Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-12
Drop Four Stories From Der
rick at Riggs Building.
WORKERS. NARROW ESCAPE
Only One Man Injured of Many Ex-
posed to Danger.
HAULING TRUCK CUT IN TWAIN
Mighty Noise Startles Neighborhood
When Girders Weighing 5000
Pounds Fall to Street.

One man was injured and a score of
others narrowly escaped death this
morning when about nine thousand
pounds of steel. which was being
hoisted to the sixth floor of the hotel
and theater building being erected at
the southeast corner of 18th and G.
streets northwest. on the site of the
old Riggs House, crashed to the
ground.
Michael Perry. an iron worker,
twenty one years of age. of 107 Sussex
street. Jersey City. the only person in
jured. is at the Emergency Hospital
His left leg was fractured in two
leg was badly cut.
Shortly after 10 o'clock a team own
I'd by the Littlefield- -Alvord Company
hauled a load of steel beams to be
used in the construction work of the
building. into the fenced-in space
along the 18th street side of the site
\ large derrick which has been in use
in lifting the steel beams into position
since the work started several weeks
ago. was in position on the Sixth floor.
abou; the center of the building.
A mast had been erected and guide
ropes secured at several places The
boom attached to the mast of the der
rick had been lowered and a heavy iron
pulley through which the steel cables
run was lowered Ito the wagon. Eleven
OF the steel beams were fastened together
by means of n heavy iron chain This
chain was later attached to the bottom
of the pulley.
Gave Way Suddenly.
Perry. who was i'm charpe of tho bo;a+-
ing of the beans. was standing short
distance from the wagon He had sig
nailed another employe on the sixth floor
and the beams started slowly upward.
Just as they reached position about
level with the fourth floor the mast either
slipped from its position on the steel
Work of the sixth floor or one of the
guide ropes broke.
Without warning the derrick gave way
1t struck on the steel work and re-
manned there. The steel beams how
ever, released by the fall of rhe derrick,
Tell on the wagon, from which they had
a rev moments before been removed. The
OF the front portion being depressed and
the front part elevated, lifting the thor
oughly frightened horses into the air
Perry was unable to get to a place of
safety when he saw the derrick start to
fall and one of the pieces of steel struck
him on the leg. knocking him to the
ground y number of other employ es
had been almost directly under the spot
where the wagon stood a short time be-
fore, IL Is stated, and had gone to work
on the top floor of the building
Noise Heard for Blocks.
The crash following the fall was heard
FOR several squares around. The work.
men on the other part of the building
rushed TO the place where the steel fell
believing that a number of their fellow
employees had lost their lives. Perry
however. vas the only one near the fall
ing steei. Several thousand persons were
gathered about the outside of the fence
surrounding the building site
y report that ten men had been killed
spread rapidly through the throng and
by the time Capt Hollinberger. in COM
mand of the first precinct, arrived at the
scene with the reserves car traffic on 10Th
street had been stopped.
Several telephone messages were sent
to the Emergency Hospital for the ambu-
lance. When the vehicle arrived il was
found that Perry was the only one who
needed medical assistance.
The building is being constructed by
Wells Brothers, contractors of New York
Harry u. Watts, manager for the con-
struction company. declined to make d
statement regarding the accident.