The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-11-28
CROWD SMILES
AT TESTIMONY
Inquiry Into Collapsed Building
Brings Out Some Odd
Facts.

IN the back part Of the room and listen
ed intently The first inspector, G. ".
Curtis, an old man. very nervous, said
that II the jury wanted his opinion. he
didn't think the steel was mt 10 be
used
Beyond this statement Mr.. Curtis did
not give much startling testimony, eX-
cept that he showed things about the
building department calculated TO make
the attorneys and spectators smile.
Tie report Of Building Inspector Is
ham, who was in charge of the collapsed
building. dated November Is. on which
there was a remark that ten columns
of steel were already up. bore on the
bottom under the signature OF Isham
The words. mo permit. o. K. Somer-
Vile"
Writer Is Unknown.
Nh. Curtis said he didn't know how
this last line got on the report, but he
was very sure that it wasn't there when
it first came through MS hands. When
Mr. SomerviIle came on tAe stand
later he denied emphaticany that he
had written this line. Neither one of
the two men had any idea who did do
the writing.
Questioned by Coroner hewitt, several
attorneys and members Of the jury, Mr..
curtis admitted that most anybody con-
nected with the building department
could look over these written reports,
and he saw no reason why a man. " no
wanted TO. should lack opportunity to
write things on one of them.
When one of the jurors asked him II
he didn't think this was slack system,
lac said no.
ON report dated November 20 three
days before the accident, there was writ
ten sentence TO the effect that the
building was first discovered to be lean
ing npTthWaTd on Saturday, November
2I Nj. Curtis said that the statement
on the report Of November % must have
got there in some way which he did not
understand. IN that IL hadn't been there
when the report first went through his
haECs
Saw Nothing Unusual
When asked if he did not think It
his duty to report TO Mr. Ashford any
thin~ unusual which might come in on
one OF these slips flIed out by fnspec-
Iors ne said ne did but he hadn't seen
am thing unusual on any OF the slips
dealing with the collapsed building All
the unusual things, he said, were put on
the slips probably after the accident.
lie didn't have any idea who made the
additions and didn't recognize the hand
writing 81
Ills position i'm regards to the reports
made by Mr.. Isham was not made very
clear 90 the jury. becoming confused
lH two or three attempts to explain the
dinerenence between a permit and per
mission" He said that he supposed
that a permit had been granted for the
erection of the steel. He knew one
had been granted for the concrete work
a FHaH
on a report that steel was being use.I
ON this building he said that he thought
matter of course a permit had been
granted, OF lSham would have said IL
had not
ID. W. Summervine, who said that no
IS not a graduate engineer, but who
confessed TO fOrty-tWO years experience
II the computation Of strains and
stresses, was the second witness. Mr..
Summerville said that he was asked 10
50 down to the old Pennsylvania Depot
by Mr.. Mcnamara, the contractor, who
was removing the iron work.
Might Use Trusses.
lie was asked TO make a computation
as to the strength Of the trusses. He
said that he made one and found that
with a 10 per cent reduction for deterlO- /
ration, and with the understanding that 7
q second inspection could be made and /
at a later date, he assured Mr.. Ne .
Namara that the trusses might be used. /.
The second inspection, 10 which he re
terred, was TO be made, he said. at the 1
new warehouse and he was 10 examine
six IrussC5 ct each visit in order to save
Time. lie only examined one, and did !
not explain turing the morning why ne .
lad not examined the others.
MI. SummeTVille denied any CCnuec-
ton whatever with anyone Interested .
in the building He denied that he F..
ana lsham mad ever fallen out and .
while he admitted that the latter had .
called his attention TO some defects .
in some tension rods he said that .
he had informed Isham that the whole .
scheme Of erection was so worked out
that these defects would be counter
balanced.
He. like Mr.. Curtis, didn't seem to
know where the contractor got his au-
IhOrity for the erection of the steel
work. He said that he had told Isham
mat the contractors might 90 ahead
with the iron work If everything was
an right and the two tests which he
had prescribed. had been made.
Hadn't Been to Scene.
Although he told Coroner hewitt, who
oross-exaulined him first, that he
hadn't been TO the scene of the acct
dent in answering a question of his
own attorney later. he said that i'm his
opinion the structure had fallen because
The trusses had not been laid verti-
caIly.
He said that in any case. whether
new or secondhand steel were used, If
IL were not placed in the proper posi-
1iOn, the structure would tend TO fall !
lie admitted, however, that William A
Newman. the subcontractor, who is
putting up the steel, was. so far as he
knew, thoroughly competent.
Isham Blames Ashford
The testimony of Isham yesterday
afternoon was sensational and he
charged that Inspector Ashford and
-omputer Somerville were fully aware
ot the work which had been done on
The building up 10 the time of its col
lapse, despite Mr. Ashford's statement
that he did not know that the iron
work was being installed.
Isham said he had reported to SOM
rville that the iron trusses We're defec-
i've and that they had no more sta
fifty than paper On this account he
said, he declined 60 20. X the fToh
Nork and so reported TO both SOmeT-
vile and Inspector Ashford. j