The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-04-03
OF a BUILDING
KNOX d CO.'S STORE AT "a WEs
WASHINGTON STREET IN RUINS.
Occupants Had Warming i'm Time to
Get Out Snfefy-BuildinG Had
Been Condemned.

items being made in the adjoining lot. The
accident was foreseen in time for all the
people In the store 10 escape. and there was
fortunately no one hurt or injured.
Ever since the building on the adjoining
lot. which was occupied by Lawrie * Rob-
son. burned Nov. Z, the Knox building has
been under condemnation by the building
inspector. At that time the inspector re-
ported to the Board of Works that the
Knox building was unsafe and should be
torn down. The board, however, verbally
extended the time for raZing the building
until this spring. as the owner is a nom
resident and wished 10 wait until spring.
There was no great danger, apparently, un-
I'll workmen began excavating for the new
building which is to occupy the site OF
the Lawrie * Robson building. Then the
weakness of the Knox wall became more
and more apparent, and il is surprising
that the Knox stock was not removed and
the building deserted while there was yet
time.
Yesterday morning the workmen engaged
in digging close TO the building noticed
small pieces of mortar fall out OF the in
t~erstices in the Knox wall. This occurred
during nearly the entire morning. AT noon
it was noticed that the front part of the
wall mad cracked. Then the contractor for
the new building ordered the workmen
and teams out Of the excavation and at the
same time the manager of the Knox store
warned the clerks to leave the building.
IL was the first intimation the clerks had
of their danger, and almost a panic was
created. There were twenty female clerks
and two or three men. The women and
girls fell over each other coming down.
stairs from the second floor and rushed
into the rear alley without waiting TO get
their wraps. Then they stood around for
an hour to watch for the building TO fall.
The police were notified ana reached the
place in time TO stretch ropes and keep
people away from danger. In Washington
street d thousand people gathered to see
the walls fall.
At 1870 O'Clock the lower part of the wall
had bulged out considerably and the upper
portion seemed to be drawn inward. Sew
eral sections of brick and mortar fell. AT
l:51 O'Clock the building fell. 1t did not
fall with a sudden crash, as was expected.
but seemed TO slowly sink. The west wall
seemed TO slide into the adjoining excava-
ton and allow the inner portion of the
building to settle easily. The crash came
when the wall fell. 1t fell inward and
upon a large portion of the inside flooring
and stock, crushing everything beneath II.
II was perhaps as orderly a destruction
OF property as has occurred.
ID. w. Derby, manager Of the five and
ten-cent store. said that il was the inten-
ton of the company TO move the store in
a short time. He was only waiting to secure
a suitable building. He estimated the value
or the stock at $4,000. Mr.. Derby blames
the building inspector for the loss of the
stock. He says he recently called the in
SpectorS attention to the condition of
Things and took it as evidence OF the build
ings security that the Inspector did not
insist again that IL be torn down.
Building Inspector Bunting saws that
Immediately after the fire in the Mansur
building he recommended that all the walls
OF the burned building be raZed at once,
as we'll as the east wall OF the News build
ing and the west wall of Margaret X. Har-
rlson building. occupied by the Knox
the Board of Public Works ordered his
recommendation carried out, but after
ward decided TO wait until spring, so far as
the Harrison building was concerned. The
papers on file in the building inspectors
ONCE show that the Harrison building was
regarded as particularly unsafe. his recon-
mendation Tor It's saying:
THAT on account OF a severe fire on the
morning of Nov. Z, 1896, the west wall of
said building has become unsafe. The wall
has been added to several times, the life
or the mortar had been burned out. and
as this is "a case of emergency this wall
SHOULD be torn down at once. The sec
ond and third floors and roof or this build
Ing are also In a dangerous condition. The
floors and roof sag, jOists resting in many
places only one inch on the brick wall. The
rear part OF the second floor is supported
by two iron rods running through the roof
into a girder above the roof, one end of
which is resting one and one-quarter inch
on a soft brick OF west wall. Accordingly
L have TO recommend that the west wall
pc torn down at once, as this is a case OF
emergency, and the balance above should
be taken down and replaced as soon as pos
sible.''
The records of the Board of Works do not
snow That there was any agreement to wait
until spring. The minutes OF the meeting
of the board on Nov. II, 1895. show that
In the matter of the recommendation of the
building inspector for the of
20 and % West Washington street, for the
OF the wall OF the Holiday
s SSn''i Building. %o ana "a Vest aRa OF W fas HsfGl1
street the board adopted papers for the
Of the walls and buildings
appear and demonstrate, for the reason that
public safety demands that the buildings
and walls come down without delay"
The minutes OF the next meeting of the
board. Nov. Il, 1896. with reference to the
condemnation proceedings read: I'm the
matter or of buildings and
walls to buildings known as Nos. "A. 20, q.
30 and y West Washington street. the own
ers OF said buildings appear before the
board by and through their attorney.
Charles w. Smith. asking that only such
portions of the buildings and walls be torn
away as shall be deemed necessary in the
opinion OF the building inspector. The
board. in the presence OF the building in
spector, agrees that this shall be DONE
MIR. Bunting says that there was an oral
agreement made by the board that the
building should be allowed to stand until
spring. ~
The collapsed building was one Of the
oldest on Washington street. The coatrac-
tor who erected the old Trade Palace build
ing Uhe one occupied by Lawrie * Rob
son) witnessed the collapse yesterday. He
says he built the Trade Palace building in
1888 or 1883. and that the Knox building
was an old one then. He remembered thar
IL was a two-story building and that work.
men were engaged then in adding the third
story. The building was constructed in .
very unsafe way. 1t is claimed that the
walls really had no foundations. They
were only eight inches thick a, the has
and were built up directly from the ground
at a depth scarcely deeper than the cellar
The walls were not braced or locked i'm ann,
way. 1t was owned by Mrs. John -. Har-
riSon.