Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-27
BUILDING COLLAPSES
Frame Work of Eight Story
Structure Gives Way.
DAMAGE NOT SERIOUS
COLoRED LABORER RECEIVES CUT
ON HIS HEAD.
Rumor of Several Deaths Proved to Be
Untrue-Bricklayer Has
Narrow Escape.
DAMAGE NOT SERIOUS

terrific crash, occasioned by the col
lapse of the new eight-story office building
being erected for Mr.. Henry A. Willard on
the east side of 14th street near Pennsyl-
vania avenue northwest, startled the force
of workmen on the building and large
number of pedestrians in the vicinity of the
work at about $50 o'clock this morning,
| and simultaneously large stones weighing
about 900 pounds. pieces of ironwork Of i'm
| mense weight lumber and other building
| material crashed to the ground and through
| the covered walk in front Of the new build
| Ing. Only the most fortunate circumstances
| prevented serious injury and perhaps more
grave consequences to the men on the work
| and the people passing near the building
at the time. the first violent sound Of the
breaking frame work served as a warning
| to the workmen. and a sufficient space Of
| time interviewed to permit those in danger
| to seek place Of safety, with the excep-
| ton of one of the laborers the ground
below. Wash Gordon, a colored man about
| fifty years Of age, living at 144S T street
| northwest. who was holding the guy ropes
| of the large derrick, stuck gamely to his
| task. and finally in his effort to escape the
falling mass. he leaped into box of NOR
| tar and received cut in the top Of his
head from falling timbers. The injured
man was rescued from the pile of debris
| by Officer Gordon and Immediately taken
| to the Emergency Hospital, where his
| wounds were promptly attended to and in
| short time he returned to the scene.
| The accident occurred Just at the time
when many residents Of Washington were
| hurrying along 14th street on their way to
| their respective offices, and their course
was interrupted for a time. All thought of
| being tardy at their work left their minds
| for the moment, in the excitement incident
to the catastrophe The hurrying clerks
and business men paused to watch the
| scene and In few moments large crowd
| had gathered.
A Startling Rumor.
There were about forty men working on
| the building. and at first it was reported
that a number had been pinned beneath the
| falling iron Orders. A squad of policemen
| from the first precinct arrived on the scene
| and cleared space keeping back the peo-
| pie from the zone of possible danger. Pres
| emily the workmen began to make their
| appearance, one by one. and it was finally
| discovered that none of those on the work
| had received injuries, excepting the man
| Gordon, previously mentioned.
| The damage occasioned by the accident Is
| estimated at a small figure-at less than 1t
| appears to an outside observer-the whole
| amount 1t is said, will probably not ex-
| coed 5000. 1t is stated that the collapse of
| the frame will delay the work not more
| than day or two, and that by the first of
next week the damage will all be repaired
| and the work will proceed as usual. About
| an hour after the accident the Workmen be-
| gan removing the debris and placing the
| large iron sections in proper position.
| The cause of the disaster this morning is
attributed to the piling of heavy stones and
| iron on the cross pieces. In a statement
made to The Evening Star today. Mr. Henry
A Willard, the owner of the building, said:
| The accident to the new Willard build
| ing this morning was not apparently
| through any fault in the construction of the
building whatever but was due to the fact
| that the contractor of the stone work
| hoisted and temporarily laid stone the
| supports that were only intended for the
| iron work
| THE stone contractor was warned not to
| do this yesterday and again this morning.
| The delay in constructing the building will
| be of but a few days. 1t Is fortunate that
| no person was seriously injured"
| Statement of the Builders.
Mr.. w. P. Lipscomb. the builder. said to a
Star reporter: The building is what is
| called wallbearng construction-that is,
| the brick walls support the iron beams. The
eighth floor beams were in place, but the
fourth story brick wall in the front had not
been completed. so that the iron work had
to be supported until the brick wall was
| finished to the beams.
| THE workmen had been warned several
times to not increase the weight on the sup
| ports. but 1t seems they disregarded the
| warning. The damage is not so great as Ii
| appears to a casual observer, and 1t will
| all be cleared OF by o'clock this after
| noon"
In conversation with Star reporter on
| the scene this morning, Mr.. James H. Nc
| Gill, who has the contract for the iron con-
| struction, said:
1.-THE iron frames were sufficiently strong
| TO support the various parts OF the build
| ing as the work progressed. The supports
however, were only temporary and not cal
culated TO bear the weight Of the large
stones placed upon them by the workmen
and the undue weight caused the supports
| to give away. which resulted in the fall OF
the sections above"
Several contractors on the ground cor
roborated the statements of the gentlemen
quoted above. Assistant Building lnspecto,