Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-12
MR.. P1CKFoRD's OPINION.
Refers to "the Big Stick"-Comment
BY MI. Blake.

1.-The big stick was the subject of Sar-
castle references today from Thomas II.
Pickford. owner Of the partially wrecked
apartment house. He declared the action
advocated by the White House had been
practically a determining factor in the
trend of the coroner's inquest and in the
subsequent finding of the jury. Concern
ing the accident itself Mr. Pickford said:
Accidents have been happening since
the world began. and I suppose they will
continue to happen. / could mention as
many as seventeen similar accidents in
the history of local building operations
not more than one man, has been killed
heretofore. That was the most unfortu-
nate feature Of the dropping of the floors
in my building.
II cannot but believe all the subcontrac-
tors who were working for me were hon
est and were doing honest work. All of
them will make aff1davits that my instruc-
tons at every phase of the work were to
spare no expense necessary to secure the
very best results. I intend the apartment
stands to reason that I would not coun-
tenance flimsy construction of any sort.
The fact that I propose to make my home
on the sixth, or top, floor of the apartment
house when it is finished should be evil
dence sufficient to prove that I could not
rails or 'shoddy work at any stage.
1T is my purpose to resume FORK on
the structure at the earliest possible mo-
ment, under the permits of the District
petent Supervising engineer and will well
come the closest scrutiny by. The officers
Of the building department"
Harry Blake, foreman for Barber &
Ross. contractors for the iron work on
the Pickford bailding. in discussing to-
day the fact that he had been held
among those responsible for tine accident
bV the coroner's jury, said he could not
understand, the process OF reasoning
which enabled such a finding.
IF all the subcontractors had been
held it might have seemed that the jury
was determined to gather in one drag
net all the men who had anything to do
with the. execution Of the construction
work. Mr.. Blake remarked. But the
verdict has included two and left out
cause the concrete contractor is thus re-
leased from responsibility, but my criti-
cisrn. If such It might be styled, is
voiced solely on the ground of consist
ency.''
Mr. Blake drew from his desk a series
Of photographs Of the wrecked portion
of the building. the pictures having been
made Of the much-discussed pier and the
adjacent ironwork about three hours
after the accident and before the wall
was pulled down by the local authorities.
He pointed particularly to the anchor
joint on the Intel connecting the pier
with the p street wall of the building
as ocular proof that the material fur
nished and put In place by his firm was
fully up to specifications.
1.-THE testimony of all the members of
the building department was fully cor
roborative OF my own statements" Mr..
Blake continued, land amounted practi-
cally to proof positive that we had done
our share in the construction Of the build
ing entirely in accord with the specif1ca-
tons and exactly as the plans approved
by the building department required