Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-12

al the session late yesterday afternoon.
He said he had been a bricklayer for
; twentyfour years and that the mortar.
/. the bricks and the methods of construc-
ton of the building in question. so far as
he knew. were perfect.
= Harris declared he worked on the build
ing from the foundation up and helped
put the beams in place. but he saw AN
. CAOrs on none Of them
. Richard Wheeler, colOred concrete
hammer" testified he was on the fourth
hoor when another laborer came on the
moor with wheeibarrow load OF semi
LIQUID concrete and at that instant the
whole bay gave way. Wheeler had
just time TO grasp a scantling and hang
there while the floors plunged one upon
another into the basement. Witness said
he knew the braces holding the concrete
forms were firmly placed because he had
walked on the boards and they did not
give under his feet
Criticism Of the methods of construction
o. the design and of the materials used in
the building was voiced in the strongest
language by Richard l.. Humphrey a
consulting engineer of Philadelphia en-
gagged at the present time in inves,fga-
tons for the geological survey. He ap-
psared as an expert at the inquest. Mr.
Humphrey said he read of the accident
on the train while on the way here, and
arriving here he went directly to the
building at Goth and p streets
unfortunately. il is a type of building
which Is ali too common. not only here.
out elsewhere in the country" the wit
ness said. "It struck me that the struct
ure was erected entirely too hastily. The
concrete was simply atrocious Much
concrete now used is of the same charac
ter, just ashes mixed with the cement
III does not have more than one-tbird the
strength of concrete properly made"
Asked whether the fault lay with the
DiStricts building department. Mr.. Hum
parey said. so far as inspections we're
concerned. that inspections could not nos
sioly be made frequently enough unless
. man should be kept there all the time
the plans may have passed the de-
partment and have met the requirements
OF the law" he continued. but to my
mind the laws which permit such CON
struction should be revised"
Supervision of the Work.
II it should appear that the architect
had visited the building only three times
since the foundations were laid and that
the owner was not a practical builder
would you say there should have been
some one supervising the work." Coroner
hewitt asked
PROFESSIONALLY there should have been
some competent person in charge. Every
the foreman" Mr.. Humphrey replied
WAS there too much Daylight
Il should say so. 1t struck me the
pier at the corner was entirely too
slender. Then the quality of the brick
construction and of the concrete was
such that it must have dried slowly. and
the rapidity OF the construction was such
that the walls and floors must have been
green. In my opinion the brick work
vas not laid up with the care which was
calculated TO enable II 10 Withstand the
strain which IT was TO bear. and the fail
ure OF the corner pier somewhere was the
initial cause Of the accident
What would cause the wall to buckie?
An unequal load on the inside. so
that IL would give way along the line Of
least resistance"
The witness was subjected to q search