Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-10

in whose territory the Pickford building
is located. all of whom thoroughly in
vestisated the situation yesterday and
this morning.
Not Of Proper Thickness.
Although it may not have been in any
direct way responsible for the accident,
the walls of the basement. first and Sec
OnI stories, 1t is declared. were not of
the thickness specified by, the second per-
NIT issued to Mr.. Pickford, the con-
tractor. authorizing him to construct an
additional STORY on the building. This
| fact was made known today by officials
of the District, who are in a position to
| know. and who intimate that conces-
sion was made in Mr.. Pickford's case.
| According to this informant ion, one month
after Mr.. Pickford had been granted a
permit for a fve-story apartment house,
he appiled for permission to add an
other story. Before this was granted he
was required to specify that the thickness
of the walls would be propOrtionately IN
| creased to meet the extra weight of the
additional story
This requirement was agreed
to and the permit issued with the
approval of the building inspector.
An official stated today that the
walls were not increased In thick
ness up to the time of the acci-
dent, although the fifth story had
been completed.
| He was asked: why the builder was
permitted to construct the walls a.
called for by the first permit, in
stead of the thickness provided in the
permit for the additional story. The an
swer was: Your question places me in
an awkward position
After further questioning this official
said the building inspector permitted it,
Not Out Of the Way.
! Commissioner Morrow does not con-
| slider this a concession, or exactly out
of the way. He explained that the con-
tractor had followed the figures of the
first permit for the five-story apartment.
which act. he contends, was perfectly
proper if the building was to be FIVE sto-
ries; but Maj. Morrow says: 1T would
have been necessary for Mr. Pickford to
|
| lower floors otherwise reinforce them
before he could proceed with the con-
| structOn of the sixth floor
| LAS a matter OF fact" Commissioner
Morrow continued. Inspector Clark had
already been instructed by the building
office to serve notice on Mr.. Pickford to
this effect. Unless he had complied with
this notice he would have been prevented
from continuing with the building or
would have had to abandon the sixth
floor
When asked whether or not it
might have been more advisable
to have constructed the walls ac-
cording to the thickness of the
second permit issued for the sixth
story building instead of waiting
until the sixth floor was reached,
Commissioner Morrow said he
could see no reasonable objection
to the former method. He ad-
mitted, however, that the latter
method would have been more
advisable.
| Ask Pertinent Questions.
| When Commissioners West and Mac
!
facts they at once began to ask pertinent
questions. and asked to have the plans,
etc. clearly explained to them.
| In offering his personal opinion as to
| the cause of the accident. Mai Morrow
said he felt confident that the evidence
brought out at the coroner's inquest would
/ bear him out
"1f the subcontractor laid his concrete
| forms too f1imsy. as you state is your be-
4 lief tho Annro laid AZ
the construction of the walls-whle the
latter were still green-why did not the
District inspector detect these conditions. -
! Maj. Morrow was asked.
1T would not be possible for
our little force of inspectors to
personally inspect every detail in
the construction of building. be-
cause of the large territory al
lotted to each. Such a thing
would be beyond the question, :"
the Commissioner explained. "As
a matter of fact, I do not consider
it the function of the inspector to
make such detailed inspections.
If we had twice or three times the
number of inspectors that we now
have we could not expect them
to personally inspect such details.
l consider it the duty of the
builder to see to such details"
Mr.. Poynton's Opinion.
Acting Building Inspector PoyntOn is of
the opinion that the accident was due to
tiimsy concrete flooring and the fact that
the forms were laid too soon after the
| construction of the walls. Mr.. Poynton
| appeared at the inquest today and will
| make an official report to the Commission
on the accident Until then he does not
| care to make any suggestions as to
placing the blame
| Capt. William Kelly. assistant to the
Engineer Commissioner. who inspected the
building yesterday after the accident, stat
ed today that he is convinced that the con-
crete floors we're laid in too much of a
laying of the floors. he thought. should
! not have been done until the walls settled
more.
| Inspector Clark is of the same opinion
as Capt. Kelly and MIR. Poynton that the
walls were too green and that the con-
| crete floors were constructed too soon and
without sufficient supports.
| Slips Used in Evidence.
| The slips filled out by Clark. showing
the various daily inspections made by
| him and turned over to the building in
| spector each day. show that he visited
the building three times last week. The
L