Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-11-06
GREATER CARE URGED
IN SCAFFOLD BUILDING
Coroner's Jury Hears Testimony as
to Killing Of John
Silk.
Witnesses Insist Scaffolding Was
Not Overloaded With Stone
When It Collapsed.

The coroner's jury investigating the
death of John Silk, who was killed yes
terday when the scauoldipg on which
he was working at the new Asbury M.
E. Church, Colored. 18th and K streets
northwest, collapsed. decided that the
! man came to his death from accident
due to building operations. The jury
recommended that the inspection Of all
scaffolding be required in the future so
as to prevent repetition of such ac-
cidents. The jury consisted of Frank
Reed, Vernon H. Whitman. w. C.
Childs, A. H. McGhan, D. w. Thayer
and F. H. Kramer.
AS the circumstances of the death of
Harry B. Belt, who also fell with the
scaffold, and who later died of his in
juries. were the same as those of John
Silk. the verdict in the Silk case covers
that of Belt.
The inquest was held at the morgue
and was opened with DR.. Ramsay
hewitt, District coroner, presiding.
scaffolding Well Built.
Among the witnesses examined were
District Building Inspector Maurice
Hacker and F. ]. Niedomanski, the
deputy inspector in charge of the sec
ton of the city in which the accident
occurred. Both said the scafold was
built in a workmanlike manner and
that extra precautions had been taken
to make it good and strong.
Samuel o. Maggie, foreman in charge
of the stone work, testified that the
scaffold was not overloaded with stone,
and that at times during the building
operations at the church he had seen
considerably more stone on it. He
gave it as his opinion that the imme-
date cause of the collapse of the seat
fold was due to a colored workman
dumping a wheelbarrow of stone on
the platform too heavily. He had
warned the man about it the day be-
fore.
Samuel Silk, a brother of John Silk,
stated that he was working on the wall
placing stone and his brother was cut
ting them and passing them up to him.
The day before the accident he had
called down to Mr.. Nagle, the foreman,
not to send up any more stone, as he
thought there was plenty on the scat
fold, and no more was sent up that
scaffold to fall. His back was toward
it, but he turned when he heard the
crash, in time to see his brother going
through the opening.
Platform Not Overloaded.
Charles Ball, a colored laborer, was
on the scaffold when it fell. Just pre-
vious to it's giving away a wheelbar-
row load of stone had been sent up on
the elevator and, with Walker, who was
injured, he was moving the stone to the
place wanted. When the scaffold fell
he saved himself by catching and cling
ing to a beam and rope that were at
hand. The witness stated that he had
seen more stone on the platform at
other times than was on it when it
fell.
M. Hawkins, foreman carpenter in
charge of the work, told of the building
Of the scaffold and Of its strength. In
answer to questions he said the scaffold
was not overloaded.
Gustavus Elgin, carpenter, who
stopped work on the church last Satur-
day evening, testified that he had as
sisted in building the portion of the
scaffold where the break occurred. 1t
was built as strongly as wood could
make it, being bolted, nailed and
braced. The material used was all good
and strong.
A number of other witnesses were ex-
amined, their testimony being along
the lines of the witnesses who were on
the stand previous to their being call
ed At the conclusion of the testimony
it required but few minutes for the
jury to arrive at its verdict.