Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-09
VICTIMS UNDER THE DEBRIS
Rescuers Work Fearlessly Beneath
Tottering Walls.
POLICE AND FIREMEN ASSIST
Bullying of Structure at Southwest
Corner Of goth and p Streets
Causes Floors to Be Precip-
itated to Basement-Of-
fcials Present.

With mighty crash like the
discharge OF big cannon and in
suffocating cloud of dust and
debris. heavy beams and a mass
of building material of an apart
ment house in course of construc-
ton at the southwest corner of
10th and p streets suddenly went
down, without warning. about
1890 o'clock this morning. The
fall was due to spreading walls.
In the wake of the falling beams
and heavy timbers was death and
serious injury of a number of
workmen. The police and fire.
men this afternoon placed the
casualties at two killed and Ave
known to be injured, more or less
seriously.
Before the dust clouds had settled
there were heard from the collapsed struc-
ture the sroans of the injured and the
hoarse call for help of those who had been
imprisoned beneath the debris
The Dead.
Lemuel King. twenty-four years of age,
1922 saith street steamftter
Richard West, colored. thirty-fve years
of age. 331 Missouri avenue.
The Injured.
William c. Miller. eighteen years of
age. Carroll avenue, Takoma Park: shock
and contusions of body and legs; Al
Emergency Hospital
George Crayton. colored. thirty flour
years OF age, IL Madison alley: injured
about chest and body, but will recover; al
Emergency Hospital.
Roy Downs 522 2lst street northwest;
injured about foot; sent home in patrol
wagon.
Thomas Basey. twenty-four years OF
aga. Clarendon. Va: arm injured.
Richard Wheeler, colored. 1114 Linger
court; slightly injured by debris. but able
TO remain at work.
Escaped Injury.
William Hendrix. foreman of laborers
putting in concrete
Benjamin Wallace. colored. IL Madison
alley: held to beam.
Charles Banks, coIored held to beam
and rescued by Wallace.
Henry Winslow. coIored rakoma Park.
Ellsworth King. forty-two years Of age.
l722 34th street; clung TO window sill.
a.
1:i2o New York avenue.
Joseph Hall. John Marshall place.
Aloysius Fealey. 61 New York avenue.
Crowd Quickly Assemblies.
The crash and the clouds caused The
rapid assembling Of men. women and chill
dren. and with them appeared the po-
lice Hurry calls We're rushed over the
nearby telephones and the fire department
with changing bells was soon on the
scene.
The police established lines about the
fallen structure 10 restrain the crowds
and the work Of rescue was quickly inaug-
urated by the firemen and volunteers
from the citizens and policemen.
1t was observed that the tall brick walls
were i'm danger of tumbling, and it was
necessary for the police and firemen 10
stretch ropes across both 10Th and p
streets in order to protect the lives OF
those who were willing to encounter dam
ger in order to satisfy curiosity.
Chief Belt and the members Of the
fire department late this afternoon were
corner of the building. Two men are
nothing definite regarding their identity
jected to any one searching further in
the building until after the weak corner
has been pulled down.
Early reports had 1t that as many as
fifty persons had been killed. but the
in the building were soon able TO set at
rest the rumor. The stretching of the
rope across street meant an Interrupt
tion 10 street car traffic west of Dupont
Circle but street officials promptly
arranged for the USE of emergency trans
fers and the passengers were able 10 get
around the danger point TO 2lst and
streets. Excitement ran high i'm the vi
cinity of the scene of the accident, resi-
dents of that neighborhood saying they
had feared Just such a catastrophe.
Commissioners at Scene.
Several of the officials of the police de-
partment responded TO the hurry calls and
reached the scene of the accident soon
after the collapse Chief Belt OF the hre
department and his assistants also has
tened TO the building.
The District Commissioners were noti-
fed and two of them proceeded to aoth
and streets. Building Inspector Ash