The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-11-04
CAUSES FALL
Of BIG STEEL POLE
O Street Structure Damaged
When Evans Building
Mast Breaks.

ptoheH OH Dy Ine weight OF snow
AMI ice, together with the vibrations set
up By the storm gales. the two topmost
sections OF the wireless tower on the
Evans building fell today.
The ton Of steel crashed through
the roof Of the Sloan AIT gallery, at
1907 G street. and also damaged the
roof of the adjoining building occu-
pied by the, Richmond Lunchroom
Company. The total damage Is esti-
mated al about 81 500 or $4,000
Ine Atlantic Radio Company. which
owns the tower. have closed their Of
nces In this city They were located on
the ninth noOr Of the Evans building
before their tempOrar. removal 10 the
Metropolitan tower in New York CITY.
Workmen labored u get the snow
from the roofs Of sae Sloan galleries
the douOn rooms died with COSBY art
treasures.
The Richmond Lunch Company. which
occupies the FIRST floor OF the sloan an
mex az lf9 g street. is suffering only
from the Inconvenience of the water
seepage, and Is open for business
Snow Clings To Tower.
When the rain which held in Wash
ington yesterday afternoon turned to
a soft heavy snow about II o'clock last
night, the rigging Of the big wireless
tower began collecting the flakes Hour
after hour the snow fell. and every
minute Of snow fall increased the
weight which had been added TO the
steel shaft which thrust its nose about
800 feet up from the street level.
No one noticed the mesh OF wires and
steel straining through the earlier pare
Of the evening. for the offices OF the
RADIO Company were empty. The end
Of the big poles endurance came at 2-30
O'Clock this morning
There was a swish Of wires and the
two topmOst sections OF the pole
plunged 10 the southeast. dragging rig
giug with It. II struck almost as per
pendicularly as a spear would have
struck and penetrated the roof OF the
Sloan fOur-stOry building, several feet
from the west coping.
Checked in its sudden descent. the
pole, bent by the impact. Curied like the
lash of a whip about the coping Again
IL plunged downward. landing on the
roof OF the Sloan Annex. the first floor
Of which is occupied by the Richmond
Lunch
Smashed Through Roof.
The bent and twisted mass of steel
and wire cable did not strike perpendic-
uIarly this time but its whole weight
smashed down on the tin roof. tearing
/ through big joists slantwise. and one
/ end OF the wreckage bored a socket for
/ itself in the west wall OF the auction
room annex about ten feet from the
floor
There It hung. Patrons Of the lunch
room downstairs were brought to their
| feet by the crash. But for the lodge
ment OF the pole in the wall Of the
upper room It is almost certain that II
would have crashed through the divid-
ing floor into the eating place.
Within an hour the big auction room
was flooded with water. What the dam
age Is cannot he ascertained. Thousands
OF dollars worth of fine Persian rugs
were downstairs Luckily none Of these
came within the radius of the flood from
the melted snow which poured through
the big holes in the roof.
In the auction room annex were sew
| eral consignTpents of goods 10 be auc-
toned These fortunately. did not in
clude any OF the finer art treasures o.
the Sloan galleries, and It IS thought
; that the damage to the auctiOneer's
/ stock will be comparatively slight
Buildings Suffer Most.
The principal damage was done to the
/ two buildings, both Of which are part Of
! the General Buchanan estate.
II is thought that Sl,5O0 or 5000 Will
{ completely cover the entire loss.
/ a Ward Evans, manager OF the
Evans building, Issued a statement to-
day regarding the accident.
| I'VE leased a room in the Evans
! building TO the Atlantic Radio Com
pany for two years" said Mr.. Evans.
I "and gave that company the privi-
/ lege Of erecting a steel tower or mast
/ on the roof of the building, subject TO
4 the approval OF an engineering firm
OF this city designated by us and
1 the building regulations Of the Dis
/ trict of Columbia.
/ THE lessee assumed all liability for
2 hn
1 caused by the tower or mast. We un-
derstood that the John simmons Com
pany. which had the contract for
] erecting the mast for the Atlantic
Radio Company, in turn, agreed with
/ il to be personally responsible for all
| such damages or accidents.
! Permits for the erection OF the
mast were issued to the Atlantic
/ Radio Company by the Building In
/ spector's Office Of the District of Co
J lumbia-"