Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-11-19
CORONER is NOT
ABLE TO FIX ON
CAVE-IN CAUSE
Thirteen Witnesses Appear,
but Are Unable to Aid
Solution.
INVESTIGATION GOES ON

An investigation Of the collapse of the
new building Of the Emmerich Manual
Training High School, which resulted in
the death of Ezra W. Tabor, 1906 Brad
bury street. and the injury Of twenty
one other workmen, was begun by Corr
oner Paul f. Robinson today.
At the close of the morning session,
the coroner stated that none of the wit
nesses questioned had been able to ex-
plain the cause Of the collapse.
The testimony of witnesses will NOT
be made public until the close of the
investigation.
Thirteen witnesses appeared but the
testimony of three was not recorded. as
it had no bearing on the possible Gauss
Of the accident
Harry Treeter, 1861 Southeastern ave.
nue.. was the first witness before Coroner
Robinson, Walter B. Sterne. city building
/ inspector, and Jacob Elinkens, represents
ing the city building department; Fire
Chief L0uckes, and Detectives HoulihaD
and Long who are conducting the In
vestigation.
WERE WORKING
ON WEST WALL
Treeter is stonesetter and in com-
| pany with Al Warner, employed by the
| Ittenbach Stone Company, was working
on the west wall at the time Of the coli
| lapse.
Other witnesses who testified were c,
| +. Mccarthy. living in the Savoy fats
plumber employed by the Freyn Broth~
| ers Company; william Bolpp, 1921 Madf-
son avenue; Rule Mitchell 424 North
| Blaekord street; George Mathews, T24
: South Capitol avenue: Henry Cushion
berry. $50 North Meridian street; Aaron
I
John Vaughn, 435 West Sixteenth street,
! all employed by the Jungclaus Company.
". H. Hogdson of the firm of James
Hogdson and Son, brick contractors, tes-
tiled
The morning hearing closed with the
testimony Of James Van Meter, 721 North
New Jersey street, foreman for the James
Hogdson and Son Contracting Company.
NEW INFORMATION
Is ADVANCED.
Van Meter is said to have brought ont
new informa ton in his testimony telling
Of two derricSs instead Of one being on
the top Of the high school building at the
time Of the collapse. and also mentioning
that he had warned A man operating 3
derrick not to place more stone on
scaffold on which be was working for
fear It would break down.
Van Meter said he did not believe both
derricks were rugged hat that he was
positive both were On top Of the build
ing and expires led Il as his opinion that
this made considerable weight for roof
Of that type 10 support, and the large
/ stiff boom derrick the one used for
laying stone which had been in constant
use Thursday, had a boom seventy i've
/ feet long.
/ lie said one derrick bad been p1f,s mp
/ by Melvin and the other By Ittenbach.
/ The grand jury investigation viii NOT
I be started until after the coroner hgs
completed his investigation, or at least
until that investigation is well under
way
Ten subpoenaes We're received by the
/ police last night and served. ordering ten
witnesses to appear in the coroner's in
vestl9ation. Or. Pau Robinson. the cor
oner. issued an order to each contractor
VINO had any part in erecting the build
Ing 10 have all men employed in the
I construction OF the building appear ak
the Investigation as fast as it is possible
10 notify these employees
OUTCOME OF FOUR
HELD AS IN DOUBT
/ While Tabor was the only man killed
IN the accident four other men were seri-
ously hurt and physicians say they havs
slight chance 10 recover.
| They are:
Lewis Edward Neh, II, Of 923 Lexington
avenue. fractured skull, City Hospital.
/ l.. c. Pennington. Il of 745 King aya-
nue.. concussion of the brain. body
crushed; City Hospital
George 0Deu. -, Of SIG Euclid avenue.
crushed about the chest; Deaconess Hos
pital
Christ Molten, 81, of 500 Orange street.
Jaw broken. head and face cut possibi7
internal injuries; DeaconeSs Hospital
Eleven Of the injured men were taken
to their homes and their condition was
reported rs n0r serious. Eight were re-
moved to the city Hospital and two
were taken to the Deaconess Hospital.
Tabors body will be shinped to Bed
ford, Ind. Saturday morning and the
funeral services will be held at the home
of his mother. Mary E. Tabor. at
o'clock sunday afternoon. Burial win
be at Bedford
The building was to cost the school
board $4,000 and the board had paid
the contractors $4,000. 1t had been estt.
mated that $150.0O0 worth of construction
work had been completed.
1t was estimated today that the loss
caused by the collapse 0f the building
would reach about $4,000.
CONTRACTORS AND
FoREMEN CALLED
Coroner Robinson issued subpoenas CALI
ing for the appearance of Fred jung
claus, general contractor for the build-
ing Robert Berner of the Hetherington
Il Berner Steel and Iron Works; Carl
Ittenbach Of the Ittenbach Stone Com
pany, and Herman Scherrer Of the firm
Of Adolph Scherrer, architects for the
building.
Subpoenas were issued for the fore
men employed by the various contractors
The coroner obtained q list Of the names
Of the workmen, numbering about sixty
five, and as fast it 1t is possible these
witnesses will appear before the coroner
to testify in the Investigation of the ae-
cident.
Walter b. Stern, city building inspec-
tor, is cooperating with the coroner In
conducting the Investigation.
Chief of Police Jerry Kinney assigned
detectives to assist the coroner In making
the investigation and in obtaining eyI-
dence of criminal negligence, If there