons, on the
west side of Main street, when the
buildings fell. When he heard the
noise ne looked up, and saw the Hutch
isson building falling away from the
Chapman building. IL drew away,
and ttcn the Chapman building sid
in" The Hutchisscn building sort
OF pulled away towards the south, and
the alley wall bulEed out and then
the Chapman building sort of
SLID IN TOWARDS IT.
The first noise TO attract my attention
was the cracking Of timbers, and not
The falling of brick walls 1t looked
10 the witness as though the south
wall of the Hu-Chisson building fell
first the whole building swayed to
the SOUTH and then the Chapman
building followed.
Hiss Kate SayageOt was at the win
dow OF her room. opposite Hutchis-
sons. when the building fell. She
saw Father F2rke pass the Riverside
iron works Office. going mp Main
street She saw him go into the alley,
and he was just at the upper end OF
House & EclTmanns sign, when she
saw the south window Of Hutchissons
fall out. and then the whole building
fell. The third story of the alley wall
len out. and the lower stories went in.
They fell very slow and easy; l
never saw anything like it," Father
Parke had Just turned into the alley
when the glass broke, and he stood
perfectly sJl when the building came
down" Witness did not see the tel
egrlDh boy. In reply to question by
Juror Wise, witness said she did not
notice The Chapman building.
George Smith was at the north side
of Greer & Laing's when the house fell,
lie had come through alley nine and
turned Uu Main street. lie saw no
one In ,he alley. The first sound heard
Was tho
CRACKING OF TDIBERS,
and thought q scaf,old i'm front Of the
Chapman building had fallen. 1t seem
ed like one crash. when 1 turned
around I saw Hines and Wilson
escaping. and I ran. lily 6rsJ impress
sion was simply that scaHold mad
fallen. and not that the building was
coming down
NJ. Friesmuth was in his barber
shop. in alley nine, when the buildings
fen. He heard three distinct noises,
the first two close together. and before
them the breaking Of glass.
Charles Wycou, of OFT Bros, was in
front of his store when the buildings
feu. The first thing which attracted
his attention was the breaking OF
glass st Clapmau's, followed by the
dropping Of bricks and scauolding.
George w. Clifton. a carpenter, was
I'm the Chapman building at the time
OF the accident. near the rear of the Ol1
portion of the building. on the north
south wall at the elevator shaft. lie
looked at it, and found sand dribbling
down. Mr. Chapman thought it was
water. but witness said it was sand,
and there was something wrong. Mr..
Chapman called Mr. Giesey's attention
to- it. Nr. Wilson said he thought the
wall was all right. Then witness call
ed attention TO q crack in the same
wall. where the plGsteriug had bulged
out about halfway between the front
and the elevator shaft. Wilson said
me didn't think there WIS any danger,
and said. We had just the same trou-
Bile aC-but he didn't finish, for just
then there was an explosion, and that
ulestgiug shot clear across the room.
Witness then said the building
wasn't safe. and ran. He was
sure Che front OF the building fell first,
the south. or division wall.
DOUBLING UP IN THE CENTRE
and the centre coming north into Chap
mans. AS TO ,he cause OF the accident,
witness thought it was because the
party wall had been made weak by
cutting holes in IL for joist.
VA. Heine, of Blends, was on the
sidewalk, between HutchiusOn's and
Chapmau's, when the fail occurred.
He passed Father PTke and John
House. The first noise witness heard
was the cracking oil timbers, followed
by a confused roar.
Samuel EenCon, an emDloye Of Chap
Ers- Of @ NnH.