The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-04-19

~ shse s's
cause OF the death Of tho dix persons
killed by tho falling OF tho Hutchinson
and Chapman buildings convened at tho
court house yesterday morning, and
spent the ontire day in examining wit
ne,ses OF the disaster and hearing the
testimony Of several experts as to the
condition OF the walls. Thore wore no
new facts adduced as to tho nature OF
tho collapse Of the buildings but what
has already been printed in the papcrs,
except the confederation Of tho rumor
about Mr.. Hutchission having great
trouble In locking and unlocking the
front doors OF his establishment for
many davs before the collapse Of the
buildings, which tended to support the
theory TINT the building had been
settling. 3
Coroner Schultsc presided and tho
witnesses were examined by Prescott.
ing Attorney Howard, assisted by City
Solicitor s, o. Boyce.
Mr.. Halter. book.keeper for Mr..
Hutchinson, wa, the first witness and
gave an account OF the disaster aud his
rescue from tho fnllen building. Ho
was followed by Messrs. Adam Blum
and II. p. McGregor. who described the
accident from their point OF view.
ExrERr TESTIMONY.
Randolph Butts, contractor. gave tss.
timony as an expert builder. Ho did
not bid on the Chapman building be-
cause he considered i. patched work"
He declared that the Hutchisson wall
was bulged before tho remodeling took
place and became worse after wards. He
said, in his opinion. the reason for the
collapse was the cutting OF the old wall,
which was made OF soft brick, and the
wall was too high for its thickness, aud
that no wall OF its character was safe for
more'than three stories. The joists be-
ing placed at twelve inches apart under.
mined the walls.
In reply to a question as to which
wall gave way first Mr.. Butts said: AT
one time in tho old Melodeon hall the
walls we're held by steel girder,. When
Chapman built. he cut this lie aud left
tho whole thing loose. When tho south
wall was loosened the partition was
made weak by the immense weight on
it and the least twist showed it out. The
centre wall 'buckled down and wa.
crushed down. The south wall fell into
the alley"
The text witnesses, Harry Gartley,,
Mra Kate Savageot, Michael Fries.
muth aud Charles Wykof. eye-wit-
nesses TO the catastrophe. gave their
versions Of the falling walls, but MOTH
ing new was adduced. Mr. G. W.
Clifton, who was working in the Chap
man building, also added his version,
claiming that the cause OF the accident
was the weakness OF the party wall and
the fact that it was cut too much.
wErcH on Il FLOORS.
Samuel keunon, employed in the
Chapman building, was on tho first floor
when the crash came. he saw sand
falling out OF the party wall and then a
crack appeared. Everything seemed to
20 toward the Hutchinson building.
In answer to a question Mr.. kennon
stated the heavy goods were in tho Gel.
lar, the frat and second floors having
paints and glass, and nothing was above
tut 6eCOul lluUI. 4bCCSkIIA1hkcA hclkIlI
OF the stock on the second door was 49,
900 pounds, On the first floor there were
100000 pounds.
Newton Wilson was in charge OF the
carpenter work on the Chapman build.
ing. Did not know thickness OF the old
wall, but the wall they worked on was
thirteen inches. The Greer 4 Laing wall
was cut into eight inches and the par
ty wall four inches for the new
joists. From his experience and knowl-
edge OF buildings Mr.. Wilson snid he
thought the Hutchinson vail was pull
ing the party wall away. The latter wall
may have pressed out, however. At this
point an adjournment was taken until
. p. N.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
It was 2:30 o'clock before the jury
was reconvened, aud the examination
OF witnesses waa reaumod. Mr.. Jacob
A. Jefferson. assistant cashier Of the
Bank OF Wheeling, was the first one
called. He testified that no was stand
ing about twenty feet back from the
front Of the bank Office at the time oil
the disaster. ~ had just been asked a
question and had time to reply," said
Mr.. JeIerIon. when l heard n noise.
As soon as tho crash came | looked out
OF the window. There was n succession
OF crashes ut very brief intervals; nevor
heard q noise likei t before. it was sim-
ply indescribable. l heard nothing be.
fore, no cracking Of timber or anything
tina. would intimate tho character oil the
disaster. At first the street wal filled
with brick dust, which completely OBJ
scured the sight. My impression is that
the Chapman building fell first, rs ]
could see the middle wall family
through the dust trembling. From
where I was standing l could not SEQ
tho other walls. Until n minute after
the fall / didn't realize that tho Hutch.
isson building had fallen. The dust was
worry thick, it pulled into the bank
covering tho tile floor back to the dircc.
tors ROOM"
SAW GLASS BREAKING FIRST.
Tho testimony Of tho noxt witnoss,
Mr.. Charles Rood, OF Harper Bros. was
quito interesting, from tho fact that he
was looking directly towards both
buildings at tho moment OF tho crash.
Said Mr.. Rood: 81 was standing in the
front part OF tho store. and had just fln.
ished waiting on 4 customer; whom l
saw tho plato glass windows Of tho
Hutchinson building breaking, and al.
most at tho same instant tho corner OF
the house seemed to crush down; then
the alloy wall foil out, followed by the
Chapman building. There was hardly
an interval between tho cracking Of tho