South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-01-06
Committee of Ten Will Hold
Open Session Beginning To-
night and Go Thoroughly In
to Causes of Accident.
SAY SWANTZ ORDERED
A CLOSED SESSION
Members Say They Were Re-
fused Permission to See
Witness Without That Pledge
-Swantz Probing Too.

With Arthur :. Roos local manag-
or of the Five and Ten Cent stores.
Jacob r. Wagner. an employe. and
W. ". Schneider. architect. as wit
ness. the inquest into the cause OF
the deaths Of Wilbur Churchill. Del.
Hibberd and Ling Nine incident 10
the Michigan ST catastrophe OF Sat
urday night was taken up by Coroner
T. J. SWantz. at the county building
Tuesday afternoon. Deputy Prose
cutor Nye took part In the examina-
tion OF witnesses.
The beginning Of the inquest. open
TO the public. also marks q lifting OF
the lid" from over the proceedings
of the investigating commission OF
ten commenced in secret Monday
afternoon.
IL is claimed by the commission
that its action was taken at the re-
quest OF the coroner. who refused TO
let a committee from that body. con-
sisting Of p. J. Kelley. Henry q.
Christman and Ernest ". Young.
take the depositicns OF Theodore
Metzger and Ling Hong. injured VIC
Tins of the wreck. unless they would
agree 10 keep all testimony secret
When Chairman Farabaugh learn
ed of the secret session ne took the
matter up with the coroner. and in
sistng that that official had no right
TO interfere with the work OF the
commission. or TO prescribe rules for
erHsaeH IA
the other commissioners. in lifting
the ban.
The next session of the commission
VIII be held Tuesday evening, aud
there VIII be no barred doors.
Stories PrcViousIy Told.
The stories told by Metzger and
Hong In their depositions are virtual
ly the same as previously related in
the News-Times following the coll
lapse.
Metzger, a Niles man, was in Hongs
chop suey restaurant with Hibberd.
when the crash occurred. HibberI
was killed. So was Ling Mine an en-
ploye OF Hong's. Both Metzger and
Hong failed To detect an explosion
preceding the collapse, which they de-
clare came from a giving-aWay Of .he
floor below, followed bv the wallis
above
In the testimony given 10y Roos be-
sented the blue prints and specihca-
uOns that were 10 be followed By the
contractor. and as prepared by the
architect.
RoOs believes there was an explo-
sion. He says ne was in the old store
az the time, and that II sounded -
though an automobile tire blew up.
He saw everybody rushing uD tho
street He followed. Then came tho
collapse. There were TWO distinct
noises. IN his judgment the remodel
ing Of the building was safe and work
manlike, and was not responsible FOR
the wreck.
Jacob Wagner has changed his
story a little since Sunday At that
time he doubted an explosion, but re-
members now that the first noise hs
heard was as If another box OF goods
was being dumped in front Of ths
store on the sidewalk Then the front
Of the store gave way. Then. as X
one by one, the iron posts that were
supporting the second floor were
breaking. the building came down sec
ton by section.
Wagner was in the ba-sem .nt OF the
store win Churchill and John King.
when the wreck came and narrowly
escaped with his life.
To was an incomplete committee
that began work Monday. due 10 the
absence of several mem 5ers ia attend
dNcf AT the GttLI banquet 1t tfF LlA~
temple. among them being Chairman
George J Far8 naugh. W. p Kelley.
CITY Engineer Wm = Moore and Eit
j. Scebirt new City attorney. and Ir-
wing ". Sihrel new chief OF the ire
department others on the commit
tee as Organized sunday az Chairman
Farabaugh office were Chris Fass-
nacht and H. O. Christmau. c0utrac-
tors. George Frevermuth and Ernst
Young architects and T. r.. Powell.
local manager of the Indiana inSpec-
uOn bureau.
Many Witnessed Called.
Witnesses that had been summoned
FOR the hearing and were present
when the committee began work
were Jacob Wagner. one Of the 7lea
hO escaped from the collapsed build-
ing. and was the first 70 bee called.
john King. another man who escaped
from beneath the wreckage: Geo A.
Bohu bOokbinder. ll6 - T.. Jeffer-
son blvd. Frank Wheeler. i19 =. Ma
yarre foreman for Contractor So
larck IN the Installation 81 iron, ".
Franklin Fulk 1919 Michigan av..
who had been hanging fixtures in the
embryo five and ten cent store. for
George II Wheelock A. CO.. John No
bile who rams a candy store next door
90 the wreck. Philip Robarge and
Frank Snipe who did some work on
the remodeling; ~. n Hutchinson.
editorial writer for the Tribune. and
r. II Roos. local manager tor the