Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-21

lowed within the morgue. The bodies
have no human semblance. All look
alike. Where possible it is desired to
spare friends and relatives the Shoch
of gazing on the awful spectacle
There in no hope of knowing Ia
Their. son or brother. said coroner
HOFFMAN, as he began the WORK OF Sc
curing a jury to visit the scene Oh tue
holocaust.
In the lake the tug Moford continues
it's search among the ice foes for bodies
of any who may have been drowned
Responsibility Is Shirked.
Responsibility for the accident is
shifted rapidly from one department
of the public service to another.
THE United States engineers office
issued permit for the election OF
the crib We merely see to it that
buildings of this kind do not obstruct
navigation" said the chief clerk of the
United States engineers office.
MY department supervised the work
done at the crib to see that 1t was
carried out in compliance with the
terms of the city's contract. That was
the extent of our inspection. was the
Statement of the city engineer.
The building department sent no in
kpectors to the intermediate crib be
Cause it has no jurisdiction over build
ings erected in the lake, said the
1T is not the duty of the fire depart
inent to inspect structures such as the IN
termediate crib declared the fire chief.
I'm this case we never We're called on
by the building department to do so.
The public works department of the
city is responsible for such a structure
said the deputy building commissioner.
1t was specified i'll the contract with the
George W. Jackson Company that pre-
cautions should be taken against fire.
There was no specification that the struc-
ture be of steel
1t would be absolutely Impossible for
me to erect steel crib for temporary
purposes unless it were paid for by the
city, said George w. Jackson of the con-
struction company. IF the city had been
willing to pay for a steel intermediary
crib / would have no objection to erecting
it,
Criminal Prosecution Threatened.
Criminal prosecution of those respons-
ibIc for the conditions at the crib is
threatened.
Among the charges being made by the
survivors are the following:
That but little fire apparatus was Kept
on hand.
That the fire extinguishers about the
place were useless.
That the dynamite was carelessly han
died and that on several occasions ex-
blossoms We're narrowly averted.
That the building was poorly construct
ed and was a vertable fire trap.
That the blasts in the tunnel racked
and swayed the structure almost as
though ii were a piece of paper.
That the only method of escape in case
OF fire was the aerial tramway. when
carried but a few persons at time, ana
was slow in operation.
Efforts were resumed at daybreak to-
day TO ascertain whether any workmen
were still living in the shaft beneath the
crib. mile and half out in the lake.
Shortly after the fire. which burned the
temporary crib structure and compelled
the workmen who were not intrapped in
the flames either TO jump into the lake
or to try TO float on blocks of ice it was
discovered that the smoke had descended
into the shaft and had actually suffo-
tanned today that the smoke perhaps did
not penetrate far into the shaft.
Some May Be Still Alive.
All the air pumps were kept working.
1t was believed that some men would
be found still living.
George W. Jackson of the construction
company which built the crib, today in
formed the coroner it would be impos-
sibla for several days to give a COM
plete list of the dead
Many workmen had the choice of re-
manning at the crib and of having their
food furnished by the company instead
of going home every night. Whether
many men were taking advantage of this
arrangement at the time of the fire can
only be learned by application TO their
homes.