Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-31
THE JURYS VERDICT
Coroners Inquiry Concerning Death
Of Charles G. Hessler.
FALL OF BUILDING due TO NEGLECT
The Contractors and Building In
spector at Fault.
RECOMMENDATIONS MADE

| Coroner Carr held an inquest this morn
| ing, beginning at IL o'clock at the sixth
| precinct station. in the case of Charles c.
| Hessler the victim of the accident at 3U3
B street southeast Wednesday afternoon
| Attorney L. Cabell Williamson appeared
| In the interest OF Contractor Getz while
| Attorney Charles H. Ruth represented the
| widow and seven children of the deceased
The coroner called number of witnesses,
among them the men who were at work on
the building at the time of the accident
inns afternoon the Jury after a short de-
| liberation, returned verdict as follows:
| we the jury find that Charles c. Hess
Ter came to his death at LAS O'Clock pm
| Meanesday. december y. 1897, by injuries
received by being caught beneath a falling
| floor In house No. 3D3 street southeast
which was being remodeled by Contractors
August and Charles Getz. We further
ma that the collapse of said floor was due
to neglect on part of the contractors. Au-
| gust and Charles Getz. and the inspector
of buildings.
1--WE recommend that the District au-
applied in the future in cases of demoli-
| ton, remodeling or erection of buildings"
The jury did not think the neglect was
| OF such character as to hold anybody
for the grand jury.
The Building Permit.
| that the permit to remodel the building
| was taken out in the usual way. When
! the building is completed, he said, it will
be practically a Few structure Witness
explained that he thought the work was
Icing done in a safe manner. He said that
Workmen are not always careful enough,
nor do they always use the best judg
ment. The bricks taken down from the
| top of the front wall, he said. were used
On the side walls. which had to be pat
up higher than the adjoining building in
order to conform to the permit. He
thought there were about six or seven
hundred bricks on the second floor, AMI
the two center piers that had been left
standing fell The dry timbers in the build
! ing were unable to hold the weight and
| tie crash followed. He thought there had
| cause the accident. The windows from the
| trent wall were removed before the bricks
were touched, as they were wanted for
| use in the rear Of the building.
The accident, Mr.. Ashford thought,
might have been avoided had more care
been exercised. Under ordinary circum-
| stances, he thought the contractor is re-
| sponsble but he said if another man had
leen left in charge of the work the re-
| sponsibility shifted He said that if
| Mr.. Hessler was driving nails in the side
| wall six feet from the front the Earring
| might have caused the accident.
| The Contractor Testifies.
| August F. Getz, the contractor in charge
| of the building, testified that his son was
| subcontractor in charge of the brick work
| and Mr.. Hessler, the deceased. was his
| foreman. Witness thought MIR. Hessler
! was probably responsible for the accident,
| although he was not present at the build
| ing. and really knew nothing about it.
Witness could not tell if the permit called
| for the bricks to be handled in any par
| ticular manner. The plans were prepared,
| he said, under his direction and supervis-
| ion.
Edward CAN'T who was first TO find Mr..
Hessler when the debris was removed. tes
titled to the part he took in the rescue
work.
an injury to MIR. Hessler's spine caused
death.
Contractor Getz when further examined
said he made no examination of the walls
before the work was commenced. The old
building had been used As a storehouse and
| the second floor was not supported by
piers.
Charles E. Getz, son of the preceding
witness, testified that Mr.. Hesser had fun
charge of the work. Witness reached the
building about fifteen seconds before the
accident occurred. Mr.. Hessler asked him
to hand him board to brace the chimney,
which he did, and Mr.. Hessler then asked
him to get him some twenty-penny nails.
Just as witness stepped out of the door
the crash came. He thought it was hard
| matter to tell just what caused the acct
dent.
How many bricks were piled on the
focr?" the coroner asked.
Il can't tell was answered. but Judge
there were about five hundred
Questioned by juror. witness said that
MIR. Hessler had full charge. even when he
was there, for he did not always have time
to look after the work
Hessler i'm Charge.
Mr. Hessler, said witness, drove num-
Der of nails. The bracing was done to pre-
vent the chimney from leaving the wall.
and it had nothing to do with supporting
the joists, which We're broken when the
&C cident occurred Mr. Kirby, he said, had
charge of the carpentering work, and he
was subject to Mr.. Hessler's orders. 1t is
NOT customary. he said, for the carpenters
&c remain to have charge of the building.
The wall from the second floor to the cor
nice the witness testified. was nine inches
thick. Earlier in the day Mr. Hessler work
ed in the basement, and later he was on
the ground floor.
Witness said there was no support what
ever under the floor, because it had been
used as a warehouse He had not seen
Mr.. Hessler on the top of the building on
the day of the accident. The chimney was
a new one, and was being carried through
a space where there had been staircase.
Witness said he had no idea that there
was danger of an accident. If he had he
would not have entered the building.
The Carpenters Version.
John II. Kirby testified that three weeks
ago he was employed by Mr.. August F.
Getz to do carpenterfng work. and at
times to act as foreman. On this particu-
lar building witness was put under Mr..
Hessler's directions. He understood that
Mr., Hessler had full charge of the work
and when there was anything to be done
he (Mr. Hessler) had to be consulted. The
cause of the accident he could not tell 1t
was his opinion that there were about a
thousand or twelve hundred bricks on the
floor 1t never occurred to him that there
was any danger. Joists of the size of
those in the building, he said, are calcu-
lated to hold twenty-five times the weight
that was on them. On such work, he
said, snoring is seldom done on the first
and second stories.
Questioned by counsel for Mr.. Getz, wit
ness repeated that Mr.. Hessler was in full
charge of the work. At the time the wall
fell Mr.. Hessler was not hammering. Mr..
Hessler did not want the boards for brac-
ing, the witness continued, but wanted
them to cover well hole in the floor to
prevent the dirt and dust coming through
on him.
T., ras,>ovea 70 Mr. Rnth xritpaSs said he