Evening star., 1915-11-05
TWO MEN ARE DEAD,
ONE IS BADLY HURT
Portion of ScaffoId CoIIapses
and Workmen Fall Distance
of Sixty Feet. ~

Two men were fatally injured and
another badly hurt when portion Of a
scaffold built about the new Asburv
Methodist Episcopal Colored Church at
11th and + streets northwest, collapsed
| shortly before o'clock this morning.
Harry B. Belt, thirty-five years old, a
carpenter of Riverdale, Md, and John
Silk, thirty-five years old. a stone
mason of Towson, Baltimore county.
Md. received injuries which resulted
! in their deaths at Emergency Hospital.
william Walker. colored, thirty five
years old, laborer of 713 Gath street
| northwest is at the institution in a
critical condition.
The accident, according to informa-
ton received by the police, is believed
to have resulted from too much stone
being placed on the top Of the scaffold
| causing the flooring on the upper floor
to give way.
Heavy Stone on Structure.
The three men were working together
on the northeast corner of the scaffold
shortly before o'clock. A quantity of
granite blocks, many of which weighed
about fifty pounds each, together with
several stone copings, weighing about
three hundred pounds each, had been
placed on the flooring where the men
were working, according to Samuel O.
Naele, foreman of the stonemasons.
The breaking of the flooring was the
! only warning the men had that the
scaffolding was about to collapse, and
before they could reach places of safety
they were precipitated through, to-
gether with the stone and timbers to
the ground, distance of about sixty
feet
Foreman Nagle, according to his
statement, had just passed beneath the
scaffold when he heard the crash. He
ran to place of safety, barely reach
ing it when the workmen and the
debris came to the ground.
Men Pinioned Under Debris.
Nagle, with other workmen employed
on the building. ran to the place where
the men had fallen. Belt, Silk and
Walker were pinioned under the stone
and tinebers. Rescue work was started
and the men were soon rescued. Po-
liceman F. b. McGinnis of the first pre-
cinct arrived about the time the men
were being rescued and assisted in the
work.
McGinnis hailed a passing automobile
and the injured men We're placed in it
and rushed to Emergency Hospital
Upon their arrival at that institution
it was seen that they were in a critical
condition. Everything was done to
save their lives. Silk died, however.
taken to the hospital, and Belts death
came about half an hour later.
Says Men Were Warned.
yesterday there was a little more
stone on the flooring than there was
today" said Foreman Nagle, land 1
warned the helpers then to be careful
how they lowered the copings on the
flooring" He said. however. he did not
know how much stone was on the floor
ing at the time of the accident.
The foreman said he heard the break
ing of the flooring just as he passed
under the scaffold. Il started for a
place of safety and ran under she'd"
he said. Il had just reached there
when the entire thing came through"
Sergt. Harry Lohman and Detective
Jules Simpson of the first precinct
went to the place and started an in
vestigation of the accident
Immediately following the collapse of
the scaffold other workmen who were
employed on it, but in other sections,
quit work for the day.
Coroner hewitt went to the scene of
the accident as soon as he heard of
the death of the two men and with the
police made careful investigation.
He ordered the police to summon wit
nesses to appear at the District morgue
tomorrow morning at o'clock, wnere
an inquest will be held to determine