Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-11
FORD'S THEATER DISASTER
Meeting of the Joint Congressional Inves-
tigating Committee Today.
PrObnbl That an Appropriation VIII
Be Made This Session to Pay
the Death Claims.

For the. first time since its creation by
concurrent resolution of the two houses
the joint commission on the Ford Theater
disaster held a meeting this morning. The
meeting was held in the room of the Senate
District committee, and the special meeting
of that committee called for today was
postponed until Wednesday. There were
present Senators Harris. chairman Of the
joint commissione White, Mcmillan and
Henderson, and Representatives Maddox,
Piggott Brookshire. Daniels and Updegraff.
all but one of the entire membership, Sem
ator Faulkner being the only absentee.
Although no definite action was taken it
was practically decided that an effort
should be made to get an amendment on
=. --..i p... at th,S session, ap-
propr.at,ng money TO pay the death claims,
twenty-one in number. There is no chance
whatever that any money will be granted
this year to pay the claims OF the sur
vivors, upward of eighty of whom have
demonstrated their right to be reimbursed
for their injuries, If the government is to
be held responsible pecuniarily for the lives
and limbs of those who suffered from the
collapse of the building.
To Pay the Death Claims.
1t was somewhat of a surprise when at
the meeting this morning it developed that
the House members of the commission
agreed only few days ago that the gov
ernment is responsible.
Much valuable time, 1t seems, has been
wasted in the consideration of this matter,
which was decided by the Senate with very
little dissent many months ago. When the
Senate committee took action last winter
it was understood that the rate of $1,000
should be established for deaths in this in
stance, as in the case'of fatal railroad accl-
dents. The rate is the same in each case.
without reference to the conditions. and
the appropriation that was adopted in the
Senate to the sundry civil bill amounted to
100000. The members of the House, how
ever, are inclined to think that there
should be established a sort of sliding scale
with 5000 as a maximum rate, and shad-
ing off according to the situation OF the
families of the victims.
This suggestion will be resisted by the
Senate members of the commission, and 1t
is more than likely that the full sum of
$1O5,UOO will be presented to the Senate as
an amendment to cover these cases as the
conclusion Of the joint commission. The
Representatives took with them from the
meeting today the papers In the death
claims and are to inspect them at once.
so that further meeting to settle the
matter may be held in few days.
Case of the Survivors.
1t is reasonably sure that no action will
be taken by the joint commission or bv
Congress at this session, and in this view
the chances for action later are not very
bright, for the joint commission expires
with this Congress, and three members of
it will not be members of the next Con-
gress. These are Senator Henderson and
Representatives Piggott and Brookshire.
In case the work is to go on the joint
commission will have to be reorganized
after the meeting of the next Congress,
whenever that shall be.
If there should be an extra session. which
is not probable now, the work could be re-
sumed in the spring and carried on In the
recess. But without an extra session there
cannot be a reorga nization until next De-
cember, and then much Of the work will
have to be done over again.
The work on the claims Of the survivors
has been practically finished by the Sena-
tors, but the Representatives have so far
refused to accept their conclusions, and so
the matter hangs. Meanwhile several of
the survivors of the disaster are suffering
and unable to work. SO that they need the
money that will probably be granted after
the lapse of tine. The accident occurred
nearly two years ago.