Evening star., 1922-07-16
Fifty Years Ago
in The Star

AT about eight and . half o'clock
this morning," Ways TIE ssar OF July
., 1879. - frightfui
Fatal FaI Of accident took plsee on
n>vr;.x the new STATE Depart
mont building on 18th
street just south OF the Navy Depart
msnt BY which twoS persons were
killed instantly and hve wounded. one
or more seriously. There were three
very large derricks. each 90 feet
high. used in hosting stones and
lowering them to their beds on the
walls. These three derricks were
ranged with their line from east TO
west. and were all connected together
At their tops by . single guy rope OF
wire, so that II one fell all must in
evitably fall. At the hour mentioned
above large stone. Weighing about
SIX tons, was ouspended from one OF
the derrfcks, that et the extreme
cast. and was being lowered TO it's
nys .n ths sss, one g, tine
from it's socket And the three der
ficks surged to the westward and
came down in that direction with a
terrible crash among the workmen,
scattering death and destruction In
their fail
Jeremiah Darby, q hod carrier. vas
standing on . frame center on which
an arch was being turned, and WAS
struck by the timbers and literally
driven down through the framework
upon which 1t stood into the base
msnt. ten Or twelve feet below. He
Robert 8. Collins. q bricklaysr. a
deaf mute, w&s struck by some OF the
ropes and timbers and had his right
arm broken and received q bad cut
in the head, but II fs hoped and be-
lieved his skull 10 not fractured. Hen
one OF the stone wagons. was seated
on the bank when the crash came,
and the top Of one Of the derricks
struck him on the head and fractured
hts skull. A man whose body had
not been identified up to 10 o'clock
street when some Of the falling tim
bers struck him full in the face, kill
Ing him outright"
A coronAr's jury later in the day
found 4 verdict that the accident was
due to unforeseen causes and that no
blame could be attafhed 20 con-
tractors or others.
The democratic national convention
met in 1872 At Baltimore on the 10th
q Of July and
Democrats Nominate indorsed the
Greeley and Brown. on.,rUn Hor.o. nr.s 81
ley for President. he having been
named already by the Independent re-
publicans in opposition to Grant.
B. Gratz Brown Of Missouri was named
for Vice President. The Star of July
IL, 1872, commenting on the enthu-
siasm OF the convention, said:
The shout that went up when his
name was mentioned was not
prompted by any sympathy in demo.
| cratic breasts for Mr.. Greeley or his
ideas. It was the yell OF sh.pwrecked
mariners 1t sight Of q sail that prom
ises to carry them to dry land. VIII
It? Is the Greeley tub seaworthy to
freight? The Greeley men are very
sanGufne. there is no doubt about
that. One was told At Baltimore again
| and again. between drinks, that there
IL ground swelr and an uprising
Of the people: that the bali is ia
motion: that the silent vote is com
ing out, and the trumpet tones Of the
popular voice are being raised and
all in behalf Of Horace Greeley. That
he is to- sweep every southern state
but South Carolina: that he \ 10 to
west as Indiana. Ohio. Michigan and
Illinois: and New Hampshire, Con-
necticut, New York. New Jersey,
Pennsylvania. Delaware. Maryland,
etc. in the east: in short. that he Is
to be elected by such q whirl a. that
which put Harrison and Taylor into
the White House. Now. are these
sanguine gentlemen exhilAratinG In
q FOOLS paradise. or have thsy reason
for the faith that 10 in them? Where
10 the evidence OF this popular up
rising?"
Only eight states voted for the
Greeley Brown electors, Georgia. Ken
| lucky. Maryland. Missouri. Tennessee,
Texas. Virginia and West Virginia.
casting 81 electoral votes against 3S6
given to Grant and Wilson.